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{{Moodle_2.0}}This page describes the functions available to access data in the Moodle database. You should '''exclusively''' use these functions in order to retrieve or modify database content because these functions provide a high level of abstraction and guarantee that your database manipulation will work against different RDBMSes.
{{Moodle_2.0}}This page describes the functions available to access data in the Moodle database. You should '''exclusively''' use these functions in order to retrieve or modify database content because these functions provide a high level of abstraction and guarantee that your database manipulation will work against different RDBMSes.


Where possible, tricks and examples will be documented here in order to make developers' lives a bit easier. Of course, feel free to clarify, complete and add more information to this documentation. It will be welcome, absolutely!
Where possible, tricks and examples will be documented here in order to make developers' lives a bit easier. Of course, feel free to clarify, complete and add more information to this documentation. It will be welcome, absolutely!
== General concepts ==
=== DB object ===
* The data manipulation API is exposed via public methods of the <tt>$DB</tt> object.
* Moodle core takes care of setting up the connection to the database according to values specified in the main config.php file.
* The $DB global object is an instance of the <tt>moodle_database</tt> class. It is instantiated automatically during the bootstrap setup, i.e. as a part of including the main config.php file.
* The DB object is available in the global scope right after including the config.php file:
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
<?php


== Main info ==
require(__DIR__.'/../../../config.php');


'''Important note:''' All the functions shown on this page are for use in '''Moodle 2.0 upwards''', where we changed the [[DB layer 2.0|DB layer]] to support some new features. If you need information for previous Moodle version, take a look to the [[DML functions - pre 2.0|DML functions - pre 2.0]] page. For a detailed reference of changes, see the [[DB layer 2.0 migration docs|migration docs]].
// You can access the database via the $DB method calls here.
</syntaxhighlight>
* To make the DB object available in your local scope, such as within a function:
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
<?php


* All the function calls on this page are public methods of the $DB global object, so you'll need to "import" it within your functions (not needed in global scripts) with one simple:
defined('MOODLE_INTERNAL') || die();
<code php>global $DB;</code>
* The $DB global object is an instance of the moodle_database class, which is defined in [http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git;a=blob;f=lib/dml/moodle_database.php;h=2a6676c84e7c77b0534f18a13ba584f58a8ed024;hb=refs/heads/master moodle_database.php]
* All the $table parameters in the functions are meant to be the table name ''without'' prefixes.
<code php>$user = $DB->get_record('user', array('id'=>'1'));</code>
* When using the xxx_sql() functions, table names must be enclosed between curly braces.
<code php>$user = $DB->get_record_sql('SELECT * FROM {user} WHERE id = ?', array(1));</code>
* All the $conditions parameters in the functions are arrays of fieldname=>fieldvalue elements.
<code php>$user = $DB->get_record('user', array('firstname'=>'Martin', 'lastname'=>'Dougiamas'));</code>
* All the $params parameters in the functions are arrays of values used to fill placeholders in SQL statements. Both the question mark and named placeholders can be used. Note that named params '''must be unique''' even if the value passed is the same.
<code php>
/// Question mark placeholders:
  $DB->get_record_sql('SELECT * FROM {user} WHERE firstname = ? AND lastname = ?',
                      array('Martin', 'Dougiamas'));


/// Named placeholders:
function my_function_making_use_of_database() {
  $DB->get_record_sql('SELECT * FROM {user} WHERE firstname = :firstname AND lastname = :lastname',
    global $DB;
                      array('firstname'=>'Martin', 'lastname'=>'Dougiamas'));
</code>


== The functions ==
    // You can access the database via the $DB method calls here.
 
}
===Getting a single record===
</syntaxhighlight>
 
=== Table prefix ===
<code php>
* Most Moodle installations use a prefix for all the database tables, such as <tt>mdl_</tt>. This prefix is NOT to be used in the code in the code itself.
o $DB->get_record($table, array $conditions, $fields='*', $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)
* All the $table parameters in the functions are meant to be the table name without prefixes:
  /// Get a single database record as an object where all the given conditions met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$user = $DB->get_record('user', ['id' => '1']);</syntaxhighlight>
  /// @param int $strictness IGNORE_MISSING means compatible mode, false returned if record not found, debug message if more found;
* In custom SQL queries, table names must be enclosed between curly braces. They will be then automatically converted to the real prefixed table name. There is no need to access <tt>$CFG->prefix</tt>
  ///                        IGNORE_MULTIPLE means return first, ignore multiple records found(not recommended);
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$user = $DB->get_record_sql('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {user} WHERE deleted = 1 OR suspended = 1;');</syntaxhighlight>
  ///                        MUST_EXIST means throw exception if no record or multiple records found
=== Conditions ===
o $DB->get_record_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $fields='*', $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)
* All the $conditions parameters in the functions are arrays of fieldname=>fieldvalue elements.
  /// Get a single database record as an object which match a particular WHERE clause.
* They all must be fulfilled - i.e. logical <tt>AND</tt> is used to populate the actual <tt>WHERE</tt> statement.
o $DB->get_record_sql($sql, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$user = $DB->get_record('user', ['firstname' => 'Martin', 'lastname' => 'Dougiamas']);</syntaxhighlight>
  /// Get a single database record as an object using a SQL statement.
=== Placeholders ===
</code>
* All the $params parameters in the functions are arrays of values used to fill placeholders in SQL statements.
 
* Placeholders help to avoid problems with SQL-injection and/or invalid quotes in SQL queries. They facilitate secure and cross-db compatible code.
===Getting an hashed array of records===
* Two types of placeholders are supported - question marks (<tt>SQL_PARAMS_QM</tt>) and named placeholders (<tt>SQL_PARAMS_NAMED</tt>).
Each of the following methods return an array of objects. The array is indexed by the first column of the fields returned by the query. Thus to assure consistent data, it appears to be best practice to ensure that your query include an "id column" as the first field. (When developing custom tables, be sure to make id your first column for this reason!)
* Named params '''must be unique''' even if the value passed is the same. If you need to pass the same value multiple times, you need to have multiple distinct named parameters.
<code php>
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
o $DB->get_records($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)
// Example of using question mark placeholders.
  /// Get a number of records as an array of objects where all the given conditions met.
$DB->get_record_sql('SELECT * FROM {user} WHERE firstname = ? AND lastname = ?',
o $DB->get_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)
    ['Martin', 'Dougiamas']);
  /// Get a number of records as an array of objects which match a particular WHERE clause.
o $DB->get_records_sql($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)
  /// Get a number of records as an array of objects using a SQL statement.
o $DB->get_records_list($table, $field, array $values, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom='', $limitnum='')
  /// Get a number of records as an array of objects where one field match one list of values.
</code>
 
===Getting data as key/value pairs in an associative array===
<code php>
o $DB->get_records_menu($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)
  /// Get the first two columns from a number of records as an associative array where all the given conditions met.
o $DB->get_records_select_menu($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)
  /// Get the first two columns from a number of records as an associative array which match a particular WHERE clause.
o $DB->get_records_sql_menu($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)
  /// Get the first two columns from a number of records as an associative array using a SQL statement.
</code>
 
===Seeing how many records match a given criterion===
<code php>
o $DB->count_records($table, array $conditions=null)
  /// Count the records in a table where all the given conditions met.
o $DB->count_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $countitem="COUNT('x')")
  /// Count the records in a table which match a particular WHERE clause.
o $DB->count_records_sql($sql, array $params=null)
  /// Get the result of an SQL SELECT COUNT(...) query.
</code>
 
