Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL, 2nd Edition

MySQL Command Interpreter

The MySQL command interpreter is commonly used to create databases and tables in web database applications and to test queries. Throughout the remainder of this chapter we discuss the SQL statements for managing a database. All these statements can be directly entered into the command interpreter and executed. In later chapters, we'll show how to include SQL statements in PHP scripts so that web applications can get and change data in a database.

Once the MySQL server is running, the command interpreter can be used. The command interpreter can be run using the following command from the shell in a Unix or Mac OS X system, assuming you've created a user hugh with a password shhh:

%/usr/local/bin/mysql -uhugh -pshhh

The shell prompt is represented here as a percentage character, %.

On a Microsoft Windows platform, you can access the command interpreter by clicking on the Start menu, then the Run option, and typing into the dialog box:

"C:\Program Files\EasyPHP1-7\mysql\bin\mysql.exe" -uhugh -pshhh

Then, press the Enter key or click OK.

(For both Unix and Microsoft Windows environments, we're assuming you've installed MySQL in the default directory location using our instructions in Appendix A through Appendix C.)

Running the command interpreter displays the output:

Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 3 to server version: 4.0.15-log

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql>

The command interpreter ...