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Corey Avis edited this page Sep 23, 2026 · 2 revisions

insert

Defines the query type as a INSERT statement. This method can be used to specify column names for a later values() call, or it can accept an associative array to define both columns and values at once.

📌 Execution Required: This method only constructs the SQL statement. You must terminate the method chain with ->execute() to actually run the query against the database or ->preview() to view the sql code.

Usage

insert(string ...$args): static
insert(array $args): static

Parameters

args (array|string) : This parameter accepts three different formats:

  • Variable List of Strings: Each string represents a column name.
  • Indexed Array: An array of strings representing column names.
  • Associative Array: An array where keys are column names and values are the data to be inserted. When using this format, the values() method is NOT required.

Dynamic Value Tags

When passing values, you can use string tags (ex. [datetime]) to automatically inject dynamic system values. The class will parse these tags before executing the query.

| Tag | Keyword | Output Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [date] | date | string | Current date formatted as Y-m-d. | | [datetime] | datetime | string | Current date and time formatted as Y-m-d H:i:s. | | [time] | time | string | Current time formatted as H:i:s. | | [timestamp] | timestamp | integer | Current Unix timestamp. |

Return Value

(static) : Returns the current instance to allow for method chaining.

NOTE: This method does not execute the query immediately. You must chain the execute() method at the end of your chain to run the query against the database.

Upon successful execution, the execute() method returns the int ID of the newly inserted row, or true if no ID is generated.

You can also retrieve this ID later via the read-only $insertId property (e.g., $db->insertId).

Examples

  1. Standard Usage (Separate Keys and Values)

    Use this if you prefer to keep your column list and data separate.

$db->insert('item', 'qty')->values('cars', 10)->execute();
// Result: INSERT INTO `table` (`item`, `qty`) VALUES ('cars', 10)

$db->insert('item', 'qty', 'created')->values('cars', 10, '[datetime]')->execute();
// Result: INSERT INTO `table` (`item`, `qty`, `created`) VALUES ('cars', 10, 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS') <- (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS = current date and time)

  1. Associative Usage (Shorthand)

    Use this to define the entire payload in one go. The values() method is skipped entirely.

$db->insert(['item' => 'cars', 'qty' => 20])->execute();
// Result: INSERT INTO `table` (`item`, `qty`) VALUES ('cars', 20)

$db->insert(['item' => 'cars', 'qty' => 20, 'created' => '[datetime]'])->execute();
// Result: INSERT INTO `table` (`item`, `qty`, `created`) VALUES ('cars', 20, 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS') <- (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS = current date and time)

Debug Errors

  • No debug errors.

Related Methods

delete | replace | select | show | update

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