===Seeing if one record exists===
<code php>
o $DB->record_exists($table, array $conditions=null)
  /// Test whether a record exists in a table where all the given conditions met.
o $DB->record_exists_select($table, $select, array $params=null)
  /// Test whether any records exists in a table which match a particular WHERE clause.
o $DB->record_exists_sql($sql, array $params=null)
  /// Test whether a SQL SELECT statement returns any records.
</code>
 
====Examples====
=====moodle_database::get_records()=====
Get a number of records as an array of objects where all the given conditions met.
<code php>
///Get all records where foo = bar
$result = $DB->get_records($table,array('foo'=>'bar'));
 
///Get all records where foo = bar and jon = doe
$result = $DB->get_records($table,array('foo' => 'bar' , 'jon' => 'doe'));
 
///Get all records where foo = bar, but only return the fields foo,bar,jon,doe
$result = $DB->get_records($table,array('foo'=>'bar'),null,'foo,bar,jon,doe');
///The previous example would cause data issues unless the 'foo' field happens to have unique values.
</code>
 
=====moodle_database::get_records_select()=====
Get a number of records as an array of objects which match a particular WHERE clause. Note that the array keys will be the id of the object so you must not rely on the first item having a key of 0.
<code php>
///Get all records where jon = 'doe' and bob is not = 'tom'
///The 'select' parameter is (if not empty) is dropped directly into the WHERE clause without alteration.
$table = 'foo';
$select = "jon = 'doe' AND bob <> 'tom'"; //is put into the where clause
$result = $DB->get_records_select($table,$select);
</code>
 
=====moodle_database::get_records_sql()=====
Get a number of records as an array of objects using a SQL statement. Defined as an abstract function in moodle_database, this method is implemented per database type.
<code php>
///Get all records from 'table' where foo = bar
$result = $DB->get_records_sql('SELECT * FROM {table} WHERE foo = ?', array('bar'));
 
///Get all records from 'table' where foo = 'bar' and bob = 'tom'
///This is somewhat similar to how Drupal makes its queries
$result = $DB->get_records_sql('SELECT * FROM {table} WHERE foo = ? AND bob = ?', array( 'bar' , 'tom' ));
</code>
 
=====moodle_database::get_records_list()=====
Get a number of records as an array of objects where one field match one list of values.
<code php>
///Get all records where the values('bar', 'elephant', 'moodle') are found in the field 'foo'
$result = $DB->get_records_list($table, 'foo', array( 'bar', 'elephant', 'moodle'));
 
///Get all records where the values('bar', 'elephant', 'moodle') are found in the field 'foo'
///Only returning the fields 'id', 'test' and 'taco'
$result = $DB->get_records_list($table, 'foo', array( 'bar', 'elephant', 'moodle'), null, 'id,test,taco');
</code>
 
=====moodle_database::get_records_menu()=====
Get the first two columns from a number of records as an associative array where all the given conditions met.
You can choose the two fields or leave the parameter blank and the method will return the first two columns of the table.
Returns an associative array.
<code php>
///Get all records from table 'foo' where column 'foo' is equal to the value 'bar'
$table = 'foo'; ///name of table
$conditions = array('foo'=>'bar'); ///the name of the field (key) and the desired value
 
$result = $DB->get_records_menu($table,$conditions));
 
///Get all records from table 'foo' where column 'foo' is equal to the value 'bar'
///Returning the values from the columns 'id' and 'tacos'
$table = 'foo'; ///name of table
$conditions = array('foo'=>'bar'); ///the name of the field (key) and the desired value
$sort = 'id'; //field or fields you want to sort the result by
$fields = 'id, tacos'; ///list of fields to return
 
$result = $DB->get_records_menu($table,$conditions,$sort,$fields));  //If you do not specify $fields, the first two columns of the table will be returned
 
</code>
The result of this last example will look something like:
<code php>
/// The value of the id field  is 909 and the value of the 'tacos' column is 6
array(1) { [909]=6 }
</code>
 
=====moodle_database::get_records_select_menu()=====
Get the first two columns from a number of records as an associative array which match a particular WHERE clause.
<code php>
///Get all records where jon = 'doe' and bob is not = 'tom'
///The 'select' parameter is (if not empty) is dropped directly into the WHERE clause without alteration.
$table = 'foo';
$select = 'jon = ? AND bob <> ? '; //is put into the where clause
$result = $DB->get_records_select_menu($table, $select, array('doe', 'tom'));
 
$table = 'foo';
$select = 'jon = ? AND bob <> ? '; //is put into the where clause
$params = array('doe', 'tom');
$fields = 'id, tacos';//return these fields
$sort = 'id'; //field or fields you want to sort the result by
$result = $DB->get_records_select_menu($table,$select,$params,$sort,$fields);
</code>
 
The result of this last example will look something like:
<code php>
/// The value of the id field  is 909 and the value of the 'tacos' column is 6
array(1) { [909]=6 }
</code>


