Question

I currently have an array I created like this:

$regions=array(
    1=>'North West',
    2=>'North East',
    3=>'South West',
    4=>'South East',
    5=>'West Midlands',
    6=>'East Midlands',
    7=>'London',
    8=>'Yorkshire',
    9=>'East England',
    10=>'Scotland',
    11=>'Wales',
    12=>'N. Ireland',
);

I will use this array to generate dropdown list options (value=>text) in my form. The selected option value will be stored in the database in an integer field.

This might just be a matter of personal preference, but I was just wondering whether this is the correct approach? Or should the array key be the same as its value? Could there be any potential problems further down the line (adding/deleting/modifying the array) when using this approach?

Answer 1

I tend to stored the key value in this instance. However I would normally store the regions in a lookup table where the id and values are stored so any future modifications can be managed relatively easily using foreign keys etc.