Join two table with pdo - php

Question

I'd like to join two tables in my database. It works fine the 'classic' way but there are a bunch of select query in my script, so I'd like to shorten it...
Here is the joint sql:
SELECT
matches.id, matches.start_time, matches.category_id,
matches.highl, first_team.tid, first_team.t_name,
second_team.tid, second_team.t_name AS ft_name
FROM matches
INNER JOIN teams AS first_team ON matches.first_team_id = first_team.tid
INNER JOIN teams AS second_team ON matches.second_team_id = second_team.tid
ORDER BY matches.id DESC
LIMIT 10
What I want to achive is something like this, but I don't exactly know how to add all the values I copied above.
public function getMatches($table,$conditions = array()){
$sql = 'SELECT ';
$sql .= array_key_exists("select",$conditions)?$conditions['select']:'';
$sql .= ' FROM '.$table;
if(array_key_exists("where",$conditions)){
$sql .= ' WHERE ';
$i = 0;
foreach($conditions['where'] as $key => $value){
$pre = ($i > 0)?' AND ':'';
$sql .= $pre.$key." = '".$value."'";
$i++;
}
}
if(array_key_exists("inner_join",$conditions)){
$sql .= ' INNER JOIN '.$conditions['inner_join'];
}
if(array_key_exists("on",$conditions)){
$sql .= ' ON '.$conditions['on'];
}
if(array_key_exists("as",$conditions)){
$sql .= ' AS '.$conditions['as'];
}
if(array_key_exists("order_by",$conditions)){
$sql .= ' ORDER BY '.$conditions['order_by'];
}
if(array_key_exists("start",$conditions) && array_key_exists("limit",$conditions)){
$sql .= ' LIMIT '.$conditions['start'].','.$conditions['limit'];
}elseif(!array_key_exists("start",$conditions) && array_key_exists("limit",$conditions)){
$sql .= ' LIMIT '.$conditions['limit'];
}
$query = $this->db->prepare($sql);
$query->execute();
if(array_key_exists("return_type",$conditions) && $conditions['return_type'] != 'all'){
switch($conditions['return_type']){
case 'count':
$data = $query->rowCount();
break;
case 'single':
$data = $query->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
break;
default:
$data = '';
}
}else{
if($query->rowCount() > 0){
$data = $query->fetchAll();
}
}
return !empty($data)?$data:false;
}
}
Here is the output:
<div class="panel-heading">Matches</div>
<table class="table">
<tr>
<th>#</th>
<th>First Team</th>
<th>Second Team</th>
<th>Start Time</th>
</tr>
<?php
include 'inc/functions.php';
$db = new DB();
$matches = $db->getMatches('matches', array('inner_join'=>'teams'), array('as'=>'first_team'), array('on'=>'matches.first_team_id = first_team.tid'), array('inner_join'=>'teams'), array('as'=>'second_team'), array('on'=>'matches.second_team_id = second_team.tid'), array('order_by'=>'matches.id'));
if(!empty($matches)){ $count = 0; foreach($matches as $result){ $count++;?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $count; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $result['ft_name']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $result['t_name']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $result['start_time']; ?></td>
</tr>
<?php } }else{ ?>
<tr><td colspan="4">No entry found!</td>
<?php } ?>
</table>
</div>

Answer 1

With all the honesty, for the life of me I will never ever ever understand, how such wall of PHP arrays
array('inner_join'=>'teams'), array('as'=>'first_team'),
array('on'=>'matches.first_team_id = first_team.tid'),
array('inner_join'=>'teams'),
array('as'=>'second_team'),
array('on'=>'matches.second_team_id = second_team.tid'),
array('order_by'=>'matches.id'));
can be even remotely considered "shorter" than elegant and compact SQL
SELECT
matches.id, matches.start_time, matches.category_id,
matches.highl, first_team.tid, first_team.t_name,
second_team.tid, second_team.t_name AS ft_name
FROM matches
INNER JOIN teams AS first_team ON matches.first_team_id = first_team.tid
INNER JOIN teams AS second_team ON matches.second_team_id = second_team.tid
ORDER BY matches.id DESC
LIMIT 10
Let alone the meaningfulness and readability.
Are you talking of saving yourself typing a few SQL keywords like SELECT or FROM? Seriously? Does it really worth making such a mess out of a meaningful and comprehensible SQL?