PHP PDOStatement::rowCount() Method: Usage and Examples

Returns the number of affected rows for INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE where supported.

The objective is to understand the behavior and operational limits, not only the method name.

What It Does

Returns the number of affected rows for INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE where supported.

Syntax and Return Value

PDOStatement::rowCount(): mixed

The return value and exceptional cases depend on the call described here: For SELECT, rowCount behavior is driver-dependent; use COUNT(*) instead.

Example 1: Basic Use

The statement has a real query and result set; database-specific metadata and statement options may be unsupported.

<?php
$pdo = new PDO('sqlite::memory:', null, null, [PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION]);
$pdo->exec('CREATE TABLE products (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL, price INTEGER NOT NULL, active INTEGER)');
$pdo->exec("INSERT INTO products (id,name,price,active) VALUES (1,'Desk',120,1),(2,'Lamp',35,1),(3,'Chair',85,0)");
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("UPDATE products SET active = 1 WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->execute([1]);
echo $stmt->rowCount();

Example 2: A Second Scenario

The statement has a real query and result set; database-specific metadata and statement options may be unsupported.

<?php
$pdo = new PDO('sqlite::memory:', null, null, [PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION]);
$pdo->exec('CREATE TABLE products (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL, price INTEGER NOT NULL, active INTEGER)');
$pdo->exec("INSERT INTO products (id,name,price,active) VALUES (1,'Desk',120,1),(2,'Lamp',35,1),(3,'Chair',85,0)");
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("UPDATE products SET active = 1 WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->execute([2]);
echo $stmt->rowCount();

Example 3: Practical Checks

The statement has a real query and result set; database-specific metadata and statement options may be unsupported.

<?php
$pdo = new PDO('sqlite::memory:', null, null, [PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION]);
$pdo->exec('CREATE TABLE products (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL, price INTEGER NOT NULL, active INTEGER)');
$pdo->exec("INSERT INTO products (id,name,price,active) VALUES (1,'Desk',120,1),(2,'Lamp',35,1),(3,'Chair',85,0)");
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("UPDATE products SET active = 1 WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->execute([3]);
echo $stmt->rowCount();

Important Behavior and Edge Cases

For SELECT, rowCount behavior is driver-dependent; use COUNT(*) instead.

For production use, also account for error handling, data validation, resource limits and environment-specific driver behavior.

Comparison with Related Approaches

Common Beginner Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Returns the number of affected rows for INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE where supported.
• For SELECT, rowCount behavior is driver-dependent; use COUNT(*) instead.
• columnCount returns result column count, not affected row count.

Choose this API or pattern when its exact semantics match your task, and verify the result against the database driver and runtime used by your application.