bindParam and bindValue
bindParam() binds by reference (reads the variable at execute time). bindValue() binds the current value immediately. bindValue is usually preferable.
PHP
Intermediate
5 min read
bindParam and bindValue
Example
<?php
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("INSERT INTO products (name, price, stock) VALUES (:name, :price, :stock)");
// bindValue: bind the current value
$stmt->bindValue(":name", $productName, PDO::PARAM_STR);
$stmt->bindValue(":price", $price, PDO::PARAM_STR); // PDO has no PARAM_FLOAT
$stmt->bindValue(":stock", $stock, PDO::PARAM_INT);
$stmt->execute();
// bindParam: binds by reference (useful in loops)
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("INSERT INTO tags (name) VALUES (:name)");
$stmt->bindParam(":name", $tagName, PDO::PARAM_STR);
foreach ($tags as $tagName) {
$stmt->execute(); // Uses current value of $tagName
} Pro Tip
Prefer execute([...]) over bindParam/bindValue for simple cases — it is terser and less error-prone.