phpMyAdmin 2.5.1 Documentation

SourceForge phpMyAdmin project page [ http://www.phpmyadmin.net/ ]
Local documents:
- Version history: ChangeLog
- General notes: README
- License: LICENSE
Documentation version: $Id: Documentation.html,v 1.452 2003/06/02 00:40:13 lem9 Exp $

Requirements

PHP3, PHP4 or PHP5: phpMyAdmin widely uses the 'str_replace()' PHP function that was added in PHP 3.0.6, but was buggy up until PHP 3.0.8. Then you should not run this script with PHP3 < 3.0.8.
PHP also needs to be compiled with MySQL support;
If you want to display inline thumbnails of JPEGs, you also need GD2 support in PHP.
MySQL (tested with 3.21.x, 3.22.x, 3.23.x, 4.0.x and 4.1.x);
Note: The implemented MySQL 4.1.x support is experimental!
a web-browser (doh!).

Introduction

phpMyAdmin can manage a whole MySQL server (needs a super-user) as well as a single database. To accomplish the latter you'll need a properly set up MySQL user who can read/write only the desired database. It's up to you to look up the appropriate part in the MySQL manual.
Currently phpMyAdmin can:

create and drop databases
create, copy, drop, rename and alter tables
do table maintenance
delete, edit and add fields
execute any SQL-statement, even batch-queries
manage keys on fields
load text files into tables
create (*) and read dumps of tables
export (*) data to CSV, XML and Latex formats
administer multiple servers
manage MySQL users and privileges
check referential integrity
using Query-by-example (QBE), create complex queries automatically connecting required tables
create PDF graphics of your Database layout
search globally in a database or a subset of it
transform stored data into any format using a set of predefined functions, like displaying BLOB-data as image or download-link or ...
communicate in 42 different languages

(*) phpMyAdmin can compress (Zip, GZip -RFC 1952- or Bzip2 formats) dumps and CSV exports if you use PHP4 >= 4.0.4 with Zlib support (--with-zlib) and/or Bzip2 support (--with-bz2).

Installation

NOTE: phpMyAdmin does not apply any special security methods to the MySQL database server. It is still the system administrator's job to grant permissions on the MySQL databases properly. phpMyAdmin's "Privileges" page can be used for this.

Warning for Mac users:if you are on a MacOS version before OS X, StuffIt unstuffs with Mac formats.
So you'll have to resave as in BBEdit to Unix style ALL phpMyAdmin scripts before uploading them to your server, as PHP seems not to like Mac-style end of lines character ("\r").

Documentation warning: when you see in this document a .php3 file extension, please transpose to .php if you are using a kit with files having this extension.

Quick Install:

Choose and download a distribution kit with the files having the extension (.php3 or .php) depending on the way your web/PHP server interprets those extensions.
Untar or unzip the distribution (be sure to unzip the subdirectories): tar -xzvf phpMyAdmin_x.x.x.tar.gz in your webserver's document root. If you don't have direct access to your document root, put the files in a directory on your local machine, and, after step 3, transfer the directory on your web server using, for example, ftp.
Open the file config.inc.php3 in your favorite editor and change the values for host, user, password and authentication mode to fit your environment. Here, "host" means the MySQL server. Also insert the correct value for $cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri']. Have a look at Configuration section for an explanation of all values.
It is recommended that you protect the directory in which you installed phpMyAdmin (unless it's on a closed intranet, or you wish to use HTTP or cookie authentication), for example with HTTP-AUTH (in a .htaccess file). See the FAQ section for additional information.
Open the file <www.your-host.com>/<your-install-dir>/index.php3 in your browser. phpMyAdmin should now display a welcome screen and your databases, or a login dialog if using HTTP or cookie authentication mode.
For a whole set of new features (bookmarks, comments, SQL-history, PDP-generation) you need to create a set of tables in your database. Please look at your scripts/ directory, where you should find a file called create_tables.sql. You can already use your phpMyAdmin to create the tables for you. Please be aware that you may have to have special (administrator) privileges to create the database and tables. After having imported the create_tables.sql file, you should specify the table names in your config.inc.php3 file. The directives used for that can be found in the Configuration section.

Upgrading from an older version:

Please do not copy your older config.inc.php3 over the new one: it may offer new configuration variables, and the new version may depend on these for normal behavior. It is suggested instead to insert your site values in the new one.

Using authentication modes:

HTTP and cookie authentication modes are recommended in a multi-user environment where you want to give users access to their own database and don't want them to play around with others.
Nevertheless be aware that MS Internet Explorer seems to be really buggy about cookies, at least till version 6. And PHP 4.1.1 is also a bit buggy in this area!
Even in a single-user environment, you might prefer to use HTTP or cookie mode so that your user/password pair are not in clear in the configuration file.
HTTP and cookie authentication modes are more secure: the MySQL password does not need to be set in the phpMyAdmin configuration file (except for the "controluser" -see the Configuration section).
However, keep in mind that the password travels in plain text, unless you are using the HTTPS protocol.
In cookie mode, we send the password in a temporary cookie, so most browsers should not store the password in their cookie file.
For 'HTTP' and 'cookie' modes, phpMyAdmin needs a controluser that has only the SELECT privilege on the mysql.user (all columns except "Password"), mysql.db (all columns) & mysql.tables_priv (all columns except "Grantor" & "Timestamp") tables.
You must specify the details for the controluser in the config.inc.php3 file under the $cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser']& $cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] settings.
The following example assumes you want to use pma as the controluser and pmapass as the controlpass, but this is only an example: use something else in your file!
Of course you have to replace localhost by the webserver's host if it's not the same as the MySQL server's one.
```
GRANT USAGE ON mysql.* TO 'pma'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'pmapass';
GRANT SELECT (
    Host, User, Select_priv, Insert_priv, Update_priv, Delete_priv,
    Create_priv, Drop_priv, Reload_priv, Shutdown_priv, Process_priv,
    File_priv, Grant_priv, References_priv, Index_priv, Alter_priv,
    Show_db_priv, Super_priv, Create_tmp_table_priv, Lock_tables_priv,
    Execute_priv, Repl_slave_priv, Repl_client_priv
    ) ON mysql.user TO 'pma'@'localhost';
GRANT SELECT ON mysql.db TO 'pma'@'localhost';
GRANT SELECT ON mysql.host TO 'pma'@'localhost';
GRANT SELECT (Host, Db, User, Table_name, Table_priv, Column_priv)
    ON mysql.tables_priv TO 'pma'@'localhost';
        
```
If you are using an old MySQL version (below 4.0.2), please use this query instead of the second one:
```
GRANT SELECT (
    Host, User, Select_priv, Insert_priv, Update_priv, Delete_priv,
    Create_priv, Drop_priv, Reload_priv, Shutdown_priv, Process_priv,
    File_priv, Grant_priv, References_priv, Index_priv, Alter_priv
    ) ON mysql.user TO 'pma'@'localhost';
        
```
... and if you want to use the many new relation and bookmark features:
```
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE ON <pma_db> TO 'pma'@'localhost';
        
```
(this of course requires you to have a special DB for phpMyAdmin, the contents will be explained later)
Of course, the above queries only work if your MySQL version supports the GRANT command. This is the case since 3.22.11.
Then each of the true users should be granted a set of privileges on a set of particular databases. Normally you shouldn't give global privileges to an ordinary user, unless you understand the impact of those privileges (for example, you are creating a superuser).
For example, to grant the user real_user with all privileges on the database user_base:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON user_base.* TO 'real_user'@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'real_password';
What the user may now do is controlled entirely by the MySQL user management system.
With HTTP or cookie authentication mode, you don't need to fill the user/password fields inside the $cfg['Servers'] array.

'http' authentication mode:

Was called 'advanced' in versions before 2.2.3.
Introduced in 1.3.0, it uses Basic HTTP authentication method and allows you to login as any valid MySQL user.
Is only supported with PHP running as an Apache module, not with CGI.

'cookie' authentication mode:

You can use this method as a replacement for the HTTP authentication (for example, if you're running IIS).
Obviously, the user must enable cookies in the browser.
With this mode, the use can truly logout of phpMyAdmin and login back with the same username.

'config' authentication mode:

This mode is the less secure one because it requires you to fill the $cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] and $cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] fields.
But you don't need to setup a "controluser" here: using the $cfg['Servers'][$i]['only_db'] might be enough.
In the ISP FAQ section, there is an entry explaining how to protect your configuration file.
For additional security in this mode, you may wish to consider the Host authentication $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowDeny']['order'] and $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowDeny']['rules'] configuration directives.

Configuration

Warning for Mac users: PHP seems not to like Mac end of lines character ("\r"). So ensure you choose the option that allows to use the *nix end of line character ("\n") in your text editor before registering a script you have modified.

All configurable data is placed in config.inc.php3.

$cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri'] string

Sets here the complete URL (with full path) to your phpMyAdmin version. E.g. http://www.your_web.net/path_to_your_phpMyAdmin_directory/.

phpMyAdmin needs this setting, because of requirements of the HTTP protocol, explained in RFC2616, section 14.30.

Don't forget the slash at the end of your URL. The URL must contain characters that are valid for a URL, and on some servers, the path is case-sensitive.

Starting with version 2.3.0, you can try to leave this parameter empty, because the program tries to auto-detect its proper value. Additional details are in the configuration file.

Alternatively, this setting can be dynamically completed. For example, you can try to use such a kind of code:

$cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri'] = (!empty($_SERVER['HTTPS']) ? 'https' : 'http') . '://'
                       . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']
                       . (!empty($_SERVER['SERVER_PORT']) ? ':' . $_SERVER['SERVER_PORT'] : '')
                       . substr($_SERVER['PHP_SELF'], 0, strrpos($_SERVER['PHP_SELF'], '/')+1);

    or

$cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri'] = (!empty($_SERVER['HTTPS']) ? 'https' : 'http') . '://'
                       . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']
                       . (!empty($_SERVER['SERVER_PORT']) ? ':' . $_SERVER['SERVER_PORT'] : '')
                       . substr($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'], 0, strrpos($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'], '/')+1);

Please note that the $_SERVER array doesn't exist in PHP < 4.1.0. Try to replace $_SERVER by $HTTP_SERVER_VARS or $GLOBALS in this case.

$cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri_DisableWarning'] boolean

By default, when you leave $cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri'] empty, and the system detects your absolute URI automatically, we display a warning to remind you. If you have tested the automatic detection, and it works perfectly for your setup, then you can set this variable to squelch the warning.

$cfg['PmaNoRelation_DisableWarning'] boolean

Starting with version 2.3.0 phpMyAdmin offers a lot of features to work with master / foreign - tables (see $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pmadb']).
If you tried to set this up and it does not work for you, have a look on the "Structure" page of one database where you would like to use it. You will find a link that will analyze why those features have been disabled.
If you do not want to use those features set this variable to TRUE to stop this message from appearing.

