How to Verify the Success of a MySQL DELETE Operation

When executing a DELETE query using MySQL, it's crucial to determine whether the operation was successful. This is particularly important when deleting specific records based on criteria.

mysql_query() Method:

For traditional MySQL interactions using mysql_query(), a successful DELETE operation returns a boolean value:

• TRUE: The deletion was successful.
• FALSE: The deletion failed or no records were affected.

PDO::exec() Method:

With PHP Data Objects (PDO), PDO::exec() is used for DELETE statements. Unlike mysql_query(), PDO::exec() returns the number of affected rows:

• 0: No records were affected or deleted.
• >0: The specified number of rows were deleted.

Additional Tips:

• To cater for edge cases where mysql_query() might return TRUE despite no rows being affected, consider using mysql_affected_rows() to explicity check how many rows were deleted.
• For greater efficiency, check if the row exists before attempting to delete it to avoid unnecessary database queries.