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20.8.3.37. mysql_insert_id()

my_ulonglong mysql_insert_id(MYSQL *mysql)

Description

Returns the value generated for an AUTO_INCREMENT column by the previous INSERT or UPDATE statement. Use this function after you have performed an INSERT statement into a table that contains an AUTO_INCREMENT field, or have used INSERT or UPDATE to set a column value with LAST_INSERT_ID(expr).

More precisely, mysql_insert_id() is updated under these conditions:

  • INSERT statements that store a value into an AUTO_INCREMENT column. This is true whether the value is automatically generated by storing the special values NULL or 0 into the column, or is an explicit nonspecial value.

  • In the case of a multiple-row INSERT statement, mysql_insert_id() returns the first automatically generated AUTO_INCREMENT value; if no such value is generated, it returns the last explicit value inserted into the AUTO_INCREMENT column.

    If no rows are successfully inserted, mysql_insert_id() returns 0.

  • Starting in MySQL 5.0.54, if an INSERT ... SELECT statement is executed, and no automatically generated value is successfully inserted, mysql_insert_id() returns the ID of the last inserted row.

  • INSERT statements that generate an AUTO_INCREMENT value by inserting LAST_INSERT_ID(expr) into any column or by updating any column to LAST_INSERT_ID(expr).

  • If the previous statement returned an error, the value of mysql_insert_id() is undefined.

mysql_insert_id() returns 0 if the previous statement does not use an AUTO_INCREMENT value. If you need to save the value for later, be sure to call mysql_insert_id() immediately after the statement that generates the value.

The value of mysql_insert_id() is not affected by statements such as SELECT that return a result set.

The value of mysql_insert_id() is affected only by statements issued within the current client connection. It is not affected by statements issued by other clients.

The LAST_INSERT_ID() SQL function returns the most recently generated AUTO_INCREMENT value, and is not reset between statements because the value of that function is maintained in the server. Another difference from mysql_insert_id() is that LAST_INSERT_ID() is not updated if you set an AUTO_INCREMENT column to a specific nonspecial value. See Section 11.10.3, “Information Functions”.

mysql_insert_id() returns 0 following a CALL statement for a stored procedure that generates an AUTO_INCREMENT value because in this case mysql_insert_id() applies to CALL and not the statement within the procedure. Within the procedure, you can use LAST_INSERT_ID() at the SQL level to obtain the AUTO_INCREMENT value.

The reason for the differences between LAST_INSERT_ID() and mysql_insert_id() is that LAST_INSERT_ID() is made easy to use in scripts while mysql_insert_id() tries to provide more exact information about what happens to the AUTO_INCREMENT column.

Return Values

Described in the preceding discussion.

Errors

None.