AUTO_INCREMENT for image ID numbers?

[luminist]

Is there a reason that's escaping me why mysql_insert_id() is being used to assign the image ID for new posts, instead of counting the number of existing images and incrementing by one?

Since mysql_insert_id() retrieves the ID generated for the AUTO_INCREMENT column by the previous INSERT query, if images are ever deleted and later re-added (or not) it causes quirky jumps/gaps in the image ID.

I realize this is being extremely picky, but it seems that something like the following would work just as well:

$photonumb = sql_array("select count(*) as count from ".$pixelpost_db_prefix."pixelpost");
$theid = $photonumb['count'] + 1;

Luminist:

yes there is a reason: It was done like this.
You know, you have almost everytime more than one choice, even in programming..

but seriously: Punk who created PixelPost, used this function and not the other.

But what is the problem for you: IDs are IDs and not inventary-numbers..
they work for functionality, for counting you have other tools

or do you see any problems in it?

[Joe[y]+]

if this small aesthetical problem is more important than functionailty to users then this is useful otherewise steer clear.

[luminist]

As Joey said, it's purely aesthetic. I didn't mean to suggest that the current implementation is a bad one (quite the contrary, I'm thrilled with the application), I was more curious as to whether there was an inherent benefit that wasn't obvious to me from using auto_increment.

Thanks!

[raminia+]

I prefer not to answer the over asked question about the image id.

8)