CodeIgniter- active record insert if new or update on duplicate

Question

Basically what you are looking for might be this INSERT ... ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE - provided that you are using MySQL and your id is a unique key on the table.

You'd have to manually construct the query and pass to the $this->db->query() function instead of any built in active record like helper functions of the DB Driver.

Example:

$sql = 'INSERT INTO menu_sub (id, name, desc, misc)
        VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)
        ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE 
            name=VALUES(name), 
            desc=VALUES(desc), 
            misc=VALUES(misc)';

$query = $this->db->query($sql, array( $id, 
                                       $this->validation->name, 
                                       $this->validation->desc, 
                                       $this->validation->misc
                                      ));

If you use Codeigniter 3.0 or higher, you might want to consider using "$this->db->replace()". According to the user guide:

"This method executes a REPLACE statement, which is basically the SQL standard for (optional) DELETE + INSERT, using PRIMARY and UNIQUE keys as the determining factor. In our case, it will save you from the need to implement complex logics with different combinations of select(), update(), delete() and insert() calls."

In other words,

• If it doesn't exist, it inserts a new record.
• If it does exist, it updates it according to its primary or unique key.

Just use it straight out of the box like:

$data = array(
        'title' => 'My title',
        'name'  => 'My Name',
        'date'  => 'My date'
);

$this->db->replace('table', $data);

No batteries required!!!

You could do it simpler:

$sql = $this->db->insert_string(table, $array) . ' ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE ' .
implode(', ', $array);
$this->db->query($sql);

I doesn't know Codeigniter Active Record Class has this method or not check the codeigniter docs for the methods containing in active record class

But you can achive this throug extending core models of codigniter. By using this way you can use this method for all the models which extends this model class. Just place the MY_model.php into application/core/ and write the following code.

Class MY_Model extends CI_Model
{
  public function insert_update($data)
  {
       // code for checking existing record.
       if(//existing record)
           fire the update query
       else
           fire the insert query

       return insert/update id;

  }
}

after creating the above file You have to change the All your models parent class to the new Extended model i.e. MY_Model

class some_model extends MY_Model

NOTE: You have to select the primary key from results and put it into the where condition.

It's very critical so what I do when I get the data from the controller I just check it have the ID or not if Id is present then I fired the update query if not then I fired The Insert Query.

BEST OF LUCK

I'm using this approach:

1. configure your table mytable with unique id and unique key for the column xyz, which you want to update

2. try to insert an array $data, using INSERT IGNORE INTO do avoid duplicates

   $insert_query = $this->db->insert_string('bt_ical_list', $data);
   $insert_query = str_replace('INSERT INTO','INSERT IGNORE INTO',$insert_query);
   $this->db->query($insert_query); 
   

   this inserts a row, if value in column xyz doesn't exist

3. use function insert_id() to return an id if row was inserted, update if no row was inserted.

   if(!$this->db->insert_id()){
       $query=$this->db    ->where('xyz', $data['xyz'])
                           ->update('my_table',$data);
   };  
   

Here is a method that I hope can accomplish the same

   /**
    * Used to insert new row if a duplicate entry is encounter it performs an update
    * @param string $table table name as string
    * @param array $data associative array of data and columns
    * @return mixed 
    */
   private function updateOnExist($table, $data)
   {
        $columns    = array();
        $values     = array();
        $upd_values = array();
        foreach ($data as $key => $val) {
            $columns[]    = $this->db->escape_identifiers($key);
            $val = $this->db->escape($val);
            $values[]     = $val;
            $upd_values[] = $key.'='.$val;
        }
        $sql = "INSERT INTO ". $this->db->dbprefix($table) ."(".implode(",", $columns).")values(".implode(', ', $values).")ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE".implode(",", $upd_values);
        return $this->db->query($sql);
}