=====moodle_database::get_records_sql_menu()=====
// Example of using named placeholders.
Get the first two columns from a number of records as an associative array using a SQL statement.
$DB->get_record_sql('SELECT * FROM {user} WHERE firstname = :firstname AND lastname = :lastname',
<code php>
    ['firstname' => 'Martin', 'lastname' => 'Dougiamas']);
///Get all records from table foo where bar = 6
</syntaxhighlight>
$sql = 'SELECT * FROM foo WHERE bar = ?';
=== Strictness ===
$params = array(6);
Some methods accept the <tt>$strictness</tt> parameter affecting the method behaviour. Supported modes are specified using the constants:
* <tt>MUST_EXIST</tt> - In this mode, the requested record must exist and must be unique. An exception will be thrown if no record is found or multiple matching records are found.
* <tt>IGNORE_MISSING</tt> - In this mode, a missing record is not an error. False boolean is returned if the requested record is not found. If more records are found, a debugging message is displayed.
* <tt>IGNORE_MULTIPLE</tt> - This is not a recommended mode. The function will silently ignore multiple records found and will return just the first one of them.
== Getting a single record ==
=== get_record ===
Return a single database record as an object where all the given conditions are met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_record($table, array $conditions, $fields='*', $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_record_select ===
Return a single database record as an object where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_record_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $fields='*', $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_record_sql ===
Return a single database record as an object using a custom SELECT query.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_record_sql($sql, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)</syntaxhighlight>
== Getting a hashed array of records ==
Each of the following methods return an array of objects. The array is indexed by the first column of the fields returned by the query. To assure consistency, it is a good practice to ensure that your query include an "id column" as the first field. When designing custom tables, make <tt>id</tt> their first column and primary key.
=== get_records ===
Return a list of records as an array of objects where all the given conditions are met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_records($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_records_select ===
Return a list of records as an array of objects where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
$fields is a comma separated list of fields to return (optional, by default all fields are returned).
=== get_records_sql ===
Return a list of records as an array of objects using a custom SELECT query.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_records_sql($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_records_list ===
Return a list of records as an array of objects where the given field matches one of the possible values.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_records_list($table, $field, array $values, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom='', $limitnum='')</syntaxhighlight>
== Getting data as key/value pairs in an associative array ==
=== get_records_menu ===
Return the first two columns from a list of records as an associative array where all the given conditions are met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_records_menu($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_records_select_menu ===
Return the first two columns from a list of records as an associative array where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_records_select_menu($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_records_sql_menu ===
Return the first two columns from a number of records as an associative array using a custom SELECT query.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_records_sql_menu($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
== Counting records that match the given criteria ==
=== count_records ===
Count the records in a table where all the given conditions are met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->count_records($table, array $conditions=null) </syntaxhighlight>
=== count_records_select ===
Count the records in a table where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->count_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $countitem="COUNT('x')")</syntaxhighlight>
=== count_records_sql ===
Counting the records using a custom SELECT COUNT(...) query.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->count_records_sql($sql, array $params=null)</syntaxhighlight>
== Checking if a given record exists ==
=== record_exists ===
Test whether a record exists in a table where all the given conditions are met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->record_exists($table, array $conditions=null)</syntaxhighlight>
=== record_exists_select ===
Test whether any records exists in a table where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->record_exists_select($table, $select, array $params=null)</syntaxhighlight>
=== record_exists_sql ===
Test whether the given SELECT query would return any record.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->record_exists_sql($sql, array $params=null)</syntaxhighlight>
== Getting a particular field value from one record ==
=== get_field ===
Get a single field value from a table record where all the given conditions are met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_field($table, $return, array $conditions, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_field_select ===
Get a single field value from a table record where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_field_select($table, $return, $select, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_field_sql ===
Get a single field value (first field) using a custom SELECT query.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_field_sql($sql, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)</syntaxhighlight>
== Getting field values from multiple records ==
=== get_fieldset_select ===
Return values of the given field as an array where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_fieldset_select($table, $return, $select, array $params=null)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_fieldset_sql ===
Return values of the first column as an array using a custom SELECT field FROM ... query.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_fieldset_sql($sql, array $params=null)</syntaxhighlight>
== Setting a field value ==
=== set_field ===
Set a single field in every record where all the given conditions are met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->set_field($table, $newfield, $newvalue, array $conditions=null)</syntaxhighlight>
=== set_field_select ===
Set a single field in every table record where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->set_field_select($table, $newfield, $newvalue, $select, array $params=null)</syntaxhighlight>
== Deleting records ==
=== delete_records ===
Delete records from the table where all the given conditions are met.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->delete_records($table, array $conditions=null)</syntaxhighlight>
=== delete_records_select ===
Delete records from the table where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->delete_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null)</syntaxhighlight>
== Inserting records ==
=== insert_record ===
Insert the given data object into the table and return the "id" of the newly created record.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->insert_record($table, $dataobject, $returnid=true, $bulk=false)</syntaxhighlight>
=== insert_records ===
{{Moodle_2.7}}Insert multiple records into the table as fast as possible. Records are inserted in the given order, but the operation is not atomic. Use transactions if necessary.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->insert_records($table, $dataobjects)</syntaxhighlight>
=== insert_record_raw ===
For rare cases when you also need to specify the ID of the record to be inserted.
== Updating records ==
=== update_record ===
Update a record in the table. The data object must have the property "id" set.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->update_record($table, $dataobject, $bulk=false)</syntaxhighlight>
== Executing a custom query ==
=== execute ===
* If you need to perform a complex update using arbitrary SQL, you can use the low level "execute" method. Only use this when no specialised method exists.
* Do NOT use this to make changes in database structure, use database_manager methods instead!
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->execute($sql, array $params=null)</syntaxhighlight>
== Using recordsets ==
If the number of records to be retrieved from DB is high, the 'get_records_xxx() functions above are far from optimal, because they load all the records into the memory via the returned array. Under those circumstances, it is highly recommended to use these get_recordset_xxx() functions instead. They return an iterator to iterate over all the found records and save a lot of memory.


$result = $DB->get_records_sql_menu($sql,$params);
It is '''absolutely important''' to not forget to close the returned recordset iterator after using it. This is to free up a lot of resources in the RDBMS.


///Get all records from table foo where bar = 6
A general way to iterate over records using the get_recordset_xxx() functions:
$sql = 'SELECT id,tacos FROM foo WHERE bar = ?';
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
$params = array(6);
$rs = $DB->get_recordset(....);
 
$result = $DB->get_records_sql_menu($sql,$params);
 
 
</code>
 
The result of this last example will look something like:
<code php>
/// The value of the id field  is 909 and the value of the 'tacos' column is 6
array(1) { [909]=6 }
</code>
 
===Getting a particular field value from one record===
<code php>
o $DB->get_field($table, $return, array $conditions, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)
  /// Get a single field value from a table record where all the given conditions met.
  /// @param int $strictness
  ///  IGNORE_MISSING means compatible mode, false returned if record not found, debug message if more found;
  ///  IGNORE_MULTIPLE means return first, ignore multiple records found(not recommended);
  ///  MUST_EXIST means throw exception if no record or multiple records found
o $DB->get_field_select($table, $return, $select, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)
  /// Get a single field value from a table record which match a particular WHERE clause.
o $DB->get_field_sql($sql, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)
  /// Get a single field value (first field) using a SQL statement.
</code>
 
===Getting a particular field value from various records===
 
<code php>
o $DB->get_fieldset_select($table, $return, $select, array $params=null)
  /// Selects records and return values of chosen field as an array which match a particular WHERE clause.
o $DB->get_fieldset_sql($sql, array $params=null)
  /// Selects records and return values (first field) as an array using a SQL statement.
</code>
 
===Setting a particular field in the database===
<code php>
o $DB->set_field($table, $newfield, $newvalue, array $conditions=null)
  /// Set a single field in every table record where all the given conditions met.
o $DB->set_field_select($table, $newfield, $newvalue, $select, array $params=null)
  /// Set a single field in every table record which match a particular WHERE clause.
</code>
 
===Deleting Records===
<code php>
o $DB->delete_records($table, array $conditions=null)
  /// Delete the records from a table where all the given conditions met.
o $DB->delete_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null)
  /// Delete one or more records from a table which match a particular WHERE clause.
</code>
 
===Inserting Records===
The method to insert records is called aptly enough, insert_record(). The method accepts 4 parameters, but the fourth, "bulk", in most implementations is unused. Note, you cannot specify the record id using this method. If you need to specify an id use $DB->insert_record_raw() with $customsequence set to true or use $DB->execute().
<code php>
  $DB->insert_record($table, $dataobject, $returnid=true, $bulk=false)
  /// Insert a record into a table and return the "id" field if required.
</code>
 
Starting with Moodle 2.7, you can do bulk record inserts using the following method call: {{Moodle_2.7}}
<code php>
/**
* Insert multiple records into database as fast as possible.
*
* Order of inserts is maintained, but the operation is not atomic, use transactions if necessary.
*
* This method is intended for inserting of large number of small objects, do not use for huge objects with text or binary fields.
*
* @param string $table  The database table to be inserted into
* @param array|Traversable $dataobjects list of objects to be inserted, must be compatible with foreach
* @return void does not return new record ids
*/
  $DB->insert_records($table, $dataobjects)
</code>
 
====Example(s)====
<code php>
$record = new stdClass();
$record->name        = 'overview';
$record->displayorder = '10000';
$lastinsertid = $DB->insert_record('quiz_report', $record, false);
</code>
 
<code php>
$record1 = new stdClass();
$record1->name        = 'overview';
$record1->displayorder = '10000';
$record2 = new stdClass();
$record2->name        = 'overview';
$record2->displayorder = '10000';
$records = array($record1, $record2);
$DB->insert_records('quiz_report', $records);
</code>
 