$cfg['Servers'] array

Since version 1.4.2, phpMyAdmin supports the administration of multiple MySQL servers. Therefore, a $cfg['Servers']-array has been added which contains the login information for the different servers. The first $cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] contains the hostname of the first server, the second $cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] the hostname of the second server, etc. If you have only one server to administer, simply leave free the hostname of the other $cfg['Server']-entries.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] string

The hostname of your $i-th MySQL-server. E.g. localhost.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['port'] string

The port-number of your $i-th MySQL-server. Default is 3306 (leave blank). If you use "localhost" as the hostname, MySQL ignores this port number and connects with the socket, so if you want to connect to a port different from the default port, use "127.0.0.1" or the real hostname in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'].

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['socket'] string

The path to the socket to use. Leave blank for default.
To use the socket feature you must run PHP 3.0.10 or more.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['connect_type'] string

What type connection to use with the MySQL server. Your options are 'socket' & 'tcp'. It defaults to 'tcp' as that is nearly guaranteed to be available on all MySQL servers, while sockets are not supported on some platforms.

To use the socket mode, your MySQL server must be on the same machine as the Web server.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['compress'] boolean

Whether to use a compressed protocol for the MySQL server connection or not (experimental).
This feature requires PHP >= 4.3.0.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser'] string
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] string

When using HTTP or cookie authentication modes (or 'config' authentication mode since phpMyAdmin 2.2.1), you need to supply the details of a MySQL account that has SELECT privilege on the mysql.user (all columns except "Password"), mysql.db (all columns) & mysql.tables_priv (all columns except "Grantor" & "Timestamp") tables. This account is used to check what databases the user will see at login.
Please see the install section on "Using HTTP authentication" for more information.

Note that if you try login to phpMyAdmin with this "controluser", you could get some errors, depending the exact privileges you gave to the "controluser". phpMyAdmin does not support a direct login with the "controluser".

In versions before 2.2.5, those were called "stduser/stdpass".

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] string ['http'|'cookie'|'config']

Whether config or cookie or http authentication should be used for this server.

'config' authentication ($auth_type = 'config') is the plain old way: username and password are stored in config.inc.php3.
'cookie' authentication mode ($auth_type = 'cookie') as introduced in 2.2.3 allows you to log in as any valid MySQL user with the help of... cookies. Log name and password are stored in cookies during the session and password is deleted when it ends.
'http' authentication (was called 'advanced' in older versions) ($auth_type = 'http') as introduced in 1.3.0 allows you to log in as any valid MySQL user via HTTP-Auth.

Please see the install section on "Using authentication modes" for more information.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] string
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] string

The user/password-pair which phpMyAdmin will use to connect to this MySQL-server. This user/password pair is not needed when HTTP or cookie authentication is used, and should be empty.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['only_db'] string or array

If set to a(an array of) database name(s), only this(these) database(s) will be shown to the user. Since phpMyAdmin 2.2.1, this/these database(s) name(s) may contain MySQL wildcards characters ("_" and "%"): if you want to use literal instances of these characters, escape them (I.E. use 'my\_db' and not 'my_db').
This setting is an efficient way to lower the server charge since the latter does not need to send MySQL requests to build the available database list. But it does not replace the privileges rules of the MySQL database server. If set, it just means only these databases will be displayed but not at all other databases can't be used.

An example of using more that one database: $cfg['Servers'][$i]['only_db'] = array('db1', 'db2');

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['verbose'] string

Only useful when using phpMyAdmin with multiple server entries. If set, this string will be displayed instead of the hostname in the pull-down menu on the main page. This can be useful if you want to show only certain databases on your system, for example.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['pmadb'] string

Starting with version 2.3.0 phpMyAdmin offers a lot of features to work with master / foreign - tables. To use those as well as the bookmark feature you need special tables with a predefined structure, which we explain below.
If you are the only user of this phpMyAdmin installation, you can use your current database to store those special tables; in this case, just put your current database name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pmadb'].

If you are setting up a multi-user phpMyAdmin installation, you will need to create a new database and setup special privileges, so, as superuser:

create a new database for phpMyAdmin:
CREATE DATABASE phpmyadmin;
Note that "controluser" must have SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE privileges on this database. Here is a query to set up those privileges (using "phpmyadmin" as the database name, and "pma" as the controluser):
GRANT SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE ON phpmyadmin.* to 'pma'@'localhost';
do not give any other user rights on this database.
enter the database name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pmadb']

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['bookmarktable'] string

Since release 2.2.0 phpMyAdmin allows to bookmark queries. This can be useful for queries you often run.

To allow the usage of this functionality you have to:

set up "pmadb" as described above
within this database create a table following this scheme:
CREATE TABLE `PMA_bookmark` ( id int(11) DEFAULT '0' NOT NULL auto_increment, dbase varchar(255) NOT NULL, user varchar(255) NOT NULL, label varchar(255) NOT NULL, query text NOT NULL, PRIMARY KEY (id) ) TYPE=MyISAM COMMENT='Bookmarks';
enter the table name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['bookmarktable']

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['relation'] string

Since release 2.2.4 you can describe, in a special 'relation' table, which field is a key in another table (a foreign key). phpMyAdmin currently uses this to

make clickable, when you browse the master table, the data values that point to the foreign table;
display in an optional tool-tip the "display field" when browsing the master table, if you move the mouse to a column containing a foreign key (use also the 'table_info' table);
display links on the table properties page, to check referential integrity (display missing foreign keys) for each described key;
in query-by-example, create automatic joins (see an example in the FAQ, section "Using phpMyAdmin");
enable you to get a PDF schema of your database (also uses the table_coords table).

The keys can be numeric or character.

To allow the usage of this functionality the superuser has to:

set up "pmadb" as described above
within this database create a table following this scheme:
CREATE TABLE `PMA_relation` ( `master_db` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `master_table` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `master_field` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `foreign_db` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `foreign_table` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `foreign_field` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', PRIMARY KEY (`master_db`, `master_table`, `master_field`), KEY foreign_field (foreign_db, foreign_table) ) TYPE=MyISAM COMMENT='Relation table';
put the relation table name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['relation']
now as normal user open phpMyAdmin and for each one of your tables where you want to use this feature, click "Structure/Relation view/" and choose foreign fields.

Please note that in the current (2.3.0) version, master_db must be the same as foreign_db. Those fields have been put in future development of the cross-db relations.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_info'] string

Since release 2.3.0 you can describe, in a special 'table_info' table, which field is to be displayed as a tool-tip when moving the cursor over the corresponding key.
This configuration variable will hold the name of this special table. To allow the usage of this functionality the superuser has to:

set up "pmadb" as described above
within this database create a table following this scheme:
CREATE TABLE `PMA_table_info` ( `db_name` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `table_name` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `display_field` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', PRIMARY KEY (`db_name`, `table_name`) ) TYPE=MyISAM COMMENT='Table information for phpMyAdmin';
put the table name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_info']
then for each table where you want to use this feature, click "Structure/Relation view/Choose field to display" to choose the field.

Usage tip: Display field.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_coords'] string
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['pdf_pages'] string

Since release 2.3.0 you can have phpMyAdmin create PDF pages showing the relations between your tables. To do this it needs two tables "pdf_pages" (storing information about the available PDF pages) and "table_coords" (storing coordinates where each table will be placed on a PDF schema output).

You must be using the "relation" feature and have a table of PDF pages (see $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pdf_pages']) to create PDF output.

To allow the usage of this functionality the superuser has to:

set up "pmadb" as described above
within this database create a table following this scheme:
CREATE TABLE `PMA_table_coords` ( `db_name` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `table_name` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `pdf_page_number` int NOT NULL default '0', `x` float unsigned NOT NULL default '0', `y` float unsigned NOT NULL default '0', PRIMARY KEY (`db_name`, `table_name`, `pdf_page_number`) ) TYPE=MyISAM COMMENT='Table coordinates for phpMyAdmin PDF output';
also within this database create:
CREATE TABLE `PMA_pdf_pages` ( `db_name` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `page_nr` int(10) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment, `page_descr` varchar(50) NOT NULL default '', PRIMARY KEY (page_nr), KEY (db_name) ) TYPE=MyISAM COMMENT='PDF Relationpages for PMA';
put the first table name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_coords'] and the second table name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pdf_pages']

Usage tips: PDF output.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['column_info'] string

Since release 2.3.0 you can store comments to describe each column for each table. These will then be shown on the "printview".

Starting with release 2.5.0, comments are consequently used on the table property pages and table browse view, showing up as tool-tips above the column name (properties page) or embedded within the header of table in browse view. They can also be shown in a table dump. Please see the relevant configuration directives later on.

Also new in release 2.5.0 is a mime-transformation system which is also based on the following table structure. See Transformations for further information. To use the mime-transformation system, your column_info table has to have the three new fields 'mimetype', 'transformation', 'transformation_options'.

To allow the usage of this functionality the superuser has to:

set up "pmadb" as described above
within this database create a table following this scheme:
CREATE TABLE `PMA_column_info` ( id int(5) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment, db_name varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', table_name varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', column_name varchar(64) NOT NULL default '', `comment` varchar(255) NOT NULL default '', mimetype varchar(255) NOT NULL default '', transformation varchar(255) NOT NULL default '', transformation_options varchar(255) NOT NULL default '', PRIMARY KEY (id), UNIQUE KEY db_name (db_name, table_name, column_name) ) TYPE=MyISAM COMMENT='Comments for Columns';
put the table name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['column_info']
To update your PRE-2.5.0 Column_comments Table use this:
ALTER TABLE `PMA_column_comments` ADD `mimetype` VARCHAR( 255 ) NOT NULL , ADD `transformation` VARCHAR( 255 ) NOT NULL , ADD `transformation_options` VARCHAR( 255 ) NOT NULL ; and remember that the Variable in config.inc.php has been renamed from
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['column_comments'] to $cfg['Servers'][$i]['column_info']

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['history'] string

Since release 2.5.0 you can store your SQL history, which means all queries you entered manually into the phpMyAdmin interface. If you don't want to use a table- based history, you can use the JavaScript-based history. Using that, all your history items are deleted when closing the window.

Using $cfg['QueryHistoryMax'] you can specify an amount of history items you want to have on hold. On every login, this list gets cut to the maximum amount.

The query history is only available if you use the JavaScript-based query window, see $cfg['QueryFrame'].

To allow the usage of this functionality the superuser has to:

set up "pmadb" as described above
within this database create a table following this scheme:
CREATE TABLE `PMA_history` ( `id` BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, `username` VARCHAR( 64 ) NOT NULL , `db` VARCHAR( 64 ) NOT NULL , `table` VARCHAR( 64 ) NOT NULL , `timevalue` TIMESTAMP NOT NULL , `sqlquery` TEXT NOT NULL , PRIMARY KEY ( `id` ) , INDEX ( `username` , `db` , `table` , `timevalue` ) ) TYPE=MyISAM COMMENT='SQL history';
put the table name in $cfg['Servers'][$i]['history']

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['verbose_check'] string

Because release 2.5.0 introduced the new MIME-transformation support, the column_info table got enhanced with three new fields. If the above variable is set to TRUE (default) phpMyAdmin will check if you have the latest table structure available. If not, it will emit a warning to the superuser.

