In this part of Project 2 (CRUD Blog System), we will learn how to fetch and display blog posts from the database using PHP and MySQL.
This is the Read part of CRUD.
What You Will Learn in This Part
- Fetch records from MySQL database
- Use
mysqli_query()andmysqli_fetch_assoc() - Display data using PHP loops
- Show latest posts first
- Build a basic blog listing page
Prerequisites
Before starting, make sure:
- Database and
poststable are created - Data is already inserted (from Part 2)
db.phpfile exists
Step 1: Database Connection File
We will reuse the same db.php file:
<?php
$host = "localhost";
$user = "root";
$password = "";
$dbname = "blog_project";
$conn = mysqli_connect($host, $user, $password, $dbname);
if (!$conn) {
die("Database connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}
?>
Step 2: Fetch Posts from Database
Create a file index.php
<?php
include "db.php";
$query = "SELECT * FROM posts ORDER BY id DESC";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);
?>
Step 3: Display Posts Using PHP Loop
Add HTML and PHP together in index.php
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>All Blog Posts</title>
</head>
<body>
<h2>All Blog Posts</h2>
<?php
if (mysqli_num_rows($result) > 0) {
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
?>
<div style="border:1px solid #ccc; padding:10px; margin-bottom:10px;">
<h3><?php echo $row['title']; ?></h3>
<p><?php echo nl2br($row['content']); ?></p>
<small>Posted on: <?php echo $row['created_at']; ?></small>
</div>
<?php
}
} else {
echo "No posts found.";
}
?>
</body>
</html>
Step 4: Test the Read Functionality
- Open browser
- Visit:
http://localhost/index.php - You should see all inserted posts displayed
- Latest post appears on top
🎉 Congratulations! Your blog listing page is working.
Understanding the Code (Simple Explanation)
mysqli_query()→ runs SQL querymysqli_fetch_assoc()→ fetches one row as arraywhileloop → loops through all recordsORDER BY id DESC→ shows latest posts first
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Forgetting
include db.php - Wrong table name
- Using
fetch_row()instead offetch_assoc() - Not checking if rows exist
Mini Task for Students
Try to:
- Add post number
- Limit content to 100 characters
- Add a Read More link