MySql order by case when array

Question

I'd like to know if there is more efficient way to write the loop of cases.

$search = "ORDER BY CASE WHEN created_by = :created_by THEN -1                                             
           WHEN cat_id = 24  THEN -1 
           WHEN cat_id = 26  THEN -1 
           ELSE created_at END LIMIT :limit, :perpage";

I wonder if

WHEN cat_id = 24  THEN -1 
WHEN cat_id = 26  THEN -1 

could be

WHEN cat_id = IN(24,26) THEN -1

if not how can I go about it? Do I have to make some sort of a for loop?

Answer 1

If it's just two values then you can use OR operator, e.g.:

WHEN (cat_id = 24 or cat_id = 26)  THEN -1

If you need to compare with multiple values but they are not sequencial then you can use IN operator, e.g.

WHEN (cat_id IN (24, 26))  THEN -1

If the values are in range then you can use BETWEEN, e.g.:

WHEN (cat_id BETWEEN 21 and 30)  THEN -1