Storing PDF Files as MySQL BLOBs with PHP

When storing PDF files as BLOBs (Binary Large Objects) in MySQL using PHP, it's recommended to consider the potential drawbacks of storing binary data in a database. However, if you choose to do so, here's how you can approach it:

Firstly, define a table with an integer ID field and a BLOB column named DATA.

To store a PDF file, use the following query:

$result = mysql_query('INSERT INTO table (
    data
) VALUES (
    \'' . mysql_real_escape_string(file_get_contents('/path/to/the/file/to/store.pdf')) . '\'
);');

Caution: Using the mysql_* functions is discouraged, as they are deprecated. Consider using mysqli or PDO instead.

For PHP 5.x and earlier:

$result = mysqli_query($db, 'INSERT INTO table (
    data
) VALUES (
    \'' . mysqli_real_escape_string(file_get_contents('/path/to/the/file/to/store.pdf'), $db) . '\'
);');

For PHP 7 and later:

Prepared statements are the recommended approach for storing binary data in MySQL:

$stmt = $mysqli->prepare('INSERT INTO table (
    data
) VALUES (?)');

$stmt->bind_param('b', file_get_contents('/path/to/the/file/to/store.pdf'));

$stmt->execute();