Using mysqli_fetch_assoc in PHP to Retrieve Rows as Associative Arrays

In PHP, interacting with a database is a common task. When we execute a SELECT query and obtain a result set, we usually need to store the data in a PHP array for further processing.

PHP provides several functions for handling result sets, and one frequently used function is mysqli_fetch_assoc . This function retrieves one row from the result set as an associative array, making it easy to access data by column name.

Below is a complete example that demonstrates how to use mysqli_fetch_assoc to fetch a row from a result set:

<?php
// Connect to the database
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");
// Check connection
if ($mysqli->connect_errno) {
echo "Failed to connect to MySQL: " . $mysqli->connect_error;
exit();
}
// Execute SELECT query
$result = $mysqli->query("SELECT * FROM users");
// Verify that rows were returned
if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
// Fetch one row as an associative array
$row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result);
// Output the values
echo "ID: " . $row['id'] . "
";
echo "Name: " . $row['name'] . "
";
echo "Age: " . $row['age'] . "
";
} else {
echo "No data found.";
}
// Close the connection
$mysqli->close();
?>

In the example, the query result is stored in $result . The call mysqli_fetch_assoc($result) returns a single row, which we store in $row . The $row array can then be accessed by field names such as 'id' , 'name' , and 'age' .

It is important to note that each call to mysqli_fetch_assoc returns the next row in the result set; when no more rows are available, it returns null . Therefore, to retrieve multiple rows you would typically place the call inside a loop.

Using mysqli_fetch_assoc simplifies handling database query results, improves code readability, and enhances maintainability.

In summary, the provided example shows how to use the PHP function mysqli_fetch_assoc to fetch a row from a result set as an associative array, which can be very helpful during development.