Many elements on one MySQL field.

Assim

I want to put lots of different information on one MySQL field.

For example, let's say I want to add different user ids in one MySQL field, in which way can I do it, and how can I retreive information, or how can I check if user id 1 is over there... etc...

Thanks in advance.

Sxooter

This is a bad idea. You need to design your database so you don't have to do this.

The only time it's ok to do this kind of thing is if you'll not be querying on any part of the data in the future, just retrieving the whole thing. Then you can use serialize / unserialize on your php data elements and stuff them into the db that way.

But it's usually a bad idea.

Piranha

I suggest that you read up on "database normalization" to get a basic understanding on how you should design the database.

Assim

No what I mean is, lets say someone on my site wants to send a message to more than one person, lets say 25 people, so I can't put each person in each column.

There's something like this in the vBulletin database when sending a private message to many users, but I don't know how.

igorlopez

I don't understand what you want to accomplish.
1) Lots of different information in one mySQL field....
One field is normally one specific column in one specific table.
When you say different information, do you mean that for lets say in your table TBL_A you want to have several records (rows) with different type of information in column 1?
Example phone number, salary, gender, favorite color....
2) As example you want to have several user Id (one type of information but different values) in one field...
That is bound to be a problem as Sxooter says. Especially since you want to retreive information from it later.
3) Next you want to have 25 columns with different user id's in it...
Here I believe you might be meaning rows where one field is a user id.

I am sorry but from reading your post i fully agree with Piranha, you need to read up on databases and what to use them for, how to use them and how to design them.
It is not for nothing that we have dedicated database administrators having this as a full time job.

I have just started myself and got the book PHP and MySQL by Ellie Quigley (sorry if i am breaking some forum rules here). With no background at all in these areas I have already gotten a little feeling for of what/how to do and what to not do.

Piranha

Did you read up on database normalization before your second post in this topic? I doubt it...

laserlight

No what I mean is, lets say someone on my site wants to send a message to more than one person, lets say 25 people, so I can't put each person in each column.

You (or rather, your script) certainly can put the user names into different rows (not columns, that would be a bad idea). The users may be entering recipient user names as a comma/semi-colon separated list of values, or select from a drop down menu, etc, but then your script would have to parse that into a form that it can use to insert into different rows of a table.