faster,better way to get stuff from db + add/edit theory

[eluser]sophistry[/eluser]
yes, "don't repeat yourself" (sometimes people make this an acronym DRY).

since add and edit do the same thing to the same table try to cut down on extra code to save yourself typing and debugging.

seems like you might be ready to check out IgnitedRecord. http://ellislab.com/forums/viewthread/78305/