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I just finished writing a flat-file DB class for PHP which supports selecting, updating, inserting and deleting.

I was wondering if there are any ways to make it faster or if I'm doing anything the wrong way.

<?php
class FlatDB {
    private static $field_deliemeter = "\t";
    private static $linebreak = "\n";
    private static $table_extension = '.tsv';

    public $table_name;
    public $table_contents = array("FIELDS" => NULL, "RECORDS" => NULL);

    /*
    ** This method creates a table
    ** 
    ** @param   string  $table_name
    **
    ** @example
    ** $db = new FlatDB;
    ** $db->createTable('Administrators');
    **/
    public function createTable($table_name, $table_fields) {           
        // Create the file
        $tbl_name = $table_name.self::$table_extension;
        $header = '';
        foreach($table_fields as $field) {
            $header .= $field.self::$field_deliemeter;
        }
        file_put_contents($tbl_name, $header);

    }

    /*
    ** This method opens a table for querying, editing, etc
    ** 
    ** @param   string  $table_name
    **
    ** @example
    ** $db = new FlatDB;
    ** $db->openTable('Test.csv');
    **/ 
    public function openTable($table_name) {        
        // Check if this table is found
        $table_name = $table_name.self::$table_extension;
        if(file_exists($table_name) === FALSE) throw new Exception('Table not found.');

        // Set the table in a property
        $this->table_name = $table_name;

        // Get the fields
        $table = file($this->table_name, FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES); 
        $table_fields = explode(self::$field_deliemeter, $table[0]);
        unset($table[0]);

        // Put all records in an array
        $records = array();
        $num = 0;
        foreach($table as $record) {
            $records_temp = explode(self::$field_deliemeter, $record);
            $count = count($records_temp);
            for($i = 0; $i < $count; $i++) 
                $records[$num][$table_fields[$i]] = $records_temp[$i];
            $num++;
        }

        $this->table_contents['FIELDS'] = $table_fields;
        $this->table_contents['RECORDS'] = $records;
    }

    /*
    ** This method returns fields selected by the user based on a where criteria
    ** 
    ** @param   array   $select an array containing the fields the user wants to select, if he wants all fields he should use a *
    ** @param   array   $where  an array which has field => value combinations
    ** @return  array   it returns an array containing the records
    **
    ** @example
    ** $db = new FlatDB;
    ** $db->openTable('Test.csv');
    ** $select = array("id", "name", "group_id");
    ** $where = array("group_id" => 2);
    ** $db->getRecords($select, $where);
    **/
    public function getRecords($select, $where = array()) {
        // Do some checks
        if(is_array($select) === FALSE) throw new Exception('First argument must be an array');
        if(is_array($where) === FALSE && isset($where)) throw new Exception('Second arguement must be an array');
        if(empty($this->table_name) === TRUE) throw new Exception('There is no connection to a table opened.');

        // If the array contains only one key which is a *, then select all fields
        if($select[0] == '*') $select = $this->table_contents['FIELDS'];

        // Check if the fieldnames in select are all found
        foreach($select as $field_name)
            if(in_array($field_name, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']) === FALSE) throw new Exception($field_name." is not found in the table.");

        // Check if the fieldnames in where are all found
        foreach($where as $field_name => $value)
            if(in_array($field_name, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']) === FALSE) throw new Exception($field['name']." is not found in the table.");

        // Find the record that the user queried in where
        $user_records = $this->table_contents['RECORDS'];
        if(isset($where)) {
            foreach($where as $field => $value) {
                foreach($this->table_contents['RECORDS'] as $key => $record) {
                    if($record[$field] != $value) {
                        unset($user_records[$key]);
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        // Preserve only the keys that the user asked for
        $final_array = array();
        $temp_fields = array_flip($select);
        foreach($user_records as &$record) {
            $final_array[] = array_intersect_key($record, $temp_fields);
        }

        return $final_array;
    }

    /*
    ** This method updates fields based on a criteria
    ** 
    ** @param   array   $update an array containing the fields the user wants to update
    ** @param   array   $where  an array which has field => value combinations which is the criteria
    **
    ** @example
    ** $db = new FlatDB;
    ** $db->openTable('Test.csv');
    ** $update = array("group_id" => 1);
    ** $where = array("group_id" => 2);
    ** $db->updateRecords($update, $where);
    **/
    public function updateRecords($update, $where) {
        // Check if the connection is opened
        if(empty($this->table_name) === TRUE) throw new Exception('There is no connection to a table opened.');

        // Check if each field in update and where are found
        foreach($update as $field => $value) 
            if(in_array($field, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']) === FALSE) throw new Exception($field." is not found.");

        foreach($where as $field => $value)
            if(in_array($field, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']) === FALSE) throw new Exception($field." is not found.");

        // Find the record that the user queried in where
        $user_records = $this->table_contents['RECORDS'];
        $preserved_records = array();
        foreach($where as $field => $value) {
            foreach($this->table_contents['RECORDS'] as $key => $record) {
                if($record[$field] != $value) {
                    unset($user_records[$key]);
                    $preserved_records[$key] = $record;
                }
            }
        }

        // Update whatever needs updating
        $user_records_temp = $user_records;
        foreach($user_records_temp as $key => $record) {
            foreach($update as $field => $value) {
                $user_records[$key][$field] = $value;
            }
        }

