Reusing MySQL Result Sets with the mysql_* Functions

Question:

Is it possible to iterate through a MySQL result set multiple times using the mysql_* functions?

Background:

Sometimes, it may be necessary to process a MySQL result set twice without rerunning the query or storing its rows.

Answer:

Yes, it is possible. Here's how:

$result = mysql_query(/* Your query */);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    // do whatever here...
}

// reset the result set pointer to the beginning
mysql_data_seek($result, 0);

while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    // do whatever here...
}

Note:

While this method allows you to reuse the result set, it is generally not considered best practice. It is preferable to perform all necessary processing within the initial loop.