Chapter 17. C API
This chapter covers the C API provided by MySQL. The first part
provides a basic tutorial on how to connect to MySQL and how to query MySQL
with C and the C API. Following the tutorial is an alphabetical listing of
MySQL functions in the C API with explanations and, in most cases, examples.
At the end of this chapter is a listing of special data types for the C API.
For the examples in this chapter, I have used a database for a fictitious
computer support business. The database contains one table with client work
requests (workreq) and another with client contact
information
(clients).
Using C with MySQL
This section presents the basic tasks you need to use the C API.
Connecting to MySQL
When writing a C program to interact with MySQL, you first need to prepare variables that will store data necessary for a MySQL connection and query results, and then you need to establish a connection to MySQL. To do this easily, you need to include a couple of C header files (as shown in the code example): stdio.h for basic C functions and variables, and mysql.h for special MySQL functions and definitions. These two files come with C and MySQL, respectively; you shouldn’t have to download them from the Web if both were installed properly:
#include <stdio.h>
#include "/usr/include/mysql/mysql.h"
int main(int argc, char *argv[ ])
{
MYSQL *mysql;
MYSQL_RES *result;
MYSQL_ROW row;Because stdio.h is surrounded by
< and > symbols, C is instructed to look for it in the default location ...