Completely against rdbms priciples

bubblenut

...but hey, I'm a rebel (or prehapse just a fool). I want to have an array as an element in a table. I that this element can have multiple entries but only a few and from a list which is very small. I really don't wanting to be creating such small, simple tables when an array would work much better. I have thought about using a comma seperated variable but would like to be certain there is not a way of implementing an array of strings with MySQL.

Thanks in advance
Bubble

ultraslacker

I really don't wanting to be creating such small, simple tables when an array would work much better.

What is so wrong with small, simple tables?

You could use a hash or a bitwise implementation to fulfill the same purpose of an array. Better than arrays but still ugly.

AstroTeg

Small simple tables make managing the data so much easier down the road. From a performance standpoint, RDBMSs LOVE small simple tables. I would highly recommend using one.

If you have no intent of having the RDBMS sort, group, or search the individual data, then go ahead and shove it all in one field. Comma delimited is pretty standard or if you want to pick some unique character you're sure to never use, you could use that to delimit your string and then explode() to break it back into an array.

drawmack

go with look up tables, there is a reason that databases are set up the way they are.

superwormy

If you really want to store an array of values in the db... I would reccomend you serialize() the array, and store that.

serialize() creates a string representation of an array or object in PHP, which can later be unserialize()'d back to the original array or object.

BUT you really should be using tables. :-)

Sxooter

OK. Now store your array in such a way that 10,000 different users can make changes to it and you want the data in it to stay coherent.

rdbms relational principles have a time and a place, and large, multi-user systems with lots of updates are it. Arrays and flat files are great as long as you only have one user changing data at any given time.

csn

Postgres supports arrays 🆒

chriskl

In fact, PostgreSQL arrays can be used as subselects, you can index elements in the array, etc. They're very powerful.

Chris