You can disable this checking behavior by setting the variable to false, which should offer a performance increase.

Recommended to set to FALSE, when you are sure, your table structure is up to date.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowDeny']['order'] string

If your rule order is empty, then IP authentication is disabled.

If your rule order is set to 'deny,allow' then the system applies all deny rules followed by allow rules. Access is allowed by default. Any client which does not match a Deny command or does match an Allow command will be allowed access to the server.

If your rule order is set to 'allow,deny' then the system applies all allow rules followed by deny rules. Access is denied by default. Any client which does not match an Allow directive or does match a Deny directive will be denied access to the server.

If your rule order is set to 'explicit', the authentication is performed in a similar fashion to rule order 'deny,allow', with the added restriction that your host/username combination must be listed in the allow rules, and not listed in the deny rules. This is the most secure means of using Allow/Deny rules, and was available in Apache by specifying allow and deny rules without setting any order.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowDeny']['rules'] array of strings

The general format for the rules is as such:
<'allow' | 'deny'> <username> [from] <ipmask>

If you wish to match all users, it is possible to use a '%' as a wildcard in the username field.
There are a few shortcuts you can use in the ipmask field as well:
'all' -> 0.0.0.0/0 'localhost' -> 127.0.0.1/8

Having an empty rule list is equivalent to either using 'allow % from all' if your rule order is set to 'deny,allow' or 'deny % from all' if your rule order is set to 'allow,deny' or 'explicit'.

For the IP matching system, the following work:
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (an exact IP address)
xxx.xxx.xxx.[yyy-zzz] (an IP address range)
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/nn (CIDR, Classless Inter-Domain Routing type IP addresses)
But the following does not work:
xxx.xxx.xxx.xx[yyy-zzz] (partial IP address range)

$cfg['ServerDefault'] integer

If you have more than one server configured, you can set $cfg['ServerDefault'] to any one of them to autoconnect to that server when phpMyAdmin is started, or set it to 0 to be given a list of servers without logging in.
If you have only one server configured, $cfg['ServerDefault'] MUST be set to that server.

$cfg['OBGzip'] boolean

Defines whether to use GZip output buffering for increased speed in HTTP transfers.

$cfg['PersistentConnections'] boolean

Whether persistent connections should be used or not (mysql_connect or mysql_pconnect).

$cfg['ExecTimeLimit'] integer [number of seconds]

Set the number of seconds a script is allowed to run. If seconds is set to zero, no time limit is imposed.
This setting is used while importing/exporting dump files but has no effect when PHP is running in safe mode.

$cfg['SkipLockedTables'] boolean

Mark used tables and make it possible to show databases with locked tables (since 3.23.30).

$cfg['ShowSQL'] boolean

Defines whether SQL-queries generated by phpMyAdmin should be displayed or not.

$cfg['AllowUserDropDatabase'] boolean

Defines whether normal users (non-administrator) are allowed to delete their own database or not. If set as FALSE, the link "Drop Database" will not be shown, and even a "DROP DATABASE mydatabase" will be rejected. Quite practical for ISP's with many customers.

$cfg['Confirm'] boolean

Whether a warning ("Are your really sure..") should be displayed when you're about to loose data.

$cfg['LoginCookieRecall'] boolean

Define whether the previous login should be recalled or not in cookie authentication mode.

$cfg['UseDbSearch'] boolean

Define whether the "search string inside database" is enabled or not.

$cfg['LeftFrameLight'] boolean

Defines whether to use select-based menu and display only the current tables in the left frame (smaller page). Only in Non-Lightmode you can use the feature to display nested folders using $cfg['LeftFrameTableSeparator']

$cfg['LeftFrameTableSeparator'] string

Defines a string to be used to nest table spaces. Defaults to '__'. This means if you have tables like 'first__second__third' this will be shown as a three-level hierarchie like: first > second > third. If set to FALSE or empty, the feature is disabled. NOTE: You shall not use this Separator in a table name at the beginning or end of a table name, or multiple times after another without any other characters in between.

$cfg['LeftFrameTableLevel'] string

Defines how many sublevels should be displayed when splitting up tables by the above Separator.

$cfg['ShowTooltip'] boolean

Defines whether to display table comment as tool-tip in left frame or not.

$cfg['ShowTooltipAliasDB'] boolean

If tool-tips are enabled and a DB comment is set, this will flip the comment and the real name. That means, if you have a table called 'user0001' and add the comment 'MyName' on it, you will see the name 'MyName' used consequently in the left frame and the tool-tip shows the real name of the DB.

$cfg['ShowTooltipAliasTB'] boolean

Same as $cfg['ShowTooltipAliasDB'], except this works for table names.

$cfg['ShowStats'] boolean

Defines whether to display space usage and statistics about databases and tables or not.
Note that statistics requires at least MySQL 3.23.3 and that, at this date, MySQL doesn't return such information for Berkeley DB tables.

$cfg['ShowMysqlInfo'] boolean
$cfg['ShowMysqlVars'] boolean
$cfg['ShowPhpInfo'] boolean
$cfg['ShowChgPassword'] boolean

Defines whether to display the "MySQL runtime information", "MySQL system variables", "PHP information" and "Change password " links or not for simple users at the starting main (right) frame. This setting does not check MySQL commands entered directly.

Please note that to block the usage of phpinfo() in scripts, you have to put this in your php.ini:
disable_functions = phpinfo()

Also note that enabling the "Change password " link has no effect with "config" authentication mode: because of the hard coded password value in the configuration file, end users can't be allowed to change their passwords.

$cfg['SuggestDBName'] boolean

Defines whether to suggest a database name on the "Create Database" form or to keep the textfield empty.

$cfg['ShowBlob'] boolean

Defines whether BLOB fields are shown when browsing a table's content or not.

$cfg['NavigationBarIconic'] boolean

Defines whether navigation bar buttons contain text or symbols only.

$cfg['ShowAll'] boolean

Defines whether an user should be displayed a "show all (records)" button in browse mode or not.

$cfg['MaxRows'] integer

Number of rows displayed when browsing a result set. If the result set contains more rows, Previous/Next links will be shown.

$cfg['Order'] string [DESC|ASC|SMART]

Defines whether fields are displayed in ascending (ASC) order, in descending (DESC) order or in a "smart" (SMART) order - I.E. descending order for fields of type TIME, DATE, DATETIME & TIMESTAMP, ascending order else- by default.

$cfg['ProtectBinary'] boolean or string

Defines whether BLOB or BINARY fields are protected from edition when browsing a table's content or not. Valid values are:
- FALSE to allow edition of all fields;
- blob to allow edition of all fields except BLOBS;
- all to disallow edition of all BINARY or BLOB fields.

$cfg['ShowFunctionFields'] boolean

Defines whether MySQL functions fields should be displayed or not in edit/insert mode.

$cfg['CharEditing'] string

Defines which type of editing controls should be used for CHAR and VARCHAR fields. Possible values are:

input - this allows to limit size of text to size of field in MySQL, but has problems with newlines in fields
textarea - no problems with newlines in fields, but also no length limitations

Default is old behavior so input.

$cfg['ZipDump'] boolean
$cfg['GZipDump'] boolean
$cfg['BZipDump'] boolean

Defines whether to allow the use of zip/GZip/BZip2 compression when creating a dump file or not.

$cfg['LightTabs'] string

If set to True, do use less graphically intense tabs on the top of the mainframe.

$cfg['DefaultTabServer'] string

Defines the tab displayed by default on server view. Possible values: "main.php3" (recommended for multi-user setups), "server_databases.php3", "server_status.php3", "server_variables.php3", "server_privileges.php3" or "server_processlist.php3".

$cfg['DefaultTabDatabase'] string

Defines the tab displayed by default on database view. Possible values: "db_details_structure.php3", "db_details.php3" or "db_search.php3".

$cfg['DefaultTabTable'] string

Defines the tab displayed by default on table view. Possible values: "tbl_properties_structure.php3", "tbl_properties.php3", "tbl_select.php3" or "tbl_change.php3".

$cfg['MySQLManualBase'] string

If set to an URL which points to the MySQL documentation (type depends on $cfg['MySQLManualType']), appropriate help links are generated.
See MySQL Documentation page for more information about MySQL manuals and their types.

$cfg['MySQLManualType'] string

Type of MySQL documentation:

old - old style used in phpMyAdmin 2.3.0 and sooner
searchable - "Searchable, with user comments"
chapters - "HTML, one page per chapter"
big - "HTML, all on one page"
none - do not show documentation links

$cfg['DefaultLang'] string

Defines the default language to use, if not browser-defined or user-defined.
See the select_lang.inc.php3 script to know the valid values for this setting.

$cfg['Lang'] string

Force: always use this language (must be defined in the select_lang.inc.php3 script).

$cfg['DefaultCharset'] string

Default character set to use for recoding of MySQL queries. This must be enabled and it's described by $cfg['AllowAnywhereRecoding'] option.
You can give here any character set which is in $cfg['AvailableCharsets'] array and this is just default choice, user can select any of them.

$cfg['AllowAnywhereRecoding'] boolean

Allow character set recoding of MySQL queries. You need recode or iconv support (compiled in or module) in PHP to allow MySQL queries recoding and used language file must have it enabled (by default only these which are in Unicode, just to avoid losing some characters).

$cfg['RecodingEngine'] string

You can select here which functions will be used for character set conversion. Possible values are:

auto - automatically use available one (first is tested iconv, then recode)
iconv - use iconv or libiconv functions
recode - use recode_string function

Default is auto.

$cfg['IconvExtraParams'] string

Specify some parameters for iconv used in charset conversion. See iconv documentation for details.

$cfg['AvailableCharsets'] array

Available character sets for MySQL conversion. You can add your own (any of supported by recode/iconv) or remove these which you don't use. Character sets will be shown in same order as here listed, so if you frequently use some of these move them to the top.

$cfg['GD2Available'] string

Specifies whether GD >= 2 is available. If yes it can be used for MIME transformations.
Possible values are:

auto - automatically detect, this is a bit expensive operation for php < 4.3.0 so it is preffered to change this according to your server real possibilities
yes - GD 2 functions can be used
no - GD 2 function can not be used

Default is auto.

$cfg['LeftWidth'] integer

Left frame width in pixel.

$cfg['LeftBgColor'] string [HTML color]
$cfg['RightBgColor'] string [HTML color]

The background colors (HTML) used for both the frames.

$cfg['RightBgImage'] string

The URI of the background image used for the right frame. It can be absolute as well as relative from your phpMyAdmin directory.

$cfg['LeftPointerColor'] string [HTML color]

The color (HTML) used for the pointer in the left frame (does not work with Netscape 4).

$cfg['Border'] integer

The size of a table's border.

$cfg['ThBgcolor'] string [HTML color]

The color (HTML) used for table headers.

$cfg['BgcolorOne'] string [HTML color]

The color (HTML) #1 for table rows.

$cfg['BgcolorTwo'] string [HTML color]

The color (HTML) #2 for table rows.

