[php] CodeIgniter query: How to move a column value to another column in the same row and save the current time in the original column?

In my db table, I have two datetime columns: Last and Current. These column allow me to keep track of when someone last used a valid login to the service I am building up.

Using CodeIgniter's active record, is it possible to update a row so that the Last value receives the Current value AND then the Current value is replace with the current datetime?

Yes, this is possible and I would like to provide a slight alternative to Rajeev's answer that does not pass a php-generated datetime formatted string to the query.

The important distinction about how to declare the values to be SET in the UPDATE query is that they must not be quoted as literal strings.

To prevent CodeIgniter from doing this "favor" automatically, use the set() method with a third parameter of false.

$userId = 444;
$this->db->set('Last', 'Current', false);
$this->db->set('Current', 'NOW()', false);
$this->db->where('Id', $userId);
// return $this->db->get_compiled_update('Login');  // uncomment to see the rendered query
$this->db->update('Login');
return $this->db->affected_rows();  // this is expected to return the integer: 1

The generated query (depending on your database adapter) would be like this:

UPDATE `Login` SET Last = Current, Current = NOW() WHERE `Id` = 444

Demonstrated proof that the query works: https://www.db-fiddle.com/f/vcc6PfMcYhDD87wZE5gBtw/0

In this case, Last and Current ARE MySQL Keywords, but they are not Reserved Keywords, so they don't need to be backtick-wrapped.

If your precise query needs to have properly quoted identifiers (table/column names), then there is always protectIdentifiers().

$data = array( 
    'name'      => $_POST['name'] , 
    'groupname' => $_POST['groupname'], 
    'age'       => $_POST['age']
);

$this->db->where('id', $_POST['id']);

$this->db->update('tbl_user', $data);

if you want to upgrade only a single column of a table row then you can use as following:

$this->db->set('column_header', $value); //value that used to update column  
$this->db->where('column_id', $column_id_value); //which row want to upgrade  
$this->db->update('table_name');  //table name