<h2>Insert Blobs in MySql databases with php</h2>

<p>When attempting to store an image in a MySQL database, you might encounter an issue. This guide will provide solutions to successfully store your image data.</p>

<h3>Issue</h3>

<pre>
$sql = "INSERT INTO ImageStore(ImageId,Image)
VALUES('$this-&gt;image_id','file_get_contents($tmp_image)')";
</pre>

<p>This code builds a string in PHP, but the function call file_get_contents($tmp_image) is not evaluated before the string is created. Consequently, the actual binary data is not inserted.</p>

<h3>Solution 1</h3>

<p>To resolve this, you need to explicitly concatenate the result of the function call:</p>

<pre>
$sql = "INSERT INTO ImageStore(ImageId,Image)
VALUES('$this-&gt;image_id','" . file_get_contents($tmp_image) . "')";
</pre>

<h3>Solution 2</h3>

<p>Additionally, ensure that any characters in the binary data that might interfere with the query are escaped:</p>

<pre>
$sql = "INSERT INTO ImageStore(ImageId,Image)
VALUES('$this-&gt;image_id','" . mysql_escape_string(file_get_contents($tmp_image)) . "')";
</pre>

<h3>Solution 3</h3>

<p>Storing large binary data in a database is generally not recommended. It can lead to performance issues and database bloat. Consider using a separate file system to store your images instead.</p>