===Updating Records===
<code php>
o $DB->update_record($table, $dataobject, $bulk=false)
  /// Update a record in a table.
  ///
  /// $dataobject is an object containing needed data
  /// Relies on $dataobject having a variable "id" to
  /// specify the record to update
  ///
  /// @param string $table The database table to be checked against.
  /// @param object $dataobject An object with contents equal to fieldname=>fieldvalue.
  ///        Must have an entry for 'id' to map to the table specified.
  /// @param bool $bulk true means repeated updates expected
  /// @return bool true
  /// @throws dml_exception if an error occurs.
</code>
 
If you need to perform a more complex update using arbitrary SQL, you can use the 'execute' method. Only use this when nothing more specific will work
<code php>
o $DB->execute($sql, array $parms=null)
  /// Executes a general sql query. Should be used only when no other method suitable.
  /// Do NOT use this to make changes in db structure, use database_manager methods instead!
  /// @param string $sql query
  /// @param array $params query parameters
  /// @return bool true
  /// @throws dml_exception A DML specific exception is thrown for any errors.
</code>
 
===Using Recordsets===
 
Where the number of records to be retrieved from DB is high, the '''get_records_xxx()''' functions above are far from optimal, because they load all the records in memory at the same time. Under those circumstances, it is highly recommended to use these '''get_recordset_xxx()''' functions instead, which use one nice mechanism to iterate over all the target records and save a lot of memory.
 
Only one thing is '''absolutely important''': Don't forget to close the recordsets after using them! (This will free up a lot of resources in the RDBMS).
 
Here is the general way to iterate over records using the '''get_recordset_xxx()''' functions:
 
<code php>
$rs = $DB->get_recordset(....) {
foreach ($rs as $record) {
foreach ($rs as $record) {
     // Do whatever you want with this record
     // Do whatever you want with this record
}
}
$rs->close(); // Don't forget to close the recordset!
$rs->close();
</code>
</syntaxhighlight>
 
Unlike get_record functions, you cannot check if <tt>$rs == true</tt> or <tt>!empty($rs)</tt> to determine if any records were found. Instead, if you need to, you can use:
And this is the list of available functions (100% paired with the get_records_xxx() above):
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
<code php>
o $DB->get_recordset($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)
  /// Get a number of records as a moodle_recordset where all the given conditions met.
o $DB->get_recordset_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)
  /// Get a number of records as a moodle_recordset which match a particular WHERE clause.
o $DB->get_recordset_sql($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0);
  /// Get a number of records as a moodle_recordset using a SQL statement.
o $DB->get_recordset_list($table, $field='', $values='', $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom='', $limitnum='')
  /// Get a number of records as a moodle_recordset where one field matches one list of values.
</code>
 
Unlike get_record functions, you cannot use <tt>$rs == true</tt> or <tt>!empty($rs)</tt> to determine if any records were found.
Recordsets implement the standard PHP Iterator interface (http://uk.php.net/manual/en/class.iterator.php)
 
So,
<code php>
if ($rs->valid()) {
if ($rs->valid()) {
     // The recordset contains records.
     // The recordset contains some records.
}
}
</code>
</syntaxhighlight>
 
=== get_recordset ===
===Delegated transactions===
Return a list of records as a moodle_recordset where all the given conditions are met.
 
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_recordset($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_recordset_select ===
Return a list of records as a moodle_recordset where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_recordset_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_recordset_sql ===
Return a list of records as a moodle_recordset using a custom SELECT query.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_recordset_sql($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_recordset_list ===
Return a list of records as a moodle_recordset where the given field matches one of the possible values.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_recordset_list($table, $field, array $values, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom='', $limitnum='')</syntaxhighlight>
== Delegated transactions ==
* Please note some databases do not support transactions (such as the MyISAM MySQL database engine), however all server administrators are strongly encouraged to migrate to databases that support transactions (such as the InnoDB MySQL database engine).
* Please note some databases do not support transactions (such as the MyISAM MySQL database engine), however all server administrators are strongly encouraged to migrate to databases that support transactions (such as the InnoDB MySQL database engine).
* Previous versions supported only one level of transaction. Since Moodle 2.0, the DML layer emulates delegated transactions that allow nesting of transactions.
* Previous versions supported only one level of transaction. Since Moodle 2.0, the DML layer emulates delegated transactions that allow nesting of transactions.
* Transactions should not be used much in Moodle core; they are intended for various plugins such as web services, enrol and auth plugins.
* Some subsystems (such as messaging) do not support transactions because it is not possible to rollback in external systems.
* Some subsystems (such as messaging) do not support transactions because is it is not possible to rollback in external systems.
 
A transaction is started by:
A transaction is started by:
<code php>
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
$transaction = $DB->start_delegated_transaction();
$transaction = $DB->start_delegated_transaction();
</code>
</syntaxhighlight>
 
and finished by:
and finished by:
<code php>
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
$transaction->allow_commit();
$transaction->allow_commit();
</code>
</syntaxhighlight>
 
Usually a transaction is rolled back when an exception is thrown:
Usually a transaction is rolled back when an exception is thrown. <code>$transaction->rollback($ex);</code> must be used very carefully because it might break compatibility with databases that do not support transactions. Transactions cannot be used as part of expected code flow; they can be used only as an emergency protection of data consistency.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$transaction->rollback($ex);</syntaxhighlight>
which must be used very carefully because it might break compatibility with databases that do not support transactions. Transactions cannot be used as part of expected code flow; they can be used only as an emergency protection of data consistency.


See more details in [[DB layer 2.0 delegated transactions]] or MDL-20625.
See more details in [[DB layer 2.0 delegated transactions]] or MDL-20625.
 
=== Example ===
====Example(s)====
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
 
<code php>
global $DB;
global $DB;
try {
try {
     $transaction = $DB->start_delegated_transaction();
     $transaction = $DB->start_delegated_transaction();
    // Insert a record
     $DB->insert_record('foo', $object);
     $DB->insert_record('foo', $object);
     $DB->insert_record('bar', $otherobject);
     $DB->insert_record('bar', $otherobject);
Line 388: Line 219:
     // Assuming the both inserts work, we get to the following line.
     // Assuming the both inserts work, we get to the following line.
     $transaction->allow_commit();
     $transaction->allow_commit();
} catch(Exception $e) {
} catch(Exception $e) {
     $transaction->rollback($e);
     $transaction->rollback($e);
}
}
</code>
</syntaxhighlight>
 
== Cross-DB compatibility ==
===SQL compatibility functions===
Moodle supports several SQL servers (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS-SQL and Oracle). Each of them have some specific syntax in certain cases. In order to achieve cross-db compatibility of the code, following functions must be used to generate the fragments of the query valid for the actual SQL server.
 