$cfg['BrowsePointerColor'] string [HTML color]
$cfg['BrowseMarkerColor'] string [HTML color]

The colors (HTML) uses for the pointer and the marker in browse mode (does not work with Netscape 4).
The former feature highlights the row over which your mouse is passing and the latter lets you visually mark/unmark rows by clicking on them.
You can disable both of these features by emptying the respective directive.

$cfg['TextareaCols'] integer
$cfg['TextareaRows'] integer
$cfg['CharTextareaCols'] integer
$cfg['CharTextareaRows'] integer

Number of columns and rows for the textareas.
This value will be emphasized (*2) for SQL query textareas and (*1.25) for SQL textareas inside the query window.
The Char* values are used for CHAR and VARCHAR editing (if configured via $cfg['CharEditing']).

$cfg['LongtextDoubleTextarea'] boolean

Defines whether textarea for LONGTEXT fields should have double size.

$cfg['TextareaAutoSelect'] boolean

Defines if the whole textarea of the query box will be selected on click.

$cfg['CtrlArrowsMoving'] boolean

Enable Ctrl+Arrows moving between fields when editing?

$cfg['LimitChars'] integer

Maximal number of Chars showed in a TEXT OR a BLOB field on browse view. Can be turned off by a toggle button on the browse page.

$cfg['ModifyDeleteAtLeft'] boolean
$cfg['ModifyDeleteAtRight'] boolean

Defines the place where modify and delete links would be put when tables contents are displayed (you may have them displayed both at the left and at the right). "Left" and "right" are parsed as "top" and "bottom" with vertical display mode.

$cfg['DefaultDisplay'] string
$cfg['HeaderFlipType'] string

There are 3 display modes: horizontal, horizontalflipped and vertical. Define which one is displayed by default. The first mode displays each row on a horizontal line, the second rotates the headers by 90 degrees, so you can use descriptive headers even though fields only contain small values and still print them out. The vertical mode sorts each row on a vertical lineup.

The HeaderFlipType can be set to 'css' or 'faked'. When using 'css' the rotation of the header for horizontalflipped is done via CSS. If set to 'faked' PGP does the transformation for you, but of course this does not look as good as CSS.

$cfg['DefaultPropDisplay'] string

When editing/creating new columns in a table all fields normally get lined up one field a line. (default: 'horizontal'). If you set this to 'vertical' you can have each field lined up vertically beneath each other. You can save up a lot of place on the horizontal direction and no longer have to scroll.

$cfg['ShowBrowseComments'] boolean
$cfg['ShowPropertyComments'] boolean

By setting the corresponding variable to TRUE you can enable the display of column comments in Browse or Property display. In browse mode, the comments are show inside the header. In property mode, comments are displayed using a CSS-formatted dashed-line below the name of the field. The comment is shown as a tool-tip for that field.

$cfg['UploadDir'] string

The name of the directory, ending with a slash, where SQL files have been uploaded by other means than phpMyAdmin (for example, ftp). Those files are available under a drop-down box when you click the database name, then the SQL tab.

Please note that the file names must have the suffix ".sql".

This feature is useful when your file is too big to be uploaded via HTTP, or when file uploads are disabled in PHP.

Please note that if PHP is running in safe mode, this directory must be owned by the same user as the owner of the phpMyAdmin scripts.

$cfg['SaveDir'] string

The name of the directory, ending with a slash, where dumps can be saved.

Please note that the directory has to be writable for user running webserver.

Please note that if PHP is running in safe mode, this directory must be owned by the same user as the owner of the phpMyAdmin scripts.

$cfg['RepeatCells'] integer

Repeat the headers every X cells, or 0 to deactivate.

$cfg['QueryFrame'] boolean
$cfg['QueryFrameJS'] boolean
$cfg['QueryFrameDebug'] boolean
$cfg['QueryWindowWidth'] integer
$cfg['QueryWindowHeight'] integer
$cfg['QueryHistoryDB'] boolean
$cfg['QueryWindowDefTab'] string
$cfg['QueryHistoryMax'] integer

All those variables affect the new query frame/window. When $cfg['QueryFrame'] is set to true a new frame is embedded on the left with a small area. Clicking on that results in opening a direct interface to enter SQL queries.

When $cfg['QueryFrameJS'] is set to true, clicking on that link opens a new custom sized browser window ($cfg['QueryWindowWidth'], $cfg['QueryWindowWidth'] - both integers for the size in pixels). If set to false, clicking on the link only opens the SQL input in the mainframe.

The usage of the JavaScript query window is recommended if you have a JavaScript enabled browser. Basic functions are used to exchange quite a few variables, so most 4th generation browsers should be capable to use that feature. It currently is only tested with Internet Explorer 6 and Mozilla 1.x.

If $cfg['QueryHistoryDB'] is set to TRUE, all your Queries are logged to a table, which has to be created by you (see $cfg['Servers'][$i]['history']). If set to FALSE, all your queries will be appended to the form, but only as long as your window is opened they remain saved.

When using the JavaScript based query window, it will always get updated when you click on a new table/db to browse and will focus if you click on "Edit SQL" after using a query.

If $cfg['QueryHistoryDB'] is set to TRUE you can specify the amount of saved history items using $cfg['QueryHistoryMax'].

The query window also has a custom tabbed look to group the features. Using the variable $cfg['QueryWindowDefTab'] you can specify the default tab to be used when opening the query window. It can be set to either 'sql', 'files', 'history' or 'full'.

The variable $cfg['QueryFrameDebug'] can be used by developers for easier future feature integration.

$cfg['BrowseMIME'] boolean

Enable MIME-transformations.

$cfg['MaxExactCount'] integer

Determines for how large tables phpMyAdmin should get exact row count by SELECT COUNT. If approximate row count is smaller than this value, SELECT COUNT will be used, otherwise only value returned by SHOW TABLE STATUS.

$cfg['SQP']['fmtType'] string [html|none]

The main use of the new SQL Parser is to pretty-print SQL queries. By default we use HTML to format the query, but you can disable this by setting this variable to 'none'

$cfg['SQP']['fmtInd'] float
$cfg['SQP']['fmtIndUnit'] string [em|px|pt|ex]

For the pretty-printing of SQL queries, under some cases the part of a query inside a bracket is indented. By changing $cfg['SQP']['fmtInd'] you can change the amount of this indent.
Related in purpose is $cfg['SQP']['fmtIndUnit'] which specifies the units of the indent amount that you specified. This is used via stylesheets.

$cfg['SQP']['fmtColor'] array of string tuples

This array is used to define the colours for each type of element of the pretty-printed SQL queries. The tuple format is
class => [HTML colour code | empty string]
If you specify an empty string for the color of a class, it is ignored in creating the stylesheet. You should not alter the class names, only the colour strings.
Class name key:

comment Applies to all comment sub-classes
comment_mysql Comments as "#...\n"
comment_ansi Comments as "-- ...\n"
comment_c Comments as "/*...*/"
digit Applies to all digit sub-classes
digit_hex Hexadecimal numbers
digit_integer Integer numbers
digit_float Floating point numbers
punct Applies to all punctuation sub-classes
punct_bracket_open_round Opening brackets"("
punct_bracket_close_round Closing brackets ")"
punct_listsep List item Separator ","
punct_qualifier Table/Column Qualifier "."
punct_queryend End of query marker ";"
alpha Applies to all alphabetic classes
alpha_columnType Identifiers matching a column type
alpha_columnAttrib Identifiers matching a database/table/column attribute
alpha_functionName Identifiers matching a MySQL function name
alpha_reservedWord Identifiers matching any other reserved word
alpha_variable Identifiers matching a SQL variable "@foo"
alpha_identifier All other identifiers
quote Applies to all quotation mark classes
quote_double Double quotes "
quote_single Single quotes '
quote_backtick Backtick quotes `

$cfg['SQLValidator']['use'] boolean

phpMyAdmin now supports use of the Mimer SQL Validator service, as originally published on Slashdot.
For help in setting up your system to use the service, see the FAQ #6.14.

$cfg['SQLValidator']['username'] string
$cfg['SQLValidator']['password'] string

The SOAP service allows you to login with anonymous and any password, so we use those by default.. Instead, if you have an account with them, you can put your login details here, and it will be used in place of the anonymous login.

$cfg['DBG']['enable'] boolean

DEVELOPERS ONLY!
Enable the DBG extension for debugging phpMyAdmin. Required for profiling the code.
For help in setting up your system to this, see the Developers section.

$cfg['DBG']['profile']['enable'] boolean

DEVELOPERS ONLY!
Enable profiling support for phpMyAdmin. This will append a chunk of data to the end of every page displayed in the main window with profiling statistics for that page.
You may need need to increase the maximum execution time for this to complete successfully.

$cfg['DBG']['profile']['threshold'] float (units in milliseconds)

DEVELOPERS ONLY!
When profiling data is displayed, this variable controls the threshold of display for any profiling data, based on the average time each time has taken. If it is over the threshold it is displayed, otherwise it is not displayed. This takes a value in milliseconds. In most cases you don't need to edit this.

$cfg['ColumnTypes'] array

All possible types of a MySQL column. In most cases you don't need to edit this.

$cfg['AttributeTypes'] array

Possible attributes for fields. In most cases you don't need to edit this.

$cfg['Functions'] array

A list of functions MySQL supports. In most cases you don't need to edit this.

Transformations

Introduction - Usage - File structure -

[1. Introduction]

To enable transformations, you have to setup the column_info table and the proper directives. Please see the Configuration section on how to do so.

You can apply different transformations to the contents of each field. The transformation will take the content of each field and transform it with certain rules defined in the selected transformation.

Say you have a field 'filename' which contains a filename. Normally you would see in phpMyAdmin only this filename. Using transformations you can transform that filename into a HTML link, so you can click inside of the phpMyAdmin structure on the field's link and will see the file displayed in a new browser window. Using transformation options you can also specify strings to append/prepend to a string or the format you want the output stored in.

For a general overview of all available transformations and their options, you can consult your <www.your-host.com>/<your-install-dir>/libraries/transformations/overview.php3 installation.

[2. Usage]

Go to your tbl_properties.inc.php3 page (i.e. reached through clicking on the 'properties' link for a table). There you will see three new fields at the end of the line. They are called 'MIME-type', 'Browser transformation' and 'Transformation options'.

