Random and Unique Number

jrahma

Hi,

Is it possible to generate a random and unique number at the PHP level and then send it to MySQL or it should be in the MySQL level?

Thanks,
Jassim

Weedpacket

It's possible, yes. Whether it should be done in MySQL instead depends on the application.

jrahma

so how can I make it unique n PHP level if I am planning a promotion codes for customers? do I need to save it in a text file instead of database?

laserlight

Ultimately, you have to check the database, e.g., by attempting to insert and retrying if there is a unique constraint violation.

sneakyimp

jrahma;11046763 wrote:
so how can I make it unique n PHP level if I am planning a promotion codes for customers? do I need to save it in a text file instead of database?

The function [man]uniqid[/man] is perhaps the simplest way to generate one in PHP.

NogDog

sneakyimp;11046793 wrote:
The function [man]uniqid[/man] is perhaps the simplest way to generate one in PHP.

Two possible problems with that is that it is not random, as it is derived from the current time; and it does not return a decimal integer, if that is what is needed (it returns something like a hexadecimal string concatenated with an integer for the microseconds. Depending on what the OP really needs it for, those may or may not be issues. I've used it in the past to generate sort of random-looking tokens that are highly unlikely to collide, with something like:

$token = md5(uniqid('', true));

sneakyimp

NogDog;11046799 wrote:
Two possible problems with that is that it is not random, as it is derived from the current time; and it does not return a decimal integer, if that is what is needed (it returns something like a hexadecimal string concatenated with an integer for the microseconds. Depending on what the OP really needs it for, those may or may not be issues. I've used it in the past to generate sort of random-looking tokens that are highly unlikely to collide, with something like:
$token = md5(uniqid('', true));

Good points all. I suspect it might be entirely adequate for generating promotion codes.