=== sql_bitand ===
In order have real cross-db compatibility, there are some helper functions used to build SQL fragments based on the DB Moodle is running. Using them we'll avoid conditional queries here and there and have those "incompatibilities" fixed once and for ever.
Return the SQL text to be used in order to perform a bitwise AND operation between 2 integers.
<code php>
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_bitand($int1, $int2)</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_bitand($int1, $int2)
=== sql_bitnot ===
  /// Returns the SQL text to be used in order to perform one bitwise AND  
Return the SQL text to be used in order to perform a bitwise NOT operation on the given integer.
  /// operation between 2 integers.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_bitnot($int1)</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_bitnot($int1)  
=== sql_bitor ===
  /// Returns the SQL text to be used in order to perform one bitwise NOT  
Return the SQL text to be used in order to perform a bitwise OR operation between 2 integers.
  /// operation with 1 integer.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_bitor($int1, $int2)</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_bitor($int1, $int2)
=== sql_bitxor ===
  /// Returns the SQL text to be used in order to perform one bitwise OR  
Return the SQL text to be used in order to perform a bitwise XOR operation between 2 integers.
  /// operation between 2 integers.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_bitxor($int1, $int2)</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_bitxor($int1, $int2)  
=== sql_null_from_clause ===
  /// Returns the SQL text to be used in order to perform one bitwise XOR  
Return an empty FROM clause required by some DBs in all SELECT statements.
  /// operation between 2 integers.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_null_from_clause()</syntaxhighlight>
=== sql_ceil ===
o $DB->sql_null_from_clause()
Return the correct CEIL expression applied to the given fieldname.
  /// Returns the FROM clause required by some DBs in all SELECT statements.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_ceil($fieldname)</syntaxhighlight>
=== sql_equal ===
o $DB->sql_ceil($fieldname)
{{Moodle 3.2}}Return the query fragment to perform cross-db varchar comparisons when case-sensitiveness is important.
  /// Returns the correct CEIL expression applied to fieldname.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_equal($fieldname, $param, $casesensitive = true, $accentsensitive = true, $notequal = false)</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_equal($fieldname, $param, $casesensitive = true, $accentsensitive = true, $notequal = false) (available since Moodle 3.2)
=== sql_like ===
  /// Returns the proper SQL to perform cross-db varchar comparisons when case-sensitiveness is mission-critical.
Return the query fragment to perform the LIKE comparison.
o $DB->sql_like($fieldname, $param, $casesensitive = true, $accentsensitive = true, $notlike = false, $escapechar = ' \\ ')
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_like($fieldname, $param, $casesensitive = true, $accentsensitive = true, $notlike = false, $escapechar = ' \\ ')</syntaxhighlight>
  /// Returns the proper SQL to do LIKE. For example:
Example: Searching for records partially matching the given hard-coded literal.
  $DB->get_records_sql('SELECT ...  WHERE '.$DB->sql_like('idnumber', ':idnum').' ... ', array( 'idnum' => '%foo%'));
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_records_sql('SELECT id,fullname FROM {course} WHERE '.$DB->sql_like('idnumber', ':idnum'), ['idnum' => 'DEMO-%']);</syntaxhighlight>
  /// Note: Apply $DB->sql_like_escape(...) to the param values when its user input from a form. Don't forget to add the % character(s) to the param value
See below if you need to compare with a value submitted by the user.
 
=== sql_like_escape ===
o $DB->sql_length($fieldname)
Escape the value submitted by the user so that it can be used for partial comparison and the special characters like '_' or '%' behave as literal characters, not wildcards.
  /// Returns the SQL text to be used to calculate the length in characters of one expression.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_like_escape($text, $escapechar = '\\')</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_modulo($int1, $int2)
Example: If you need to perform a partial comparison with a value that has been submitted by the user.
  /// Returns the SQL text to be used in order to calculate module - remainder after division
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
o $DB->sql_position($needle, $haystack)
$search = required_param('search', PARAM_RAW);
  /// Returns the SQL for returning searching one string for the location of another.
$DB->get_records_sql('SELECT id,fullname FROM {course} WHERE '.$DB->sql_like('fullname', ':fullname'), ['fullname' => '%'.$DB->sql_like_escape($search).'%']);
  /// Note: If using placeholders BOTH in $needle and $haystack, they MUST be named placeholders.
</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_substr($expr, $start, $length=false)
=== sql_length ===
  /// Returns the proper substr() SQL text used to extract substrings from DB.
Return the query fragment to be used to calculate the length of the expression in characters.
  /// Note: This fuction has changed in Moodle 2.0 and now at least 2 params are mandatory.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_length($fieldname)</syntaxhighlight>
  /// Note: Now it returns the whole SQL text to be used instead of only the function name.
=== sql_modulo ===
Return the query fragment to be used to calculate the remainder after division.
o $DB->sql_cast_char2int($fieldname, $text=false)
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_modulo($int1, $int2)</syntaxhighlight>
  /// Returns the SQL to be used in order to CAST one CHAR column to INTEGER.
=== sql_position ===
o $DB->sql_cast_char2real($fieldname, $text=false)
Return the query fragment for searching a string for the location of a substring. If both needle and haystack use placeholders, you must use named placeholders.
  /// Returns the SQL to be used in order to CAST one CHAR column to REAL number.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_position($needle, $haystack)</syntaxhighlight>
=== sql_substr ===
o $DB->sql_compare_text($fieldname, $numchars=32)  
Return the query fragment for extracting a substring from the given expression.
  /// Returns the SQL text to be used to compare one TEXT (clob) column.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_substr($expr, $start, $length=false)</syntaxhighlight>
  /// with one VARCHAR column.
=== sql_cast_char2int ===
o $DB->sql_order_by_text($fieldname, $numchars=32)
Return the query fragment to cast a CHAR column to INTEGER
  /// Returns the SQL text to be used to order by one TEXT (clob) column.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_cast_char2int($fieldname, $text=false)</syntaxhighlight>
=== sql_cast_char2real ===
o $DB->sql_concat()
Return the query fragment to cast a CHAR column to REAL (float) number
  /// Returns the proper SQL to do CONCAT between the elements passed.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_cast_char2real($fieldname, $text=false)</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_concat_join($separator="' '", $elements=array())
=== sql_compare_text ===
  /// Returns the proper SQL to do CONCAT between the elements passed using one separator.
Return the query fragment to be used when comparing a TEXT (clob) column with a given string or a VARCHAR field (some RDBMs do not allow for direct comparison).
o $DB->sql_fullname($first='firstname', $last='lastname')
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_compare_text($fieldname, $numchars=32)</syntaxhighlight>
  /// Returns the proper SQL to concatenate $firstname and $lastname.
Example:
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
o $DB->sql_isempty($tablename, $fieldname, $nullablefield, $textfield)
$todogroups = $DB->get_records_sql('SELECT id FROM {group} WHERE ' . $DB->sql_compare_text('description') . ' = ' . $DB->sql_compare_text(':description'), ['description' => 'TODO']);
  /// Returns the proper SQL to know if one field is empty.
</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->sql_isnotempty($tablename, $fieldname, $nullablefield, $textfield)
=== sql_order_by_text ===
  /// Returns the proper SQL to know if one field is not empty.
Return the query fragment to be used to get records ordered by a TEXT (clob) column. Note this affects the performance badly and should be avoided if possible.
 
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_order_by_text($fieldname, $numchars=32)</syntaxhighlight>
o $DB->get_in_or_equal($items, $type=SQL_PARAMS_QM, $prefix='param', $equal=true, $onemptyitems=false)
=== sql_concat ===
  /// Constructs 'IN()' or '=' sql fragment
Return the query fragment to concatenate all given paremeters into one string.
</code>
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_concat(...)</syntaxhighlight>
 
There is a gotcha if you are trying to concat fields which may be null which result in the entire result being null:
===Debug fuctions===
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_concat('requiredfield', 'optionalfield'); // BAD!</syntaxhighlight>
 
You must cast or coalesce every nullable argument eg:
If you execute
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_concat('requiredfield', "COALESCE(optionalfield, '')"); // Good.</syntaxhighlight>
<code php>
=== sql_group_concat ===
$DB->set_debug(true)
{{Moodle_3.11}}
</code>
Return SQL for performing group concatenation on given field/expression.
then $DB will outout the SQL of every query executed, along with timing information. This can be useful when debugging your code. Obviously, all such calls should be removed before code is submitted for integration.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_group_concat(string $field, string $separator = ', ', string $sort = '')</syntaxhighlight>
 
=== sql_concat_join ===
==Special cases==
Return the query fragment to concatenate all given elements into one string using the given separator.
 
