mysql col. type - this application

[BEFOR]

I am debating what might be the best column type to use for my application.

These will be inserted text documents limited to 225 words each, and I expect that these could number into the hundreds. I would like to be able to search the column as well. There will be no special characters and I was hoping for some very basic edit features like indent. These contents also be updated by site users.

After evaluating the possibility of, and using a seperate directory for other greater word-count documents(text files), I've definitely decided to place these ones into the table.

Maybe longtext?

[Sxooter]

That really depends. In MySQL, when you try to insert a text string that is too long for a varchar(x) field, MySQL just truncates and inserts it anyway, with at most a warning, and no error.

So, if you want to error out when it's too big, then just declare it to be text types and truncate / error out in your PHP code. If you want them to be autotruncated, then declare them as text(225) or varchar(225)