I am in the process of writing my own blog publishing software (PHP) I would like to know if it's better to use a database for storing posts and other data (and why) or just regular text files.

With text files I am thinking about making folders for each data, first line is name of the post, second is time/date, third author,.... where everything from n line on is the actual post.

As I don't know anything about databases so can someone tell me what would I gain with them over the system I described (btw, there is already blog software with almost the same .txt principal). I don't know anything MySQL but that's not really a problem as I want to learn but (until now) didn't find a reason why


Thanks.

I would say Databases. I learned PHP using a book, and the book first taught text files, then later it taught Databases. It said databases are better because you can have them being written to by multiple people at the same time. Textfiles only one person can write to them at a time. Does that help?

I agree with chiefbutz.

Thanks chiefbutz, that helps.

Does that mean if two users would submit 2 comments at the same time, only one (or none?) would be written? If the comments would be stored in 1 text file.

Hehe, no. Thats not what he ment (I sure hope so). He ment by "you can have them being written to by multiple people at the same time" that more then one person can write the same blog.

And the two users would submit comments at the same time is almost impossible. Same fraction of a second? And anyway computer takes each command separately even if you manage to give them at the same time.

It's hard to underestand what chiefbutz really ment.
Anyway database is much much better. It has many good functions and it's easyer to manage it and get data from.

Thanks everyone, that helped a lot.

Use a database.
If you're going to store a lot of data, using a text file will make your site slower.


(And why the nick?)

Database is the choice over files. Infact that is the whole purpose of a database firsthand.

Databases were introduced to rectify the disadvantages in using files for datastorage. They are designed so as to optimize the space and overhead required for accessing and manipulating data.

So use database when ever u have some data to deal with. Its safer and better that way.

I would prefer a database because it is faster and space saving.

Databases its a must for you.

Text files would be an option if you intend to use XML and NOT just plain text. So if you are VERY good at XML use it. XML has great advantages one of them is being completly portable on anything you might think of. An XML based database works the same on any machine or OS.