The field 'MIME-type' is a dropdown field. You have the options to leave that field empty or to use 'auto' [this feature is not yet available]. Please note that transformations are inactive as long as no mime-type is selected.
The field 'Browser transformation' is a drop-down field. You can choose from a hopefully growing amount of pre-defined transformations. See below for information on how to build your own transformation.
There are global transformations and mimetype-bound transformations. Global transformations can be used for any mimetype. They will take the mimetype, if necessary, into regard. Mimetype-bound transformations usually only operate on a certain mimetype. There are transformations which operate on the main mimetype (like 'image'), which will most likely take the subtype into regard, and those who only operate on a specific subtype (like 'image/jpeg').
You can use transformations on mimetypes for which the function was not defined for. There is no security check for you selected the right transformation, so take care of what the output will be like.
The field 'Transformation options' is a free-type textfield. You have to enter transform-function specific options here. Usually the transforms can operate with default options, but it is generally a good idea to look up the overview to see which options are necessary.
Much like the ENUM/SET-Fields, you have to split up several options using the format 'a','b','c',...(NOTE THE MISSING BLANKS). This is because internally the options will be parsed as an array, leaving the first value the first element in the array, and so forth.
If you want to specify a MIME character set you can define it in the transformation_options. You have to put that outside of the pre-defined options of the specific mime-transform, as the last value of the set. Use the format "'; charset=XXX'". If you use a transform, for which you can specify 2 options and you want to append a character set, enter "'first parameter','second parameter','charset=us-ascii'". You can, however use the defaults for the parameters: "'','','charset=us-ascii'".

[3. File structure]

All mimetypes and their transformations are defined through single files in the directory 'libraries/transformations/'.

They are stored in files to ease up customization and easy adding of new transformations.

Because the user cannot enter own mimetypes, it is kept sure that transformations always work. It makes no sense to apply a transformation to a mimetype, the transform-function doesn't know to handle.

One can, however, use empty mime-types and global transformations which should work for many mimetypes. You can also use transforms on a different mimetype they where built for, but pay attention to option usage as well as what the transformation does to your field.

There is a basic file called 'global.inc.php3'. This function can be included by any other transform function and provides some basic functions.

There are 5 possible file names:

A mimetype+subtype transform:

[mimetype]_[subtype]__[transform].inc.php3

Please not that mimetype and subtype are separated via '_', which shall not be contained in their names. The transform function/filename may contain only characters which cause no problems in the file system as well as the PHP function naming convention.

The transform function will the be called 'PMA_transform_[mimetype]_[subtype]__[transform]()'.

Example:

text_html__formatted.inc.php3
PMA_transform_text_html__formatted()
A mimetype (w/o subtype) transform:

[mimetype]__[transform].inc.php3

Please note that there are no single '_' characters. The transform function/filename may contain only characters which cause no problems in the file system as well as the PHP function naming convention.

The transform function will the be called 'PMA_transform_[mimetype]__[transform]()'.

Example:

text__formatted.inc.php3
PMA_transform_text__formatted()
A mimetype+subtype without specific transform function

[mimetype]_[subtype].inc.php3

Please note that there are no '__' characters in the filename. Do not use special characters in the filename causing problems with the file system.

No transformation function is defined in the file itself.

Example:

text_plain.inc.php3
(No function)
A mimetype (w/o subtype) without specific transform function

[mimetype].inc.php3

Please note that there are no '_' characters in the filename. Do not use special characters in the filename causing problems with the file system.

No transformation function is defined in the file itself.

Example:

text.inc.php3
(No function)
A global transform function with no specific mimetype

global__[transform].inc.php3

The transform function will the be called 'PMA_transform_global__[transform]()'.

Example:

global__formatted
PMA_transform_global__formatted()

So generally use '_' to split up mimetype and subtype, and '__' to provide a transform function.

All filenames containing no '__' in themselves are not shown as valid transform functions in the dropdown.

Please see the libraries/transformations/TEMPLATE file for adding your own transform function. See the libraries/transformations/TEMPLATE_MIMETYPE for adding a mimetype without a transform function. Also note the introduction of a function description in the language files. For each function a $strTransformation_[filename without .inc.php3] has to exist.

You can use the template generator to generate new functions and entries in the language file.

To create a new transform function please see libraries/transformations/template_generator.sh. To create a new, empty mimetype please see libraries/transformations/template_generator_mimetype.sh.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Server - Configuration - Limitations - Multi-user - Browsers - Usage tips - Project -

[1. Server]

[1.1] I'm running PHP 4+ and my server is crashing each time a specific action is required or phpMyAdmin sends a blank page or a page full of cryptic characters to my browser, what can I do?

There are some known PHP bugs with output buffering and compression.
Try to set the $cfg['OBGzip'] directive to FALSE in your config.inc.php or .php3 file and the zlib.output_compression directive to Off in your php configuration file.
Furthermore, we know about such problems connected to the release candidates of PHP 4.2.0 (tested with PHP 4.2.0 RC1 to RC4) together with MS Internet Explorer. Please upgrade to the release version PHP 4.2.0.

[1.2] My Apache server crashes when using phpMyAdmin.

You should first try the latest versions of Apache (and possibly MySQL).
See also the other FAQ entry about PHP bugs with output buffering.
If your server keeps crashing, please ask for help in the various Apache support groups.

[1.3] I'm running phpMyAdmin with "cookie" authentication mode under PHP 4.2.0 or 4.2.1 loaded as an Apache 2+ module but can't enter the script: I'm always displayed the login screen.

This is a known PHP bug (see this bug report) from the official PHP bug database. It means there is and won't be any phpMyAdmin fix against it because there is no way to code a fix.

[1.4] Using phpMyAdmin on IIS, I'm displayed the error message: "The specified CGI application misbehaved by not returning a complete set of HTTP headers...".

You just forgot to read the install.txt file from the php distribution. Have a look at the last message in this bug report from the official PHP bug database.

[1.5] Using phpMyAdmin on IIS, I'm facing crashes and/or many error messages with the HTTP or advanced authentication mode.

This is a known problem with the PHP ISAPI filter: it's not so stable. For some more information and complete testings see the messages posted by André B. aka "djdeluxe76" in this thread from the phpWizard forum.
Please use instead the cookie authentication mode.

[1.6] I can't use phpMyAdmin on PWS: nothing is displayed!

This seems to be a PWS bug. Filippo Simoncini found a workaround (at this time there is no better fix): remove or comment the DOCTYPE declarations (2 lines) from the scripts header.inc.php3, header_printview.inc.php3, index.php3, left.php3 and libraries/common.lib.php3.

[1.7] How can I GZip or Bzip a dump or a CSV export. It does not seem to work.

These features are based on the gzencode() and bzcompress() PHP functions to be more independent of the platform (Unix/Windows, Safe Mode or not, and so on). So, you must have PHP4 >= 4.0.4 and Zlib/Bzip2 support (--with-zlib and --with-bz2).
We faced PHP crashes when trying to download a dump with MS Internet Explorer when phpMyAdmin is run with a release candidate of PHP 4.2.0. In this case you should switch to the release version of PHP 4.2.0.

[1.8] I cannot insert a text file in a table, and I get an error about safe mode being in effect.

Your uploaded file is saved by PHP in the "upload dir", as defined in php.ini by the variable upload_tmp_dir (usually the system default is /tmp).
We recommend the following setup for Apache servers running in safe mode, to enable uploads of files while being reasonably secure:

create a separate directory for uploads: mkdir /tmp/php
give ownership to the Apache server's user.group: chown apache.apache /tmp/php
give proper permission: chmod 600 /tmp/php
put upload_tmp_dir = /tmp/php in php.ini
restart Apache

[1.9] I'm having troubles when uploading files. In general file uploads don't work on my system and uploaded files have a `Content-Type:` header in the first line.

It's not really phpMyAdmin related but RedHat 7.0. You have a RedHat 7.0 and you updated your PHP RPM to php-4.0.4pl1-3.i386.rpm, didn't you?
So the problem is that this package has a serious bug that was corrected ages ago in PHP (2001-01-28: see PHP's bug tracking system for more details). The problem is that the bugged package is still available though it was corrected (see RedHat's BugZilla for more details).
So please download the fixed package (4.0.4pl1-9) and the problem should go away.
And that fixes the \r\n problem with file uploads!

[1.10] I'm having troubles when uploading files with phpMyAdmin running on a secure server. My browser is Internet Explorer and I'm using the Apache server.

As suggested by "Rob M" in the phpWizard forum, add this line to your httpd.conf:
SetEnvIf User-Agent ".*MSIE.*" nokeepalive ssl-unclean-shutdown
It seems to clear up many problems between Internet Explorer and SSL.

[1.11] I get an 'open_basedir restriction' while uploading a file from the query box.

Since version 2.2.4, phpMyAdmin supports servers with open_basedir restrictions. Assuming that the restriction allows you to open files in the current directory ('.'), all you have to do is create a 'tmp' directory under the phpMyAdmin install directory, with permissions 777 and the same owner as the owner of your phpMyAdmin directory. The uploaded files will be moved there, and after execution of your SQL commands, removed.

[1.12] I have lost my MySQL root password, what can I do?

The MySQL manual explains how to reset the permissions.

[1.13] I get an error 'No SQL query' when trying to execute a bookmark.

If PHP does not have read/write access to its upload_tmp_dir, it cannot access the uploaded query.

[1.14] I get an error 'No SQL query' when trying to submit a query from the convenient text area.

Check the post_max_size directive from your PHP configuration file and try to increase it.

[1.15] I have problems with mysql.user field names.

In older MySQL versions, the User and Password fields were named user and password. Please modify your field names to align with current standards.

[1.16] I cannot upload big dump files.

The first things to check (or ask your host provider to check) are the values of upload_max_filesize, memory_limit and post_max_size in the php.ini configuration file.
All of these three settings limit the maximum size of data that can be submitted and handled by PHP. One user also said that post_max_size and memory_limit need to be larger than upload_max_filesize.

[1.17] Does phpMyAdmin support MySQL 4.1 and 5.0?

phpMyAdmin provides limited support for MySQL 4.1. That means that you can neither assign character sets to a table or field on create nor change the (automatically) assigned character set.
When compiling php, we strongly recommend that you manually link it to a MySQL 4.1 client library since the one that is currently bundled with php is rather old and might cause problems.
MySQL 5 is not yet supported.

[1.18] I'm running MySQL <= 4.0.1 having `lower_case_table_names` set to 1. If I create a new table with a capital letter in its name it is changed to lowercase as it should. But if I try to DROP this table MySQL is unable to find the corresponding file.

This is a bug of MySQL <= 4.0.1. Please upgrade to at least MySQL 4.0.2 or turn off your lower_case_table_names directive.

[1.19] I can't run the "display relations" feature because the script seems not to know the font face I'm using!

The "FPDF" library we're using for this feature requires some special files to use font faces.
Please refers to the FPDF manual to build these files.

[1.20] I receive the error "cannot load MySQL extension, please check PHP Configuration".

To connect to a MySQL server, PHP needs a set of MySQL functions called "MySQL extension". This extension may be part of the PHP server (compiled-in), otherwise it needs to be loaded dynamically. Its name is probably mysql.so or mysql.dll. phpMyAdmin tried to load the extension but failed.

Usually, the problem is solved by installing a software package called "PHP-MySQL" or something similar.

[1.21] I am running the CGI version of PHP under Unix, and I cannot login using cookie auth.

In php.ini, set mysql.max_links higher than 1.

[1.22] I don't see the "Location of text file" field, so I cannot upload.

This is most likely because in php.ini, your file_uploads parameter is not set to "on".

[1.23] I'm running MySQL on a Win32 machine. Each time I create a new table the table and field names are changed to lowercase!

