getValue()

The getValue() method retrieves a single column value from the first row of the result. It is ideal when you only need one value — for example, an email, a price, or a count.

Basic Usage

$email = $db->getValue('users', 'email');

This is equivalent to calling getOne() and extracting a single column manually — but more efficient and direct.

With Conditions

As with any SELECT, you can define WHERE clauses before calling getValue():

$db->where('id', 100);
$username = $db->getValue('users', 'username');

With JOIN or GROUP BY

All clauses like join(), groupBy(), orderBy(), and limit() are supported:

$db->join('user_profiles p', 'u.id = p.user_id');
$db->where('u.status', 'active');
$age = $db->getValue('users u', 'p.age');

Return Value

The returned value is the raw scalar result from the selected column.
If no rows match, the return value is null.

Security Notes

• Column and table names are validated before query execution.
• getValue() uses LIMIT 1 internally to reduce overhead.
• All standard WHERE methods like whereInt() or whereFunc() are supported.

See Also

• getOne()
• where()
• join()
• groupBy()