On Mon, Nov 26, 2012 at 8:10 PM, Karl DeSaulniers <k...@designdrumm.com> wrote: > > On Nov 26, 2012, at 8:01 PM, Karl DeSaulniers wrote: > >> >> On Nov 26, 2012, at 7:29 PM, Bastien wrote: >> >>> >>> >>> Bastien Koert >>> >>> On 2012-11-26, at 7:43 PM, Karl DeSaulniers <k...@designdrumm.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Hello all, >>>> Quick question. >>>> What is the best way to store a comma separated list of discount codes >>>> in a InnoDB? >>>> Text, varchar, blob, ? I want to be able to store discount codes offered >>>> to users in their profile, in their cart, etc. >>>> So I am thinking of storing the codes as a comma separated list that I >>>> can then refer to, add to or remove codes from. >>>> The codes will change every once and a while and they list of codes may >>>> be rather large after say a year, >>>> so I am shying away from an enum() or anything like that. >>>> >>>> Any help/pointers is greatly appreciated. >>>> >>>> Best, >>>> Karl >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> PHP Database Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) >>>> To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php >>>> >>> >>> Karl. >>> >>> Is there a way to group these codes? Can profiles be the same for >>> different users? >>> >>> If so another table for the code and a join table for the users to codes >>> might be simpler to manage >>> >>> Bastien >> >> >> Hi Bastien, >> Thanks for your reply. Sorry, I should have elaborated. >> >> There is a table that holds all the discount codes. Keeps them grouped >> with a product id or if they are to be applied cart wide. >> So the field I am asking for will hold codes that are being used by either >> a product or by a user or if it is a cart discount. >> Each have their own tables, the products, the users and the cart. In these >> tables is where I need to insert this field. >> An example of the discount table would be like: >> >> Discount table: >> >> | discount code | product id | discount perc. | >> discount type | >> >> +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------------------+ >> | 8lKzv_=== | 22 | 20 >> | item | >> >> +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------------------+ >> | NpLK23 | 0 | 50 >> | cart | >> >> +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------------------+ >> >> but in the user table for instance: >> >> User table: >> >> | user_discounts >> | >> +---------------------------------------------------------------+ >> | 8lKzv_===, YjMlio_===, NpLK23, hDflp0_= | >> +---------------------------------------------------------------+ >> >> Just trying to figure out the best way to store multiple variables if you >> will in one field like so. >> Or if this is even the best way to do such a thing. I am open to >> alternatives. >> I will need to read this new filed out of the database as an array that I >> can then utilize with an in_array or something of the sort. >> There may be a best practices on this that I am not aware of with my >> somewhat limited PHP exp. >> Hope that makes more sense. >> TIA. >> >> Best, >> >> Karl DeSaulniers >> Design Drumm >> http://designdrumm.com >> >> >> -- >> PHP Database Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) >> To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php >> > > > I think I may have asked this already a year or so ago, but cannot find my > old emails. > Sorry for any redundancy. > > > Best, > > Karl DeSaulniers > Design Drumm > http://designdrumm.com > > > -- > PHP Database Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php >
Hi, Karl, Your idea can work -- storing the list of discount codes as comma delimited (or some known delimiter that won't show up in the codes) is pretty easy, and when you fetch it out you can explode it into an array, and use in_array to check. (Something you might want to consider is storing it as a JSON string as well.) There's also the "right" way to do this, for some value of "right", which is the many-to-many relationship using a foreign key table. This can be painful if you're not really strong on SQL, especially dealing with updates and deletes. (Example: if you delete a discount code, you need to delete the associated records in the foreign key table.) Generally this sort of operation is best done as stored procedures, rather than multiple queries from PHP. Question: do the discount codes only apply to one product, or can a discount code be used for several products? If the latter, then you have the same sort of issue of a many-to-many relationship, requiring the foreign key table there... -- PHP Database Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
