@mysql_connect and mysql_connect

Question

I have no problem connecting to a database using PHP however in some scripts I have tested, I have seen a small difference in the connect command.

What is the differenc

Answer 1

That is an error suppression mechanism. So, say there was an an error when you tried to connect, PHP would silently ignore it rather than displaying/logging it (depending on your settings).

I personally think it bad practice to use this, as, in my opinion, you should write your code to handle errors, not just silently discard them.