Can I query database directly from view in codeigniter?

Question

When I loop data from database I need value from that to query again. I query database directly from view. I want to know that is my code wrong? If wrong what is the better way?

    foreach($data->result() as $row1) {
        echo '<li>';
        echo $row1->Name;
        echo '<ul>';     
        $this->db->select('Photo');
        $this->db->from('tblPhoto');
        $this->db->where('User_id', $row1->User_id);
        $photo = $this->db->get();
        foreach($photo->result() as $row2) {
            echo '<li>';
            echo $row2->Photo;
            echo '</li>';
        }
        echo '</ul>';
        echo '</li>';
    }

Why can't you include photos in the orginal query? Or loop $data in controller and add the photos there? — package
– package, Commented Aug 21, 2013 at 8:53
Ideal place will be join the table when get original data. The other way will be using a helper function insider view which is better than current way. — Nish
– Nish, Commented Aug 21, 2013 at 10:29

Zbigniew Jasek · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-21 12:40:18Z

The way you're doing it will work, but you may want to consider separating your code to make your code more reusable. For example:

<~~~~ controller ~~~~~>

// your_controller.php:     
$this->load->model('your_model');
$data = $this->your_model->get_data();
foreach($data as $key => $obj)
{
    $data[$key]->photos = $this->your_model->get_photos($obj->User_id);
}
$this->load->view('test', array('my_data' => $data));

<~~~~ model ~~~~~>

// your_model.php
function get_data()
{
    return $this->db->get('yourTable')->result();
}

function get_photos($user_id)
{
    return $this->db->get_where('tblPhoto', array('User_id' => $user_id))->result();
}

<~~~~ view ~~~~~>

your_view.php
<?php foreach($my_data as $row1): ?>
<li>
    <?php echo $row1->Name;?>
    <ul>
        <?php foreach($row1->photos as $row2): ?>
            <li><?php echo $row2->Photo; ?></li>
        <?php endforeach; ?>
    </ul>   
</li>
<?php endforeach; ?>

abhinsit · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-21 08:53:05Z

3

Ideally view is not right place to do this.

Firstly all data must be processed between controller/model and should be passed to view.

If case you have a scenario where you want to get data from view after rendering, you should make an ajax call from view to controller and then ask controller to get data from model(data layer).

And respond with data from controller to view and reflect html changes in view depending upon the data received if any changes required.

This is how an MVC architecture should be.

answered Aug 21, 2013 at 8:53

abhinsit

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1 Comment

Hashem Qolami Over a year ago

You're absolutely right, but as a side-note: CodeIgniter doesn't implement MVC. Not even MVP.

Pupil · Accepted Answer · 2019-04-17 12:35:27Z

1

@lyhong, your code is programmatically right.

But, using Codeiginter MVC standards is advisable.

The queries should reside in Models.

So that they can become reusable.

Queries written in Views will serve only that view.

Also, if your write queries in View files, following issues should occur:

In case you do not get $row1->User_id the errors should be displayed directly on the page.

Also, it will load your view file slowly.

Benefit of sticking to MVC standards is huge extendibility.

edited Apr 17, 2019 at 12:35

answered Aug 21, 2013 at 11:04

Pupil

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Comments

Oliver Williams · Accepted Answer · 2020-12-12 19:10:25Z

The accepted answer is certainly as good as it gets. I would say that it's worth describing /WHY/ we don't make db queries inside the view. Imagine the view as just that - a view, or a way of viewing the data, or a version of viewing the data (it could be presented in many ways, and the version of how it's presented might change over time, such as they way FaceBook looks now vs. 10 years ago).

And an HTML view is only one way it could be presented; the data could be "viewed" as a PDF, a spreadsheet, a JSON package to be consumed by a microservice, etc. etc.. So if you're NOT calling a database for more information, it's a good indication that you've configured your data well, and it's likely it could be used in multiple ways, robustly.

OK, so guess what? Everything I just said is garbage. I hope you didn't believe it. In actuality, modern presentations and customization present their own complexities such that how the view is to be presented depends on what the data is, the resulting query of which is going to make the needed $data payload needed to be much more complex and possibly take unnecessary time for something that doesn't want to be shown. Run that through to it's logical conclusion, and you'll see the limitations of passing every possible scenario through the view data.

What @abhinsit said above about calling the ancillary stuff via AJAX is a valid point, but know that that adds complexity. But if done well it could save time and make things simpler overall. A good example is including the user information (Hello John Smith) by post-rendering with AJAX. Don't feel guilty if you see a valid need to call the database in the view, but try and structure your view (and your entire framework) so that the important things are already set in state.

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