PHP PDO fetch() to Get One Row from MySQL

PDOStatement::fetch() returns the next row from a query result. For a query that should return one record, execute the statement and call fetch() once.

<?php
require 'config.php';

$id=3;

$sql="SELECT id,name,class,mark
      FROM student
      WHERE id=:id";

$stmt=$dbo->prepare($sql);

$stmt->bindValue(
    ':id',
    $id,
    PDO::PARAM_INT
);

$stmt->execute();

$row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

if($row){
    echo htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row['name'],
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );
}else{
    echo 'Record not found.';
}

If no row is available, fetch() returns false. Always check the result before trying to use its columns.

PDO fetch() without a Parameter Top ↑

If the SQL query contains no variable or external input, a simple query() can be used.

$sql="SELECT name
      FROM student
      WHERE id=5";

$stmt=$dbo->query($sql);
$row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

if($row){
    echo htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row['name'],
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );
}

When the ID comes from a form, URL or variable, use a prepared statement with a parameter.

PDO fetch() Modes Top ↑

The fetch mode controls the structure of the row returned by fetch().

PDO::FETCH_ASSOC Top ↑

FETCH_ASSOC returns an associative array using the database column names as keys.

$stmt=$dbo->prepare(
    "SELECT id,name,class
     FROM student
     WHERE id=:id"
);

$stmt->bindValue(
    ':id',
    3,
    PDO::PARAM_INT
);

$stmt->execute();

$row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

if($row){
    echo 'ID: '.(int)$row['id'];
    echo '<br>Name: '.htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row['name'],
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );
}

Example structure:

Array
(
    [id] => 3
    [name] => Arnold
    [class] => Three
)

FETCH_ASSOC is convenient when readable column names are preferred in application code.

PDO::FETCH_OBJ Top ↑

FETCH_OBJ returns the row as an object whose property names correspond to the selected columns.

$row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_OBJ);

if($row){
    echo 'ID: '.(int)$row->id;
    echo '<br>Name: '.htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row->name,
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );
}

The returned object can be accessed using property syntax such as $row->name.

PDO::FETCH_NUM Top ↑

FETCH_NUM returns a numerically indexed array. The first selected column uses index 0.

$row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_NUM);

if($row){
    echo 'ID: '.(int)$row[0];
    echo '<br>Name: '.htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row[1],
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );
}

If the SQL is:

SELECT id,name,class
FROM student

the indexes are:

[0] => id
[1] => name
[2] => class

PDO::FETCH_BOTH Top ↑

FETCH_BOTH includes both column-name keys and numeric indexes.

$row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_BOTH);

if($row){
    echo $row[0];
    echo ' - ';
    echo htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row['name'],
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );
}

The same value may therefore appear twice in the returned array, once under its numeric index and once under its column name.

PDO::FETCH_LAZY Top ↑

FETCH_LAZY returns a PDORow object and allows values to be accessed using object properties or array indexes.

$row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_LAZY);

if($row){
    echo (int)$row[0];
    echo ' - ';
    echo htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row->name,
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );
}

The values are made available as they are accessed rather than building the same normal array structure returned by FETCH_BOTH.

PDO::FETCH_CLASS Top ↑

FETCH_CLASS can populate an object of a specified class using result-set column names as properties.

class Student
{
    public $id;
    public $name;
    public $class;
}

$stmt=$dbo->query(
    "SELECT id,name,class
     FROM student
     ORDER BY id"
);

$stmt->setFetchMode(
    PDO::FETCH_CLASS,
    'Student'
);

while($row=$stmt->fetch()){
    echo htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row->name,
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    ).'<br>';
}

This mode is useful when query results are intended to be represented as application objects.

Set the Default PDO Fetch Mode Top ↑

If a fetch mode is configured on the PDO connection, fetch() can be called without specifying the mode each time.

$dbo->setAttribute(
    PDO::ATTR_DEFAULT_FETCH_MODE,
    PDO::FETCH_ASSOC
);

$stmt=$dbo->prepare(
    "SELECT id,name,class
     FROM student
     WHERE id=:id"
);

$stmt->bindValue(
    ':id',
    1,
    PDO::PARAM_INT
);

$stmt->execute();

$row=$stmt->fetch();

if($row){
    echo htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row['name'],
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );
}

In our updated PDO config.php example, the default mode is already set to PDO::FETCH_ASSOC.

Use fetch() to Read Multiple Rows Top ↑

Although fetch() returns one row at a time, it can be called repeatedly inside a loop to process an entire result set.

$stmt=$dbo->query(
    "SELECT id,name,class
     FROM student
     ORDER BY id"
);

while($row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC)){
    echo (int)$row['id'].' - ';

    echo htmlspecialchars(
        (string)$row['name'],
        ENT_QUOTES,
        'UTF-8'
    );

    echo '<br>';
}

For more examples of displaying several records, see fetching multiple records using PDO.

PDO fetch() vs fetchAll() Top ↑

Use fetch() when you need one row or want to process rows one at a time. fetchAll() can be convenient for smaller result sets when all rows are required together.

Common PDO fetch() Problems Top ↑

Trying to read columns when no row was found Top ↑

fetch() returns false if there is no matching row. Check the result first:

$row=$stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

if($row===false){
    echo 'Record not found.';
}

Using the wrong access style Top ↑

The way a column is accessed depends on the fetch mode.

PDO::FETCH_ASSOC  -> $row['name']
PDO::FETCH_NUM    -> $row[1]
PDO::FETCH_OBJ    -> $row->name

Using SELECT * unnecessarily Top ↑

Select only the columns required by the page:

SELECT id,name,class
FROM student
WHERE id=:id

Displaying database values directly in HTML Top ↑

When database strings are inserted into HTML, escape them for the output context using htmlspecialchars().

Displaying password fields in examples Top ↑

Do not display stored password or credential values in record-listing examples. The updated examples use normal student data instead.

Related PHP PDO Tutorials Top ↑

Download the PDO sample scripts from the main PDO tutorial.

Frequently Asked Questions Top ↑

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author & Instructor at plus2net

I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.

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