After invoking mysql_real_query() or mysql_query(), you must call mysql_store_result() or mysql_use_result() for every statement that successfully produces a result set (SELECT, SHOW, DESCRIBE, EXPLAIN, CHECK TABLE, and so forth). You must also call mysql_free_result() after you are done with the result set.

mysql_use_result() initiates a result set retrieval but does not actually read the result set into the client like mysql_store_result() does. Instead, each row must be retrieved individually by making calls to mysql_fetch_row(). This reads the result of a query directly from the server without storing it in a temporary table or local buffer, which is somewhat faster and uses much less memory than mysql_store_result(). The client allocates memory only for the current row and a communication buffer that may grow up to max_allowed_packet bytes.

On the other hand, you should not use mysql_use_result() for locking reads if you are doing a lot of processing for each row on the client side, or if the output is sent to a screen on which the user may type a ^S (stop scroll). This ties up the server and prevent other threads from updating any tables from which the data is being fetched.

When using mysql_use_result(), you must execute mysql_fetch_row() until a NULL value is returned, otherwise, the unfetched rows are returned as part of the result set for your next query. The C API gives the error Commands out of sync; you can't run this command now if you forget to do this!

You may not use mysql_data_seek(), mysql_row_seek(), mysql_row_tell(), mysql_num_rows(), or mysql_affected_rows() with a result returned from mysql_use_result(), nor may you issue other queries until mysql_use_result() has finished. (However, after you have fetched all the rows, mysql_num_rows() accurately returns the number of rows fetched.)

You must call mysql_free_result() once you are done with the result set.

A MYSQL_RES result structure. NULL if an error occurred.

mysql_use_result() resets mysql_error() and mysql_errno() if it succeeds.