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_concat_join($separator="' '", $elements=array())</syntaxhighlight>
===get_course===
=== sql_fullname ===
Return the query fragment to concatenate the given $firstname and $lastname
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_fullname($first='firstname', $last='lastname')</syntaxhighlight>
===  sql_isempty ===
Return the query fragment to check if the field is empty
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_isempty($tablename, $fieldname, $nullablefield, $textfield)</syntaxhighlight>
=== sql_isnotempty ===
Return the query fragment to check if the field is not empty
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_isnotempty($tablename, $fieldname, $nullablefield, $textfield)</syntaxhighlight>
=== get_in_or_equal ===
Return the query fragment to check if a value is IN the given list of items (with a fallback to plain equal comparison if there is just one item)
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->get_in_or_equal($items, $type=SQL_PARAMS_QM, $prefix='param', $equal=true, $onemptyitems=false)</syntaxhighlight>
Example:
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
$statuses = ['todo', 'open', 'inprogress', 'intesting'];
list($insql, $inparams) = $DB->get_in_or_equal($statuses);
$sql = "SELECT * FROM {bugtracker_issues} WHERE status $insql";
$bugs = $DB->get_records_sql($sql, $inparams);
</syntaxhighlight>
An example using named params:
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
...
list($insql, $params) = $DB->get_in_or_equal($contexts, SQL_PARAMS_NAMED, 'ctx');
$contextsql = "AND rc.contextid $insql";
...
</syntaxhighlight>
=== sql_regex_supported ===
Does the current database driver support regex syntax when searching?
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_regex_supported()</syntaxhighlight>
=== sql_regex ===
Return the query fragment to perform a regex search.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_regex($positivematch = true, $casesensitive = false)</syntaxhighlight>
Example: Searching for Page module instances containing links.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">
if ($DB->sql_regex_supported()) {
    $select = 'content ' . $DB->sql_regex() . ' :pattern';
    $params = ['pattern' => "(src|data)\ *=\ *[\\\"\']https?://"]
} else {
    $select = $DB->sql_like('content', ':pattern', false);
    $params = ['pattern' => '%=%http%://%'];
}


$pages = $DB->get_records_select('page', $select, $params, 'course', 'id, course, name');
</syntaxhighlight>
=== sql_intersect ===
{{Moodle 2.8}}Return the query fragment that allows to find intersection of two or more queries
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->sql_intersect($selects, $fields)</syntaxhighlight>
== Debugging ==
=== set_debug ===
You can enable a debugging mode to make $DB output the SQL of every executed query, along with some timing information. This can be useful when debugging your code. Obviously, all such calls should be removed before code is submitted for integration.
<syntaxhighlight lang="php">$DB->set_debug(true)</syntaxhighlight>
== Special cases ==
=== get_course ===
From Moodle 2.5.1 onwards, you should use the get_course function instead of using get_record('course', ...) if you want to get a course record based on its ID, especially if there is a significant possibility that the course being retrieved is either the current course for the page, or the site course. Those two course records have probably already been loaded, and using this function will save a database query.  
From Moodle 2.5.1 onwards, you should use the get_course function instead of using get_record('course', ...) if you want to get a course record based on its ID, especially if there is a significant possibility that the course being retrieved is either the current course for the page, or the site course. Those two course records have probably already been loaded, and using this function will save a database query.  


As another advantage, the code is shorter and easier to read.
Additionally, the code is shorter and easier to read.
 
=== get_courses ===
Replace:
 
    $course = $DB->get_record('course', array('id' => $courseid), '*', MUST_EXIST);
 
With:
    $course = get_course($courseid);
 
===get_courses===
 
If you want to get all the current courses in your Moodle, use get_courses() without parameter:
If you want to get all the current courses in your Moodle, use get_courses() without parameter:
     $courses = get_courses();
     $courses = get_courses();
 
== See also ==
 
==See also==
 
* [[SQL coding style]]
* [[SQL coding style]]
* [[Core APIs]]
* [[Core APIs]]
Line 503: Line 372:
* [[DB layer 2.0 migration docs|DB layer 2.0 migration docs]]: Information about how to modify your code to work with the new Moodle 2.0 DB layer.
* [[DB layer 2.0 migration docs|DB layer 2.0 migration docs]]: Information about how to modify your code to work with the new Moodle 2.0 DB layer.
* [[DTL functions|DTL functions]]: Exporting, importing and moving of data stored in SQL databases
* [[DTL functions|DTL functions]]: Exporting, importing and moving of data stored in SQL databases
[[Category:DB]]
[[Category:DB]]
[[Category:XMLDB]]
[[Category:XMLDB]]
[[Category:API]]
[[Category:API]]

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Moodle 2.0

This page describes the functions available to access data in the Moodle database. You should exclusively use these functions in order to retrieve or modify database content because these functions provide a high level of abstraction and guarantee that your database manipulation will work against different RDBMSes.

Where possible, tricks and examples will be documented here in order to make developers' lives a bit easier. Of course, feel free to clarify, complete and add more information to this documentation. It will be welcome, absolutely!

General concepts

DB object

  • The data manipulation API is exposed via public methods of the $DB object.
  • Moodle core takes care of setting up the connection to the database according to values specified in the main config.php file.
  • The $DB global object is an instance of the moodle_database class. It is instantiated automatically during the bootstrap setup, i.e. as a part of including the main config.php file.
  • The DB object is available in the global scope right after including the config.php file:
<?php

require(__DIR__.'/../../../config.php');

// You can access the database via the $DB method calls here.
  • To make the DB object available in your local scope, such as within a function:
<?php

defined('MOODLE_INTERNAL') || die();

function my_function_making_use_of_database() {
    global $DB;

    // You can access the database via the $DB method calls here.
}

Table prefix

  • Most Moodle installations use a prefix for all the database tables, such as mdl_. This prefix is NOT to be used in the code in the code itself.
  • All the $table parameters in the functions are meant to be the table name without prefixes:
$user = $DB->get_record('user', ['id' => '1']);
  • In custom SQL queries, table names must be enclosed between curly braces. They will be then automatically converted to the real prefixed table name. There is no need to access $CFG->prefix
$user = $DB->get_record_sql('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {user} WHERE deleted = 1 OR suspended = 1;');

Conditions

  • All the $conditions parameters in the functions are arrays of fieldname=>fieldvalue elements.
  • They all must be fulfilled - i.e. logical AND is used to populate the actual WHERE statement.
$user = $DB->get_record('user', ['firstname' => 'Martin', 'lastname' => 'Dougiamas']);

Placeholders

  • All the $params parameters in the functions are arrays of values used to fill placeholders in SQL statements.
  • Placeholders help to avoid problems with SQL-injection and/or invalid quotes in SQL queries. They facilitate secure and cross-db compatible code.
  • Two types of placeholders are supported - question marks (SQL_PARAMS_QM) and named placeholders (SQL_PARAMS_NAMED).
  • Named params must be unique even if the value passed is the same. If you need to pass the same value multiple times, you need to have multiple distinct named parameters.
// Example of using question mark placeholders.
$DB->get_record_sql('SELECT * FROM {user} WHERE firstname = ? AND lastname = ?', 
    ['Martin', 'Dougiamas']);

// Example of using named placeholders.
$DB->get_record_sql('SELECT * FROM {user} WHERE firstname = :firstname AND lastname = :lastname',
    ['firstname' => 'Martin', 'lastname' => 'Dougiamas']);

Strictness

Some methods accept the $strictness parameter affecting the method behaviour. Supported modes are specified using the constants:

  • MUST_EXIST - In this mode, the requested record must exist and must be unique. An exception will be thrown if no record is found or multiple matching records are found.
  • IGNORE_MISSING - In this mode, a missing record is not an error. False boolean is returned if the requested record is not found. If more records are found, a debugging message is displayed.
  • IGNORE_MULTIPLE - This is not a recommended mode. The function will silently ignore multiple records found and will return just the first one of them.