This happens because the MySQL directive lower_case_table_names defaults to 1 (ON) in the Win32 version of MySQL. You can change this behavior by simply changing the directive to 0 (OFF):
Just edit your my.ini file that should be located in your Windows directory and add the following line to the group [mysqld]:
set-variable = lower_case_table_names=0
Next, save the file and restart the MySQL service. You can always check the value of this directive using the query
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'lower_case_table_names';

[1.24] Some characters are being truncated in my queries, or I get characters randomly added. I am running PHP 4.2.3.

This is a PHP 4.2.3 bug.

[1.25] I am running Apache with mod_gzip-1.3.26.1a on Windows XP, and I get problems, such as undefined variables when I run a SQL query.

A tip from Jose Fandos: put a comment on the following two lines in httpd.conf, like this:
# mod_gzip_item_include file \.php$
# mod_gzip_item_include mime "application/x-httpd-php.*"
as this version of mod_gzip on Apache (Windows) has problems handling PHP scripts. Of course you have to restart Apache.

[1.26] I just installed phpMyAdmin in my document root of IIS but I get the error "No input file specified" when trying to run phpMyAdmin.

This is a permission problem. Right-click on the phpmyadmin folder and choose properties. Under the tab Security, click on "Add" and select the user "IUSER_machine" from the list. Now set his permissions and it should work.

[1.27] I get empty page when I want to view huge page (eg. db_details_structure.php3 with plenty of dabases).

This is a PHP bug that occur when GZIP output buffering enabled. If you turn off it (by $cfg['OBGzip'] = FALSE in config.inc.php3), it should work. This bug will be fixed in PHP 5.0.0.

[1.28] My MySQL server sometimes refuses queries and returns the message 'Errorcode: 13'. What does this mean?

This can happen due to a MySQL bug when having database / table names with upper case characters although lower_case_table_names is set to 1. To fix this, turn off this directive, convert all database and table names to lower case and turn it on again. Alternatively, there's a bug-fix available starting with MySQL 3.23.56 / 4.0.11-gamma.

[1.29] When I create a table or modify a field, I get an error and the fields are duplicated.

It is possible to configure Apache in such a way that PHP has problems interpreting .php files.

The problems occur when two different (and conflicting) set of directives are used:

SetOutputFilter PHP SetInputFilter PHP &
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php

In the case we saw, one set of directives was in httpd.conf, while the other set was in php.conf.
The recommended way is with AddType, so just comment out the first set of lines and restart Apache:

#SetOutputFilter PHP #SetInputFilter PHP

[2. Configuration]

[2.1] The error message "Warning: Cannot add header information - headers already sent by ..." is displayed, what's the problem?

Edit your config.inc.php or .php3 file and ensure there is nothing (I.E. no blank lines, no spaces, no characters...) neither before the <?php tag at the beginning, neither after the ?> tag at the end.

[2.2] phpMyAdmin can't connect to MySQL. What's wrong?

Either there is an error with your PHP setup or your username/password is wrong. Try to make a small script which uses mysql_connect and see if it works. If it doesn't, it may be you haven't even compiled MySQL support into PHP.

[2.3] The error message "Warning: MySQL Connection Failed: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (111)..." is displayed. What can I do?

For RedHat users, Harald Legner suggests this on the mailing list:

On my RedHat-Box the socket of MySQL is /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock. In your php.ini you will find a line
mysql.default_socket = /tmp/mysql.sock
change it to
mysql.default_socket = /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock
Then restart apache and it will work.

Here is a fix suggested by Brad Ummer in the phpwizard forum:

First, you need to determine what socket is being used by MySQL.
To do this, telnet to your server and go to the MySQL bin directory. In this directory there should be a file named mysqladmin. Type ./mysqladmin variables, and this should give you a bunch of info about your MySQL server, including the socket (/tmp/mysql.sock, for example).
Then, you need to tell PHP to use this socket.
Assuming you are using PHP 3.0.10 or better, you can specify the socket to use when you open the connection. To do this in phpMyAdmin, you need to complete the socket information in the config.inc.php3.
For example: $cfg['Servers'][$i]['socket'] = '/tmp/mysql.sock';

Please also make sure that the permissions of this file allow to be readable by your webserver (i.e. '0755').

Have also a look at the corresponding section of the MySQL documentation.

[2.4] Nothing is displayed by my browser when I try to run phpMyAdmin, what can I do?

Try to set the $cfg['OBGZip'] directive to FALSE in the phpMyAdmin configuration file. It helps sometime.
Also have a look at your PHP version number: if it contains "4.0b..." it means you're running a beta version of PHP. That's not a so good idea, please upgrade to a plain revision.

[2.5] Each time I want to insert or change a record or drop a database or a table, an error 404 (page not found) is displayed or, with HTTP or cookie authentication, I'm asked to login again. What's wrong?

Check the value you set for the $cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri'] directive in the phpMyAdmin configuration file.

[2.6] I get an "Access denied for user: 'root@localhost' (Using password: YES)"-error when trying to access a MySQL-Server on a host which is port-forwarded for my localhost

When you are using a port on your localhost, which you redirect via port-forwarding to another host, MySQL is not resolving the localhost as expected.
Erik Wasser explains: The solution is: if your host is "localhost" MySQL (the commandline tool 'mysql' as well) always tries to use the socket connection for speeding up things. And that doesn't work in this configuration with port forwarding.
If you enter "127.0.0.1" as hostname, everything is right and MySQL uses the TCP connection.

[3. Known limitations]

[3.1] When using HTTP authentication, an user who logged out can not relogin in with the same nick.

This is related to the authentication mechanism (protocol) used by phpMyAdmin. We plan to change it as soon as we may find enough free time to do it, but you can bypass this problem: just close all the opened browser windows and then go back to phpMyAdmin. You should be able to log in again.

[3.2] When dumping a large table in compressed mode, I get a memory limit error or a time limit error.

As of version 2.2.4, we build the compressed dump in memory, so large tables dumps may hang. The only alternative we can think about (using system calls to mysqldump then gzip or bzip2) would not be applicable in environments where PHP is in safe mode: access to system programs is is limited by the system administrator, and time limit is enforced.

[3.3] With InnoDB tables, I lose foreign key relationships when I rename or alter a table.

This seems to be a InnoDB bug (fixed in MySQL 3.23.50?). However, keep in mind that phpMyAdmin as of version 2.3.0 does not support InnoDB.

[3.4] I am unable to import dumps I created with the mysqldump tool bundled with the MySQL server distribution.

The problem is that mysqldump creates invalid comments like this:

-- MySQL dump 8.22
--
-- Host: localhost Database: database
---------------------------------------------------------
-- Server version 3.23.54

The invalid part of the code is the horizontal line made of dashes that appears once in every dump created with mysqldump. If you want to run your dump you have to turn it into valid MySQL. This means, you have to add a whitespace after the first to dashes of the line or add a # before it:
-- ------------------------------------------------------- or
#---------------------------------------------------------

[3.3] When using nested folders ($cfg['LeftFrameTableSeparator']) there are some multiple hierarchies displayed in a wrong manner?!

Please note that you should not use the seperating string multiple times without any characters between them, or at the beginning/end of your table name. If you have to, think about using another TableSeparator or disabling that feature

[4. ISPs, multi-user installations ]

[4.1] I'm an ISP. Can I setup one central copy of phpMyAdmin or do I need to install it for each customer.

Since version 2.0.3, you can setup a central copy of phpMyAdmin for all your users. The development of this feature was kindly sponsored by NetCologne GmbH. This requires a properly setup MySQL user management and phpMyAdmin HTTP or cookie authentication. See the install section on "Using HTTP authentication".

[4.2] What's the preferred way of making phpMyAdmin secure against evil access.

This depends on your system.
If you're running a server which cannot be accessed by other people, it's sufficient to use the directory protection bundled with your webserver (with Apache you can use .htaccess files, for example).
If other people have telnet access to your server, you should use phpMyAdmin's HTTP authentication feature.

Suggestions:

Your config.inc.php3 file should be chmod 660.
All your phpMyAdmin files should be chown phpmy.apache, where phpmy is a user whose password is only known to you, and apache is the group under which Apache runs.
You should use PHP safe mode, to protect from other users that try to include your config.inc.php3 in their scripts.

[4.3] I get errors about not being able to include a file in /lang or in /libraries.

Check php.ini, or ask your sysadmin to check it. The include_path must contain "." somewhere in it, and open_basedir, if used, must contain "." and "./lang" to allow normal operation of phpMyAdmin.

[4.4] phpMyAdmin always gives "Access denied" when using HTTP authentication.

This could happen for several reasons:

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser'] and/or $cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] are wrong.
The username/password you specify in the login-dialog are invalid.
You have already setup a security mechanism for the phpMyAdmin-directory, eg. a .htaccess file. This would interfere with phpMyAdmin's authentication, so remove it.

[4.5] Is it possible to let users create their own databases?

Starting with 2.2.5, in the user management page, you can enter a wildcard database name for a user (for example "joe%"), and put the privileges you want. For example, adding SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, DROP, INDEX, ALTER would let a user create/manage his/her database(s).

[4.6] How can I use the Host-based authentication additions?

If you have existing rules from an old .htaccess file, you can take them and add a username between the 'deny'/'allow' and 'from' strings. Using the username wildcard of '%' would be a major benefit here if your installation is suited to using it. Then you can just add those updated lines into the $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowDeny']['rules'] array.

If you want a pre-made sample, you can try this fragment. It stops the 'root' user from logging in from any networks other than the private network IP blocks.
//block root from logging in except from the private networks $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowDeny']['order'] = 'deny,allow'; $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowDeny']['rules'] = array( 'deny root from all', 'allow root from localhost', 'allow root from 10.0.0.0/8', 'allow root from 192.168.0.0/16', 'allow root from 172.16.0.0/12', );

[4.7] Authentication window is displayed more than once, why?

This happens if you are using a URL to start phpMyAdmin which is different than the one set in your $cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri']. For example, a missing "www", or entering with an IP address while a domain name is defined in the config file.

[5. Browsers or client OS]

[5.1] I get an out of memory error, and my controls are non-functional, when trying to create a table with more than 14 fields.

We could reproduce this problem only under Win98/98SE. Testing under WinNT4 or Win2K, we could easily create more than 60 fields.
A workaround is to create a smaller number of fields, then come back to your table properties and add the other fields.

[5.2] With Xitami 2.5b4, phpMyAdmin won't process form fields.

This is not a phpMyAdmin problem but a Xitami known bug: you'll face it with each script/website that use forms.
Upgrade or downgrade your Xitami server.

[5.3] I have problems dumping tables with Konqueror (phpMyAdmin 2.2.2).

With Konqueror 2.1.1: plain dumps, zip and GZip dumps work ok, except that the proposed file name for the dump is always 'tbl_dump.php'. Bzip2 dumps don't seem to work.
With Konqueror 2.2.1: plain dumps work; zip dumps are placed into the user's temporary directory, so they must be moved before closing Konqueror, or else they disappear. GZip dumps give an error message.
Testing needs to be done for Konqueror 2.2.2.

