[development] Programmatically creating SQL queries

[Andy Fowlston]

Thanks John and Larry,

John wrote:
> db_query will take an array of arguments - 
> db_query("SELECT blah...", 1, 2, 3) and
> db_query("SELECT blah, array(1, 2, 3)) are the same thing.

Ah, perfect!

Larry wrote:
> In Drupal 7, there is a dynamic query builder built right into the system

Cool!

> You should also look into this function if you need to build, say, an IN
> statement:

Thanks, I would've done that manually if you hadn't pointed it out.

Thanks again,

Andy

. . . . . . .
Andy Fowlston
+44 (0)20 8747 5068
andy at pedalo.co.uk
Skype: andy.pedalo
www.pedalo.co.uk

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________________________________________
From: development-bounces at drupal.org [development-bounces at drupal.org] On Behalf Of Larry Garfield [larry at garfieldtech.com]
Sent: 12 March 2011 06:33
To: development at drupal.org
Subject: Re: [development] Programmatically creating SQL queries

The answer depends heavily on your Drupal version.

In Drupal 7, there is a dynamic query builder built right into the system for
exactly that purpose:

http://drupal.org/node/310075

In Drupal 7, that is the one and only way you should be building dynamic
queries.  (But if you don't need a dynamic query, just use db_query() as it is
faster.)

In Drupal 6, as another responder said you need to build the SQL string
yourself and an array of placeholder values, then call db_query() with its
second form:

$sql = "...";
$values = array(1, 2, 3);
$result = db_query($sql, $values);

You should also look into this function if you need to build, say, an IN
statement:

http://api.drupal.org/api/drupal/includes--
database.inc/function/db_placeholders/6

(That will wrap in your mail client.  Sorry.)

That is the only way you should be building dynamic queries[1].

--Larry Garfield

[1] Except for a few very strange edge cases where you may need to do
something else, but odds are if you hit one of those you did something else
wrong.