PHP 8.3.4 Released!

Multiple Statements

MySQL optionally allows having multiple statements in one statement string, but it requires special handling.

Multiple statements or multi queries must be executed with mysqli::multi_query(). The individual statements of the statement string are separated by semicolon. Then, all result sets returned by the executed statements must be fetched.

The MySQL server allows having statements that do return result sets and statements that do not return result sets in one multiple statement.

Example #1 Multiple Statements

<?php

mysqli_report
(MYSQLI_REPORT_ERROR | MYSQLI_REPORT_STRICT);
$mysqli = new mysqli("example.com", "user", "password", "database");

$mysqli->query("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS test");
$mysqli->query("CREATE TABLE test(id INT)");

$sql = "SELECT COUNT(*) AS _num FROM test;
INSERT INTO test(id) VALUES (1);
SELECT COUNT(*) AS _num FROM test; "
;

$mysqli->multi_query($sql);

do {
if (
$result = $mysqli->store_result()) {
var_dump($result->fetch_all(MYSQLI_ASSOC));
$result->free();
}
} while (
$mysqli->next_result());

The above example will output:

array(1) {
  [0]=>
  array(1) {
    ["_num"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
}
array(1) {
  [0]=>
  array(1) {
    ["_num"]=>
    string(1) "1"
  }
}

Security considerations

The API functions mysqli::query() and mysqli::real_query() do not set a connection flag necessary for activating multi queries in the server. An extra API call is used for multiple statements to reduce the damage of accidental SQL injection attacks. An attacker may try to add statements such as ; DROP DATABASE mysql or ; SELECT SLEEP(999). If the attacker succeeds in adding SQL to the statement string but mysqli::multi_query() is not used, the server will not execute the injected and malicious SQL statement.

Example #2 SQL Injection

<?php
mysqli_report
(MYSQLI_REPORT_ERROR | MYSQLI_REPORT_STRICT);
$mysqli = new mysqli("example.com", "user", "password", "database");
$result = $mysqli->query("SELECT 1; DROP TABLE mysql.user");
?>

The above example will output:

PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught mysqli_sql_exception: You have an error in your SQL syntax; 
check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to 
use near 'DROP TABLE mysql.user' at line 1

Prepared statements

Use of the multiple statement with prepared statements is not supported.

See also

add a note

User Contributed Notes 1 note

up
9
velthuijsen
5 years ago
Suggested improvement(s) to example 1.

reasons:
Multi_query only returns a non false response if a data/result set is returned and only checks for the first query entered. Switching the first SELECT query with the INSERT query will result in a premature exit of the example with the message "Multi query failed: (0)".
The example assumes that once the first query doesn't fail that the other queries have succeeded as well. Or rather it just exits without reporting that one of the queries after the first query failed seeing that if a query fails next_result returns false.

The changes in the example comes after the creation of the string $sql.

<?php
$mysqli
= new mysqli("example.com", "user", "password", "database");
if (
$mysqli->connect_errno) {
echo
"Failed to connect to MySQL: (" . $mysqli->connect_errno . ") " . $mysqli->connect_error;
}

if (!
$mysqli->query("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS test") || !$mysqli->query("CREATE TABLE test(id INT)")) {
echo
"Table creation failed: (" . $mysqli->errno . ") " . $mysqli->error;
}

$sql = "SELECT COUNT(*) AS _num FROM test; ";
$sql.= "INSERT INTO test(id) VALUES (1); ";
$sql.= "SELECT COUNT(*) AS _num FROM test; ";

// changes to example 1 start here

// don't bother checking the result from multi_query since it will return false
// if the first query does not return data even if the query itself succeeds.
$mysqli->multi_query($sql);

do
// while (true); // exit only on error or when there are no more queries to process
{
// check if query currently being processed hasn't failed
if (0 !== $mysqli->errno)
{
echo
"Multi query failed: (" . $mysqli->errno . ") " . $mysqli->error;
break;
}

// store and possibly process result of the query,
// both store_result & use_result will return false
// for queries that do not return results (INSERT for example)
if(false !== ($res = $mysqli->store_result() )
{
var_dump($res->fetch_all(MYSQLI_ASSOC));
$res->free();
}

// exit loop if there ar no more queries to process
if (false === ($mysqli->more_results() )
{
break;
}

// get result of the next query to process
// don't bother to check for success/failure of the result
// since at the start of the loop there is an error check &
// report block.
$mysqli->next_result()

} while (
true); // exit only on error or when there are no more queries to process
?>

Note that the normal while ($mysqli->more_results() && $mysqli->next_result() has been replaced by two checks and while (true);
This is due to the 'problem' that next_result will return false if the query in question failed.
So one either needs to do one last check after the while loop to check if there was an error or one has to split up the different actions.
The changes in the example do the splitting.
To Top