[5.4] I can't use the cookie authentication mode because Internet Explorer never stores the cookies.

MS Internet Explorer seems to be really buggy about cookies, at least till version 6. And thanks to Andrew Zivolup we've traced also a PHP 4.1.1 bug in this area!
Then, if you're running PHP 4.1.1, try to upgrade or downgrade... it may work!

[5.5] In Internet Explorer 5.0, I get JavaScript errors when browsing my rows.

Upgrade to at least Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2.

[5.6] In Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.5 or 6.0, I get an error (like "Page not found") when trying to modify a row in a table with many fields, or with a text field

Your table neither have a primary key nor an unique one, so we must use a long URL to identify this row. There is a limit on the length of the URL in those browsers, and this not happen in Netscape, for example. The workaround is to create a primary or unique key, or use another browser.

[5.7] I refresh (reload) my browser, and come back to the welcome page.

Some browsers support right-clicking into the frame you want to refresh, just do this in the right frame.

[5.8] With Mozilla 0.9.7 I have problems sending a query modified in the query box.

Looks like a Mozilla bug: 0.9.6 was OK. We will keep an eye on future Mozilla versions.

[5.9] With Mozilla 0.9.? to 1.0 and Netscape 7.0-PR1 I can't type a whitespace in the SQL-Query edit area: the page scrolls down.

This is a Mozilla bug (see bug #26882 at BugZilla).

[5.10] With Netscape 4.75 I get empty rows between each row of data in a CSV exported file.

This is a known Netscape 4.75 bug: it adds some line feeds when exporting data in octet-stream mode. Since we can't detect the specific Netscape version, we cannot workaround this bug.

[5.11] Extended-ASCII characters like German umlauts are displayed wrong.

Please ensure that you have set your browser's character set to the one of the language file you have selected on phpMyAdmin's start page. Alternatively, you can try the auto detection mode that is supported by the recent versions of the most browsers.

[5.12] Apple OS X: Safari browser changes special characters to "?".

This issue has been reported by a OS X user, who adds that Chimera, Netscape and Mozilla do not have this problem.

[5.13] With Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6, and HTTP authentication type, I cannot manage two servers: I login to the first one, then the other one, but if I switch back to the first, I have to login on each operation.

This is a bug in Internet Explorer, other browsers do not behave this way.

[5.14] Using Opera6, I can manage to get to the authentification, but nothing happens after that, only a blank screen.

Having $cfg['QueryFrameJS'] set to TRUE, this leads to a bug in Opera6, because it is not able to interpret frameset definitiions written by JavaScript. Please upgrade to Opera7 at least.

[6. Using phpMyAdmin]

[6.1] I can't insert new rows into a table / I can't create a table - MySQL brings up a SQL-error.

Examine the SQL error with care. Often the problem is caused by specifying a wrong field-type.
Common errors include:

Using VARCHAR without a size argument
Using TEXT or BLOB with a size argument

Also, look at the syntax chapter in the MySQL manual to confirm that your syntax is correct.

[6.2] When I create a table, I click the Index checkbox for 2 fields and phpMyAdmin generates only one index with those 2 fields.

In phpMyAdmin 2.2.0 and 2.2.1, this is the way to create a multi-fields index. If you want two indexes, create the first one when creating the table, save, then display the table properties and click the Index link to create the other index.

[6.3] How can I insert a null value into my table?

Since version 2.2.3, you have a checkbox for each field that can be null. Before 2.2.3, you had to enter "null", without the quotes, as the field's value.

[6.4] How can I backup my database or table?

Click on a database or table name in the left frame, the properties will be displayed. Then on the menu, click "Export", you can dump the structure, the data, or both. This will generate standard SQL statements that can be used to recreate your database/table.

You will need to choose "Save as file", so that phpMyAdmin can transmit the resulting dump to your station. Depending on your PHP configuration, you will see options to compress the dump. See also the $cfg['ExecTimeLimit'] configuration variable.

For additional help on this subject, look for the word "dump" in this document.

[6.5] How can I restore (upload) my database or table using a dump? How can I run a ".sql" file.

Click on a database name in the left frame, the properties will be local displayed. Then in the "Run SQL query" section, type in your dump filename, or use the Browse button. Then click Go.

For additional help on this subject, look for the word "upload" in this document.

[6.6] How can I use the relation table in Query-by-example?

Here is an example with the tables persons, towns and countries, all located in the database mydb. If you don't have a PMA_relation table, create it as explained in the configuration section. Then create the example tables:

CREATE TABLE REL_countries ( country_code char(1) NOT NULL default '', description varchar(10) NOT NULL default '', PRIMARY KEY (country_code) ) TYPE=MyISAM; INSERT INTO REL_countries VALUES ('C', 'Canada'); CREATE TABLE REL_persons ( id tinyint(4) NOT NULL auto_increment, person_name varchar(32) NOT NULL default '', town_code varchar(5) default '0', country_code char(1) NOT NULL default '', PRIMARY KEY (id) ) TYPE=MyISAM; INSERT INTO REL_persons VALUES (11, 'Marc', 'S', ''); INSERT INTO REL_persons VALUES (15, 'Paul', 'S', 'C'); CREATE TABLE REL_towns ( town_code varchar(5) NOT NULL default '0', description varchar(30) NOT NULL default '', PRIMARY KEY (town_code) ) TYPE=MyISAM; INSERT INTO REL_towns VALUES ('S', 'Sherbrooke'); INSERT INTO REL_towns VALUES ('M', 'Montréal'); To setup appropriate links and display information:

on table "REL_persons" click Structure, then Relation view
in Links, for "town_code" choose "REL_towns->code"
in Links, for "country_code" choose "REL_countries->country_code"
on table "REL_towns" click Structure, then Relation view
in "Choose field to display", choose "description"
repeat the two previous steps for table "REL_countries"

Then test like this:

Click on your db name in the left frame
Choose "Query"
Use tables: persons, towns, countries
Click "Update query"
In the fields row, choose persons.person_name and click the "Show" tickbox
Do the same for towns.description and countries.descriptions in the other 2 columns
Click "Update query" and you will see in the query box that the correct joins have been generated
Click "Submit query"

[6.7] How can I use the "display field" feature?

Starting from the previous example, create the PMA_table_info as explained in the configuration section, then browse your persons table, and move the mouse over a town code or country code.

[6.8] How can I produce a PDF schema of my database?

First you have to fill the "relation", "table_coords" and "pdf_pages" configuration variables.

Then, think about your schema layout: which tables will go on which pages.

Click on your db name in the left frame
Choose "Structure" in the navigation on top
Choose "Edit PDF Pages" which should be somewhere at the bottom of the page
Enter the name for a first pdf page and submit
Choose this page to edit
Now add a table you want to show on this page and it's coordinates and submit
First you will have to guess this coordinates of course, so just expect to have an area of about 297 * 210 and put the tables coordinates somewhere in there, you will be able to have a look at what happened and change them later.
For example, x=100 and y=200 means that the table will be at 200 mm down and 100 mm right from the upper left corner.
Actually if you have a width of more than 300 or a height of more than 200 than it will automatically be scaled but 300*100 is a good start to have an idea of what coordinates to use.
After every table you submitted you will have the possibility to submit more tables
When you have entered enough tables Click on your db name in the left frame again
Now, again at the bottom of the page you should be able to choose "Display PDF schema"
For testing it might be useful to show the grid as well, so you can see the coordinates used.
Maybe also choose color and submit.
Save the file he will offer you to something like Schema.pdf (Internet Explorer has some bug there which might make it offer it without an extension. Under Windows it is important to have the extension ".pdf", under other OSes you should be fine just saving the file under the name it offers).

[6.9] phpMyAdmin is changing the type of one of my columns!

No, it's MySQL that is doing silent column type changing.

[6.10] When creating a privilege, what happens with underscores in the database name?

If you do not put a backslash before the underscore, this is a wildcard grant, and the underscore means "any character". So, if the database name is "john_db", the user would get rights to john1db, john2db...

If you put a backslash before the underscore, it means that the database name will have a real underscore.

[6.11] What is the curious symbol ø in the statistics pages?

It means "average".

[6.12] I want to understand some Export options.

"Complete inserts" adds the column names on every INSERT command, for better documentation (but resulting file is bigger).
"Extended inserts" provides a shorter dump file by using only once the INSERT verb and the table name.
"Enclose table and field names with backquotes" ensures that field and table names formed with special characters are protected.
"Include column comments as inline SQL-comments" includes any column comments set in the PMA-DB in the dump as SQL comments (/* xxx */).

[6.13] I would like to create a database with a dot in its name.

This is a bad idea, because in MySQL the syntax "database.table" is the normal way to reference a database and table name. Worse, MySQL will usually let you create a database with a dot, but then you cannot work with it, nor delete it.

[6.14] How do I set up the SQL Validator?

To use it, you need a very recent version of PHP, 4.3.0 recommended, with XML, PCRE and PEAR support. On your system command line, run "pear install Net_Socket Net_URL HTTP_Request Mail_Mime Net_DIME SOAP" to get the necessary PEAR modules for usage.
If you use it, you should be aware that any SQL statement you submit will be stored anonymously (database/table/column names, strings, numbers replaced with generic values). The Mimer SQL Validator itself, is © 2001 Upright Database Technology. We utilize it as free SOAP service.

[6.15] I want to add a BLOB field and put an index on it, but MySQL says "BLOB column '...' used in key specification without a key length".

The right way to do this, is to create the field without any indexes, then display the table structure and use the "Create an index" dialog. On this page, you will be able to choose your BLOB field, and set a size to the index, which is the condition to create an index on a BLOB field.

[6.16] How can I simply move in page with plenty editing fields?

You can use Ctrl+arrows for moving on most pages with plenty editing fields (table structure changes, row editing, etc.) (must be anabled in configuration - see. $cfg['CtrlArrowsMoving']). You can also have a look at the directive $cfg['DefaultPropDisplay'] ('vertical') and see if this eases up editing for you.

[6.17] Transformations: I can't enter my own mimetype! WTF is this feature then useful for?

Slow down :). Defining mimetypes is of no use, if you can't put transformations on them. Otherwise you could just put a comment on the field. Because entering your own mimetype will cause serious syntax checking issues and validation, this introduces a high-risk false-user-input situation. Instead you have to initialize mimetypes using functions or empty mimetype definitions.
Plus, you have a whole overview of available mimetypes. Who knows all those mimetypes by heart so he/she can enter it at will?

[6.17] Bookmarks: Where can I store bookmarks? Why can't I see any bookmarks below the query box? What is this variable for?

Any query you have executed can be stored as a bookmark on the page where the results are displayed. You will find a button labeled 'Bookmark this query' just at the end of the page.
As soon as you have stored a bookmark, it is related to the database you run the query on. You can now access a bookmark dropdown on each page, the query box appears on for that database.

