Need help with implementing a feature in php based web application

[roccos]

Hello,

I am working on a opensource php application related to client management.

Everything works perfectly But i want to implement a new feature to it.

The users can add, edit, delete any record from database, But what i want to implement is, The ability to allow users to :

create custom fields with custom values and and later save them in a database. (it's per client basis)


Example, Here's what users can do:

Name : Client Name
Address : Client's Address

Here's what i want to do / implement

Name : Client Name
Address : Client Address
Custom Field : Custom Value - (This should work per client basis, And also users can add any number of such fields with values.)

All i need is the concept behind this, i can implement all database related functions myself, but i don't know how to do something like this.

Waiting for your comments with solutions.....

[Dormilich]

personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea to let the user change the table structure. It could be possible to incorporate such a demand by serializing the custom stuff and save that in a column.

[zorgi]

You could also make separate table with custom values linked to your original table. Lets call your original table client_table and lets call that new table custom_values_table. So you have this:

client_table
client_id(Pk)
name
address

custom_values_table
custom_value_id (PK)
client_id (FK)
custom_value_label VARCHAR(120)
custom_value VARCHAR(120)

Letting user to change table structure, as Dorm said, is not very good idea.

[roccos]

Thank your for your comments.

I know i can create a separate table and get the job done.., but i really wanted to implement this in a single table..., But don't think thats's possible.

Thank you both of you :).