Example of how to use bind_result vs get_result

Although both methods work with * queries, when bind_result() is used, the columns are usually listed explicitly in the query, so one can consult the list when assigning returned values in bind_result(), because the order of variables must strictly match the structure of the returned row.

Example 1 for $query1 using bind_result()

$query1 = 'SELECT id, first_name, last_name, username FROM `table` WHERE id = ?';
$id = 5;

$stmt = $mysqli->prepare($query1);
/*
    Binds variables to prepared statement

    i    corresponding variable has type integer
    d    corresponding variable has type double
    s    corresponding variable has type string
    b    corresponding variable is a blob and will be sent in packets
*/
$stmt->bind_param('i',$id);

/* execute query */
$stmt->execute();

/* Store the result (to get properties) */
$stmt->store_result();

/* Get the number of rows */
$num_of_rows = $stmt->num_rows;

/* Bind the result to variables */
$stmt->bind_result($id, $first_name, $last_name, $username);

while ($stmt->fetch()) {
    echo 'ID: '.$id.'<br>';
    echo 'First Name: '.$first_name.'<br>';
    echo 'Last Name: '.$last_name.'<br>';
    echo 'Username: '.$username.'<br><br>';
}

Example 2 for $query2 using get_result()

$query2 = 'SELECT * FROM `table` WHERE id = ?'; 
$id = 5;

$stmt = $mysqli->prepare($query2);
/*
    Binds variables to prepared statement

    i    corresponding variable has type integer
    d    corresponding variable has type double
    s    corresponding variable has type string
    b    corresponding variable is a blob and will be sent in packets
*/
$stmt->bind_param('i',$id);

/* execute query */
$stmt->execute();

/* Get the result */
$result = $stmt->get_result();

/* Get the number of rows */
$num_of_rows = $result->num_rows;

while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    echo 'ID: '.$row['id'].'<br>';
    echo 'First Name: '.$row['first_name'].'<br>';
    echo 'Last Name: '.$row['last_name'].'<br>';
    echo 'Username: '.$row['username'].'<br><br>';
}

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bind_result()

Pros:

• Works with outdated PHP versions
• Returns separate variables

Cons:

• All variables have to be listed manually
• Requires more code to return the row as array
• The code must be updated every time when the table structure is changed

---

get_result()

Pros:

• Returns associative/enumerated array or object, automatically filled with data from the returned row
• Allows fetch_all() method to return all returned rows at once

Cons:

• requires MySQL native driver (mysqlnd)