Getting a single record

get_record

Return a single database record as an object where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->get_record($table, array $conditions, $fields='*', $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)

get_record_select

Return a single database record as an object where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->get_record_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $fields='*', $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)

get_record_sql

Return a single database record as an object using a custom SELECT query. 

$DB->get_record_sql($sql, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)

Getting a hashed array of records

Each of the following methods return an array of objects. The array is indexed by the first column of the fields returned by the query. To assure consistency, it is a good practice to ensure that your query include an "id column" as the first field. When designing custom tables, make id their first column and primary key.

get_records

Return a list of records as an array of objects where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->get_records($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

get_records_select

Return a list of records as an array of objects where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->get_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

$fields is a comma separated list of fields to return (optional, by default all fields are returned).

get_records_sql

Return a list of records as an array of objects using a custom SELECT query. 

$DB->get_records_sql($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

get_records_list

Return a list of records as an array of objects where the given field matches one of the possible values. 

$DB->get_records_list($table, $field, array $values, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom='', $limitnum='')

Getting data as key/value pairs in an associative array

get_records_menu

Return the first two columns from a list of records as an associative array where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->get_records_menu($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

get_records_select_menu

Return the first two columns from a list of records as an associative array where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->get_records_select_menu($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

get_records_sql_menu

Return the first two columns from a number of records as an associative array using a custom SELECT query. 

$DB->get_records_sql_menu($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

Counting records that match the given criteria

count_records

Count the records in a table where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->count_records($table, array $conditions=null)

count_records_select

Count the records in a table where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->count_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $countitem="COUNT('x')")

count_records_sql

Counting the records using a custom SELECT COUNT(...) query. 

$DB->count_records_sql($sql, array $params=null)

Checking if a given record exists

record_exists

Test whether a record exists in a table where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->record_exists($table, array $conditions=null)

record_exists_select

Test whether any records exists in a table where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->record_exists_select($table, $select, array $params=null)

record_exists_sql

Test whether the given SELECT query would return any record. 

$DB->record_exists_sql($sql, array $params=null)

Getting a particular field value from one record

get_field

Get a single field value from a table record where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->get_field($table, $return, array $conditions, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)

get_field_select

Get a single field value from a table record where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->get_field_select($table, $return, $select, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)

get_field_sql

Get a single field value (first field) using a custom SELECT query. 

$DB->get_field_sql($sql, array $params=null, $strictness=IGNORE_MISSING)

Getting field values from multiple records

get_fieldset_select

Return values of the given field as an array where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->get_fieldset_select($table, $return, $select, array $params=null)

get_fieldset_sql

Return values of the first column as an array using a custom SELECT field FROM ... query. 

$DB->get_fieldset_sql($sql, array $params=null)

Setting a field value

set_field

Set a single field in every record where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->set_field($table, $newfield, $newvalue, array $conditions=null)

set_field_select

Set a single field in every table record where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->set_field_select($table, $newfield, $newvalue, $select, array $params=null)

Deleting records

delete_records

Delete records from the table where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->delete_records($table, array $conditions=null)

delete_records_select

Delete records from the table where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->delete_records_select($table, $select, array $params=null)

Inserting records

insert_record

Insert the given data object into the table and return the "id" of the newly created record. 

$DB->insert_record($table, $dataobject, $returnid=true, $bulk=false)

insert_records

Moodle 2.7 Insert multiple records into the table as fast as possible. Records are inserted in the given order, but the operation is not atomic. Use transactions if necessary. 

$DB->insert_records($table, $dataobjects)

insert_record_raw

For rare cases when you also need to specify the ID of the record to be inserted.

Updating records

update_record

Update a record in the table. The data object must have the property "id" set. 

$DB->update_record($table, $dataobject, $bulk=false)

Executing a custom query

execute

  • If you need to perform a complex update using arbitrary SQL, you can use the low level "execute" method. Only use this when no specialised method exists.
  • Do NOT use this to make changes in database structure, use database_manager methods instead!
$DB->execute($sql, array $params=null)

Using recordsets

If the number of records to be retrieved from DB is high, the 'get_records_xxx() functions above are far from optimal, because they load all the records into the memory via the returned array. Under those circumstances, it is highly recommended to use these get_recordset_xxx() functions instead. They return an iterator to iterate over all the found records and save a lot of memory.

It is absolutely important to not forget to close the returned recordset iterator after using it. This is to free up a lot of resources in the RDBMS.

A general way to iterate over records using the get_recordset_xxx() functions: 

$rs = $DB->get_recordset(....);
foreach ($rs as $record) {
    // Do whatever you want with this record
}
$rs->close();

Unlike get_record functions, you cannot check if $rs == true or !empty($rs) to determine if any records were found. Instead, if you need to, you can use: 

if ($rs->valid()) {
    // The recordset contains some records.
}

get_recordset

Return a list of records as a moodle_recordset where all the given conditions are met. 

$DB->get_recordset($table, array $conditions=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

get_recordset_select

Return a list of records as a moodle_recordset where the given conditions are used in the WHERE clause. 

$DB->get_recordset_select($table, $select, array $params=null, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

get_recordset_sql

Return a list of records as a moodle_recordset using a custom SELECT query. 

$DB->get_recordset_sql($sql, array $params=null, $limitfrom=0, $limitnum=0)

get_recordset_list

Return a list of records as a moodle_recordset where the given field matches one of the possible values. 

$DB->get_recordset_list($table, $field, array $values, $sort='', $fields='*', $limitfrom='', $limitnum='')

Delegated transactions

  • Please note some databases do not support transactions (such as the MyISAM MySQL database engine), however all server administrators are strongly encouraged to migrate to databases that support transactions (such as the InnoDB MySQL database engine).
  • Previous versions supported only one level of transaction. Since Moodle 2.0, the DML layer emulates delegated transactions that allow nesting of transactions.
  • Some subsystems (such as messaging) do not support transactions because it is not possible to rollback in external systems.

A transaction is started by: 

$transaction = $DB->start_delegated_transaction();

and finished by: 

$transaction->allow_commit();

Usually a transaction is rolled back when an exception is thrown: 

$transaction->rollback($ex);

which must be used very carefully because it might break compatibility with databases that do not support transactions. Transactions cannot be used as part of expected code flow; they can be used only as an emergency protection of data consistency.

See more details in DB layer 2.0 delegated transactions or MDL-20625.