        // Merge the preserved records and the records that were updated, then sort them by their record number
        $user_records += $preserved_records;
        ksort($user_records, SORT_NUMERIC);

        // Modify the property of the records and insert the new table
        $this->table_contents['RECORDS'] = $user_records;

        // Implode it so we can save it in a file
        $final_array[] = implode(self::$field_deliemeter, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']);
        foreach($user_records as $record)
            $final_array[] = implode(self::$field_deliemeter, $record);

        // Implode by linebreaks
        $data = implode(self::$linebreak, $final_array);

        // Save the file
        file_put_contents($this->table_name, $data);
    }

    /*
    ** This method inserts a new record to the table
    ** 
    ** @param   array   $insert an array containing field => value combinations
    ** @param   array   $where  an array which has field => value combinations which is the criteria
    **
    ** @example
    ** $db = new FlatDB;
    ** $db->openTable('Test.csv');
    ** $array = array("id" => 7, "name" => "Jack", "password" => "1234567", "group_id" => 2);
    ** $db->insertRecord($array);
    **/
    public function insertRecord($insert) {
        if(is_array($insert) === FALSE) throw new Exception('The values need to be in an array');
        if(empty($this->table_name) === TRUE) throw new Exception('You need to open a connection to a table first.');

        // Check if each field in insert is found
        foreach($insert as $field => $value) 
            if(in_array($field, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']) === FALSE) throw new Exception($field." is not found.");

        // Build the new record
        $newRecord = array();
        foreach($this->table_contents['FIELDS'] as $field) {
            if(isset($insert[$field])) $newRecord[$field] = $insert[$field]; 
            else $newRecord[$field] = NULL;
        }

        // Add the new record to the pre-existing table and save it in the records
        $records = $this->table_contents['RECORDS'];
        $records[] = $newRecord;
        $this->table_contents['RECORDS'] = $records;

        // Format it for saving
        $data = array();
        $data[] = implode(self::$field_deliemeter, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']);

        foreach($records as $record)
            $data[] = implode(self::$field_deliemeter, $record);

        // Implode by linebreaks
        $data = implode(self::$linebreak, $data);

        // Save in file
        file_put_contents($this->table_name, $data);

    }

    /*
    ** This method deletes records from a table
    ** 
    ** @param   array   $where  an array which has field => value combinations which is the criteria
    **
    ** @example
    ** $db = new FlatDB;
    ** $db->openTable('Test.csv');
    ** $where = array("group_id" => 3);
    ** $db->deleteRecords($where);
    **/
    public function deleteRecords($where) {
        if(is_array($where) === FALSE) throw new Exception('The argument must be an array');
        if(empty($this->table_name) === TRUE) throw new Exception('You need to open a connection to a database first.');

        // Check if each field in insert is found
        foreach($where as $field => $value) 
            if(in_array($field, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']) === FALSE) throw new Exception($field." is not found.");

        // Find the records that match and delete them
        $records = $this->table_contents['RECORDS'];
        foreach($records as $key => $record) {
            foreach($where as $field => $value) {
                if($record[$field] == $value) unset($records[$key]);
            }
        }

        // Save the records in the property
        $this->table_contents['RECORDS'] = $records;

        // Format it for saving
        $data = array();
        $data[] = implode(self::$field_deliemeter, $this->table_contents['FIELDS']);

        foreach($records as $record)
            $data[] = implode(self::$field_deliemeter, $record);

        // Implode by linebreaks
        $data = implode(self::$linebreak, $data);           

        // Save the file
        file_put_contents($this->table_name, $data);
    }

}


?>
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  • \$\begingroup\$ Please explain as to the purpose of this class seeing that there are MANY db wrappers that are already efficient and optimized such as Eloquent and other framework's packagegist \$\endgroup\$
    – azngunit81
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 13:17
  • \$\begingroup\$ @azngunit81 waves It seems that Chosen Wann is building a flat file database 9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_file_database), not a wrapper around PDO or an ORM like Eloquent. \$\endgroup\$
    – jsanc623
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 14:58
  • \$\begingroup\$ @jsanc623 so sqlite? \$\endgroup\$
    – azngunit81
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 15:17
  • \$\begingroup\$ @azngunit81 SQLite is not a flat-file database, its a single database system which stores data in structured files with indexes (similar to how MySQL does). A flat-file database would use "flat" text files, e.g. CSV. \$\endgroup\$
    – jsanc623
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 15:21
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ @azngunit81 The purpose is re-inventing the wheel, I just thought it was a good project and I worked on it. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 17:29

1 Answer 1

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So, let's say you build a website that uses this class for storing data.

Then, one evening, you and I both visit the website at the same time. We both hit the button that opens the table and reads the data into memory. Now there are two copies of the data in memory -- one in the page you're looking at, one in the page I'm looking at.

You add a record. The "insert" function adds your new record and writes the file to disk.

Now I update a record. But the copy of the data in my window doesn't include the record you just added. So when my instance of the code hits the statement file_put_contents(...), what happens to the record you just inserted?

This is the sort of reason it's recommended to use real database engines like sqlite or mysql. They're designed to serialize calls and protect users from each other so they can't overwrite or corrupt each other's data.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Nice rebuttal! Not quite a review, but definitely a good point. \$\endgroup\$
    – Alex L
    Commented Apr 18, 2014 at 5:47

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