Codeigniter: foreach method or result array?? [Models +View] - php

Question

I am currently following tutorials on viewing data from the database using the Framework Codeigniter. There are various ways in which I've learnt. Is there is a more realiable way- either displaying as an array or using 'foreach' in the view file? Any opinions would be helpful.
This is my code using the two methods:
Method 1 Model:
function getArticle(){
$this->db->select('*');
$this->db->from('test');
$this->db->where('author','David');
$this->db->order_by('id', 'DESC');
$query=$this->db->get();
if($query->num_rows() > 0) {
foreach ($query->result() as $row) {
$data[] = $row;
}
return $data;
}$query->free_result();
}
}
Method 1 View file:
<?php foreach($article as $row){ ?>
<h3><?php echo $row->title; ?></h3>
<p><?php echo $row->content; ?></p>
<p><?php echo $row->author; ?></p>
<p><?php echo $row->date; ?></p>
<?php } ?>
Method 2 Model:
class News_model extends CI_Model {
function getArticle(){
$this->db->select('*');
$this->db->from('test');
$this->db->where('author', 'David');
$this->db->order_by('id', 'DESC');
$query=$this->db->get();
if ($query->num_rows()>0) {
return $query->row_array();
}
$query->free_result();
}
Method 2 View file:
<?php echo '<h3>' .$article['title'].'</h3>' ?>
<?php echo '<p>' .$article['content']. '</p>' ?>
<?php echo '<p>' .$article['author']. '</p>' ?>
<?php echo '<p>'. $article['date']. '</p>' ?>

Answer 1

I would do it like that:
Model
function getArticle() {
$this->db->select('*');
$this->db->from('test');
$this->db->where('author','David');
$this->db->order_by('id', 'DESC');
return $this->db->get()->result();
}
}
Controller
function get_tests() {
$data = array(
'tests' => $this->mymodel->getArticle()
}
$this->load->view('myview', $data);
}
View
<table>
<?php foreach($tests as $test) { ?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $test->title;?></td>
<td><?php echo $test->content;?></td>
<td><?php echo $test->author;?></td>
<td><?php echo $test->date;?></td>
</tr>
</table>
If you wish to work with arrays rather than objects, in your model change line
return $this->db->get()->result();
to
return $this->db->get()->result_array();
and in views echo like
<td><?php echo $test['title'];?></td>
P.S.
In your code you use $query->free_result(); but it doesn't even run because when you use keyword return everything after that is not even parsed. It's not necessary to free results anyway.
P.S.2.
You use if($query->num_rows() > 0) { but don't have the else part, it means that it's not necessary too. If you'll return no lines to your foreach statement in the view, you won't get any errors.