Example

global $DB;
try {
     $transaction = $DB->start_delegated_transaction();
     $DB->insert_record('foo', $object);
     $DB->insert_record('bar', $otherobject);

     // Assuming the both inserts work, we get to the following line.
     $transaction->allow_commit();

} catch(Exception $e) {
     $transaction->rollback($e);
}

Cross-DB compatibility

Moodle supports several SQL servers (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS-SQL and Oracle). Each of them have some specific syntax in certain cases. In order to achieve cross-db compatibility of the code, following functions must be used to generate the fragments of the query valid for the actual SQL server.

sql_bitand

Return the SQL text to be used in order to perform a bitwise AND operation between 2 integers. 

$DB->sql_bitand($int1, $int2)

sql_bitnot

Return the SQL text to be used in order to perform a bitwise NOT operation on the given integer. 

$DB->sql_bitnot($int1)

sql_bitor

Return the SQL text to be used in order to perform a bitwise OR operation between 2 integers. 

$DB->sql_bitor($int1, $int2)

sql_bitxor

Return the SQL text to be used in order to perform a bitwise XOR operation between 2 integers. 

$DB->sql_bitxor($int1, $int2)

sql_null_from_clause

Return an empty FROM clause required by some DBs in all SELECT statements. 

$DB->sql_null_from_clause()

sql_ceil

Return the correct CEIL expression applied to the given fieldname. 

$DB->sql_ceil($fieldname)

sql_equal

Moodle 3.2 Return the query fragment to perform cross-db varchar comparisons when case-sensitiveness is important. 

$DB->sql_equal($fieldname, $param, $casesensitive = true, $accentsensitive = true, $notequal = false)

sql_like

Return the query fragment to perform the LIKE comparison. 

$DB->sql_like($fieldname, $param, $casesensitive = true, $accentsensitive = true, $notlike = false, $escapechar = ' \\ ')

Example: Searching for records partially matching the given hard-coded literal. 

$DB->get_records_sql('SELECT id,fullname FROM {course} WHERE '.$DB->sql_like('idnumber', ':idnum'), ['idnum' => 'DEMO-%']);

See below if you need to compare with a value submitted by the user.

sql_like_escape

Escape the value submitted by the user so that it can be used for partial comparison and the special characters like '_' or '%' behave as literal characters, not wildcards. 

$DB->sql_like_escape($text, $escapechar = '\\')

Example: If you need to perform a partial comparison with a value that has been submitted by the user. 

$search = required_param('search', PARAM_RAW);
$DB->get_records_sql('SELECT id,fullname FROM {course} WHERE '.$DB->sql_like('fullname', ':fullname'), ['fullname' => '%'.$DB->sql_like_escape($search).'%']);

sql_length

Return the query fragment to be used to calculate the length of the expression in characters. 

$DB->sql_length($fieldname)

sql_modulo

Return the query fragment to be used to calculate the remainder after division. 

$DB->sql_modulo($int1, $int2)

sql_position

Return the query fragment for searching a string for the location of a substring. If both needle and haystack use placeholders, you must use named placeholders. 

$DB->sql_position($needle, $haystack)

sql_substr

Return the query fragment for extracting a substring from the given expression. 

$DB->sql_substr($expr, $start, $length=false)

sql_cast_char2int

Return the query fragment to cast a CHAR column to INTEGER 

$DB->sql_cast_char2int($fieldname, $text=false)

sql_cast_char2real

Return the query fragment to cast a CHAR column to REAL (float) number 

$DB->sql_cast_char2real($fieldname, $text=false)

sql_compare_text

Return the query fragment to be used when comparing a TEXT (clob) column with a given string or a VARCHAR field (some RDBMs do not allow for direct comparison). 

$DB->sql_compare_text($fieldname, $numchars=32)

Example: 

$todogroups = $DB->get_records_sql('SELECT id FROM {group} WHERE ' . $DB->sql_compare_text('description') . ' = ' . $DB->sql_compare_text(':description'), ['description' => 'TODO']);

sql_order_by_text

Return the query fragment to be used to get records ordered by a TEXT (clob) column. Note this affects the performance badly and should be avoided if possible. 

$DB->sql_order_by_text($fieldname, $numchars=32)

sql_concat

Return the query fragment to concatenate all given paremeters into one string. 

$DB->sql_concat(...)

There is a gotcha if you are trying to concat fields which may be null which result in the entire result being null: 

$DB->sql_concat('requiredfield', 'optionalfield'); // BAD!

You must cast or coalesce every nullable argument eg: 

$DB->sql_concat('requiredfield', "COALESCE(optionalfield, '')"); // Good.

sql_group_concat

Moodle 3.11

Return SQL for performing group concatenation on given field/expression. 

$DB->sql_group_concat(string $field, string $separator = ', ', string $sort = '')

sql_concat_join

Return the query fragment to concatenate all given elements into one string using the given separator. 

$DB->sql_concat_join($separator="' '", $elements=array())

sql_fullname

Return the query fragment to concatenate the given $firstname and $lastname 

$DB->sql_fullname($first='firstname', $last='lastname')

sql_isempty

Return the query fragment to check if the field is empty 

$DB->sql_isempty($tablename, $fieldname, $nullablefield, $textfield)

sql_isnotempty

Return the query fragment to check if the field is not empty 

$DB->sql_isnotempty($tablename, $fieldname, $nullablefield, $textfield)

get_in_or_equal

Return the query fragment to check if a value is IN the given list of items (with a fallback to plain equal comparison if there is just one item) 

$DB->get_in_or_equal($items, $type=SQL_PARAMS_QM, $prefix='param', $equal=true, $onemptyitems=false)

Example: 

$statuses = ['todo', 'open', 'inprogress', 'intesting'];
list($insql, $inparams) = $DB->get_in_or_equal($statuses);
$sql = "SELECT * FROM {bugtracker_issues} WHERE status $insql";
$bugs = $DB->get_records_sql($sql, $inparams);

An example using named params: 

...
list($insql, $params) = $DB->get_in_or_equal($contexts, SQL_PARAMS_NAMED, 'ctx');
$contextsql = "AND rc.contextid $insql";
...

sql_regex_supported

Does the current database driver support regex syntax when searching? 

$DB->sql_regex_supported()

sql_regex

Return the query fragment to perform a regex search. 

$DB->sql_regex($positivematch = true, $casesensitive = false)

Example: Searching for Page module instances containing links. 

if ($DB->sql_regex_supported()) {
    $select = 'content ' . $DB->sql_regex() . ' :pattern';
    $params = ['pattern' => "(src|data)\ *=\ *[\\\"\']https?://"]
} else {
    $select = $DB->sql_like('content', ':pattern', false);
    $params = ['pattern' => '%=%http%://%'];
}

$pages = $DB->get_records_select('page', $select, $params, 'course', 'id, course, name');

sql_intersect

Moodle 2.8 Return the query fragment that allows to find intersection of two or more queries 

$DB->sql_intersect($selects, $fields)

Debugging

set_debug

You can enable a debugging mode to make $DB output the SQL of every executed query, along with some timing information. This can be useful when debugging your code. Obviously, all such calls should be removed before code is submitted for integration. 

$DB->set_debug(true)

Special cases

get_course

From Moodle 2.5.1 onwards, you should use the get_course function instead of using get_record('course', ...) if you want to get a course record based on its ID, especially if there is a significant possibility that the course being retrieved is either the current course for the page, or the site course. Those two course records have probably already been loaded, and using this function will save a database query.

Additionally, the code is shorter and easier to read.

get_courses

If you want to get all the current courses in your Moodle, use get_courses() without parameter: 

   $courses = get_courses();

See also

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