mysql question

[petrachys]

I'm getting set up to use a mysql database for a php script I'm making, and in the script system I want to store a bunch of variables to the database, the thing is, the variables are dynamic and each kind of variable needs it's own column. Should I a) make a script to add table columns as needed, or b) store all of these dynamic variables in a string. I have some static default variables but all of the dynamic ones would be in one column.
Would performance be hindered more bby having more table columns or would having to parse long strings create more problems?

[adamgeorge]

how do you get dynamic variables? If they're from a form... well.. that's not really dynamic.

so... first... where do the variables come from? A form? something else?

I wouldn't be adding columns and stuff to your tables in your scripts just to accomodate extra variables though... doesn't really sound like a good idea. Either does storing them in the one field and then using explode() or something to get them out. Although that's prolly preferable if you had to.

there is a solution for storing this... but I can't really say without more information.

well, good luck anyway
-Adam 🙂

[petrachys]

Here's the deal with my variables. I have a system where you install different components to create different kinds of pages for a website (article, review, comic, etc) and with each of those kinds of pages, each requires different variables. So then I end up with different numbers of variables with different names. I do though, have a set of variables that are the same with most content types, (id, author, title, etc). So I'm just trying to figure out how to store them in a mysql database.
I thought of another alternative too, to have a number of columns reserved for 'dynamic' variables and limit the number of variables. Then when the content page comes up, it knows which slots have which data. Or I could go with the string idea.

[adamgeorge]

Well, it's not really good database design to store all of that in the one table!

Do some normalisation... start from scratch:

Table Member
iID
sName
sEmail

Table Article
iID
iMemberID
sTitle

Table Review
iID
iArticleID
iMemberID
dtDateReviewed

etc....

like... I don't get why you would want to put it all in one table, let alone one field... it doesn't make much sense.

Read some stuff on good database design techniques... I think you'll find you're going about it the wrong way... there's heaps of stuff on the net that should help you out. If you're really keen learn how to do flow charts, and relational algebra! lol. Sometimes that helps me out, but for the most part, once you understand stuff like I wrote above it's pretty straightforward.

cya man,
-Adam 🙂