Difference between mysql_fetch_array and mysql_fetch_assoc

There is not so much  difference between the mysql_fetch_array and mysql_fetch_assoc in the sense that both can fullfill your requirements but it depends on your need and ease of use. I prefer mysql_fetch_array because with it i can use both indexed value and associative value.

$sql = mysql_fetch_array(‘select name, address from tbl_customer’);

It means that you are getting answer directly into an array , and you dont need to know the field value of the elements to be outputed.

Just print the output as:

foreach($sql as $ans){

    echo $ans[0].' lives in '.$ans[1];

}

or

foreach($sql as $ans){

    echo $ans['name'].' lives in '.$ans['address'];

}

mysql_fetch_assoc, you can output the result as $ans['name'] but not $ans[0] . What i want say is you need to know about the field name of the table.

sample code:

foreach($sql as $ans){
    echo $ans['name'].' lives in '.$ans['address'];
}
But not
foreach($sql as $ans){
    echo $ans[0].' lives in '.$ans[1];
}