Since phpMyAdmin 2.5.0 you are also able to store variables for the bookmarks. Just use the string /*[VARIABLE]*/ anywhere in your query. Everything which is put into the value input box on the query box page will replace the string "/*[VARIABLE]*/" in your stored query. Just be aware of that you HAVE to create a valid query, otherwise your query won't be even able to be stored in the database.
Also remember, that everything else inside the /*[VARIABLE]*/ string for your query will remain the way it is, but will be stripped of the /**/ chars. So you can use:

/*, [VARIABLE] AS myname */

which will be expanded to

, VARIABLE as myname

in your query, where VARIABLE is the string you entered in the input box. If an empty string is provided, no replacements are made.

A more complex example. Say you have stored this query:

SELECT Name, Address FROM addresses WHERE 1 /* AND Name LIKE '%[VARIABLE]%' */

Say, you now enter "phpMyAdmin" as the variable for the stored query, the full query will be:

SELECT Name, Address FROM addresses WHERE 1 AND Name LIKE '%phpMyAdmin%'

You can use multiple occurences of /*[VARIABLE]*/ in a single query.
NOTE THE ABSENCE OF SPACES inside the "/**/" construct. Any spaces inserted there will be later also inserted as spaces in your query and may lead to unexpected results especially when using the variable expansion inside of a "LIKE ''" expression.
Your initial query which is going to be stored as a bookmark has to yield at least one result row so you can store the bookmark. You may have that to work around using well positioned "/**/" comments.

[7. phpMyAdmin project]

[7.1] I have found a bug. How do I inform developers?

Our Bug Tracker is located at http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpmyadmin/ under the Bugs section.

But please first discuss your bug with other users:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpmyadmin/ (and choose Forums)

[7.2] I want to translate the messages to a new language or upgrade an existing language, where do I start?

Always use the current CVS version of your language file. For a new language, start from english-iso-8859-1.inc.php3. If you don't know how to get the CVS version, please ask one of the developers.
Please note that we try not to use HTML entities like é in the translations, since we define the right character set in the file. With HTML entities, the text on JavaScript messages would not display correctly. However there are some entities that need to be there, for quotes ,non-breakable spaces, ampersands, less than, greater than.
You can then put your translations, as a zip file to avoid losing special characters, on the sourceforge.net translation tracker.
It would be a good idea to subscribe to the phpmyadmin-translators mailing list, because this is where we ask for translations of new messages.

[7.3] I would like to help out with the development of phpMyAdmin. How should I proceed?

The following method is preferred for new developers:

fetch the current CVS tree over anonymous CVS:
cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.phpmyadmin.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/phpmyadmin login
[Password: simply press the Enter key]
cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.phpmyadmin.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/phpmyadmin checkout phpMyAdmin
[This will create a new sub-directory named phpMyAdmin]
add your stuff
put the modified files (tar'ed and gzip'ed) inside the patch tracker of the phpMyAdmin SourceForge account.

Write access to the CVS tree is granted only to experienced developers who have already contributed something useful to phpMyAdmin.
Also, have a look at the Developers section.

Developers Information

phpMyAdmin is Open Source, so you're invited to contribute to it. Many great features have been written by other people and you too can help to make phpMyAdmin a useful tool.

If you're planning to contribute source, please read the following information:

All files include header.inc.php3 (layout), libraries/common.lib.php3 (common functions) and config.inc.php3.
All configuration data belongs in config.inc.php3. Please keep it free from other code.
Commonly used functions should be added to libraries/common.lib.php3 and more specific ones may be added within a library stored into the libraries sub-directory.
Obviously, you're free to use whatever coding style you want. But please try to keep your code as simple as possible: beginners are using phpMyAdmin as an example application.
As far as possible, we want the scripts to be XHTML1.0 and CSS2 compliant on one hand, they fit the PEAR coding standards on the other hand. Please pay attention to this.
Please try to keep up the file-naming conventions. Table-related stuff goes to tbl_*.php3, db-related code to db_*.php3, server-related tools to server_*.php3 and so on.
Please don't use verbose strings in your code, instead add the string (at least) to english-iso-8859-1.inc.php3 and print() it out.
If you want to be really helpful, write an entry for the ChangeLog.
The DBG extension (PHP Debugger DBG) is now supported by phpMyAdmin for developers to better debug and profile their code.
Please see the $cfg['DBG']* configuration options for more information.
This is in memoriam of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) which was lost during its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and in memory of the brave men and women who gave their lives for the people of Earth.

Credits


phpMyAdmin - Credits
====================

CREDITS, in chronological order
-------------------------------

- Tobias Ratschiller <tobias.ratschiller_at_maguma.com>
    * creator of the phpmyadmin project
    * maintainer from 1998 to summer 2000

- Marc Delisle <DelislMa_at_CollegeSherbrooke.qc.ca>
    * multi-language version
    * various fixes and improvements
    * project co-administrator

- Olivier Müller <om_at_omnis.ch>
    * started SourceForge phpMyAdmin project in March 2001
    * sync'ed different existing CVS trees with new features and bugfixes
    * multi-language improvements, dynamic language selection
    * current project maintainer
    * many bugfixes and improvements

- Loïc Chapeaux <lolo_at_phpheaven.net>
    * rewrote and optimized javascript, DHTML and DOM stuff
    * rewrote the scripts so they fit the PEAR coding standards and
      generate XHTML1.0 and CSS2 compliant codes
    * improved the language detection system
    * many bugfixes and improvements

- Robin Johnson <robbat2_at_users.sourceforge.net>
    * database maintence controls
    * table type code
    * Host authentication IP Allow/Deny
    * DB-based configuration (Not completed)
    * SQL parser
    * SQL validator
    * many bugfixes and improvements

- Armel Fauveau <armel.fauveau_at_globalis-ms.com>
    * bookmarks feature
    * multiple dump feature
    * gzip dump feature
    * zip dump feature

- Geert Lund <glund_at_silversoft.dk>
    * various fixes
    * moderator of the phpMyAdmin users forum at phpwizard.net

- Korakot Chaovavanich <korakot_at_iname.com>
    * "insert as new row" feature

- Pete Kelly <webmaster_at_trafficg.com>
    * rewrote and fix dump code
    * bugfixes

- Steve Alberty <alberty_at_neptunlabs.de>
    * rewrote dump code for PHP4
    * mySQL table statistics
    * bugfixes

- Benjamin Gandon <gandon_at_isia.cma.fr>
    * main author of the version 2.1.0.1
    * bugfixes

- Alexander M. Turek <rabus_at_bugfixes.info>
    * XML exports
    * MySQL 4 related features
    * various small features and fixes
    * German language file updates

- Mike Beck <mike.beck_at_ibmiller.de>
    * automatic joins in QBE
    * links column in printview
    * Relation view

- Michal Cihar <nijel_at_users.sourceforge.net>
    * enhanced index creation/display feature
    * feature to use a different charset for HTML than for MySQL
    * Czech language file updates

- Christophe Gesché from the "MySQL Form Generator for PHPMyAdmin"
  (http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpmysqlformgen/)
    * suggested the patch for multiple table printviews

- Garvin Hicking <hicking_at_faktor-e.de>
    * built the patch for vertical display of table rows
    * built the Javascript based Query window + SQL history
    * Improvement of column/db comments
    * (MIME)-Transformations for columns
    * Use custom alias names for Databases in left frame
    * vertical display of column properties page
    * some bugfixes, smaller features

- Yukihiro Kawada <kawada_at_den.fujifilm.co.jp>
    * japanese kanji encoding conversion feature

- Piotr Roszatycki <d3xter_at_users.sourceforge.net> and Dan Wilson
    * the Cookie authentication mode

- Axel Sander <n8falke_at_users.sourceforge.net>
    * table relation-links feature

- Maxime Delorme <delorme.maxime_at_free.fr>
    * PDF schema output, thanks also to Olivier Plathey for the
      "FPDF" library (see http://www.fpdf.org/).

- Olof Edlund <olof.edlund_at_upright.se>
    * SQL validator server

- Ivan R. Lanin <ivanlanin_at_users.sourceforfe.net>
    * phpMyAdmin logo

And also to the following people who have contributed minor changes,
enhancements, bugfixes or support for a new language since version 2.1.0:

Bora Alioglu, Ricardo ?, Sven-Erik Andersen, Alessandro Astarita,
Péter Bakondy, Borges Botelho, Olivier Bussier, Neil Darlow,
Mats Engstrom, Ian Davidson, Laurent Dhima, Kristof Hamann, Thomas Kläger,
Lubos Klokner, Martin Marconcini, Girish Nair, David Nordenberg, Andreas Pauley,
Bernard M. Piller, Laurent Haas, "Sakamoto", Yuval Sarna,
www.securereality.com.au, Alexis Soulard, Alvar Soome, Siu Sun, Peter Svec,
Michael Tacelosky, Rachim Tamsjadi, Kositer Uros,
Luís V., Martijn W. van der Lee,
Algis Vainauskas, Daniel Villanueva, Vinay, Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams, Chee Wai,
Jakub Wilk, Thomas Michael Winningham, Vilius Zigmantas, "Manuzhai".


Original Credits of Version 2.1.0
---------------------------------

    This work is based on Peter Kuppelwieser's MySQL-Webadmin. It was his idea
    to create a web-based interface to MySQL using PHP3. Although I have not
    used any of his source-code, there are some concepts I've borrowed from
    him. phpMyAdmin was created because Peter told me he wasn't going to
    further develop his (great) tool.
    Thanks go to
    - Amalesh Kempf <ak-lsml_at_living-source.com> who contributed the
      code for the check when dropping a table or database. He also suggested
      that you should be able to specify the primary key on tbl_create.php3. To
      version 1.1.1 he contributed the ldi_*.php3-set (Import text-files) as
      well as a bug-report. Plus many smaller improvements.
    - Jan Legenhausen <jan_at_nrw.net>: He made many of the changes that
      were introduced in 1.3.0 (including quite significant ones like the
      authentication). For 1.4.1 he enhanced the table-dump feature. Plus
      bug-fixes and help.
    - Marc Delisle <DelislMa_at_CollegeSherbrooke.qc.ca> made phpMyAdmin
      language-independent by outsourcing the strings to a separate file. He
      also contributed the French translation.
    - Alexandr Bravo <abravo_at_hq.admiral.ru> who contributed
      tbl_select.php3, a feature to display only some fields from a table.
    - Chris Jackson <chrisj_at_ctel.net> added support for MySQL
      functions in tbl_change.php3. He also added the
      "Query by Example" feature in 2.0.
    - Dave Walton <walton_at_nordicdms.com> added support for multiple
      servers and is a regular contributor for bug-fixes.
    - Gabriel Ash <ga244_at_is8.nyu.edu> contributed the random access
      features for 2.0.6.
    The following people have contributed minor changes, enhancements, bugfixes
    or support for a new language:
    Jim Kraai, Jordi Bruguera, Miquel Obrador, Geert Lund, Thomas Kleemann,
    Alexander Leidinger, Kiko Albiol, Daniel C. Chao, Pavel Piankov,
    Sascha Kettler, Joe Pruett, Renato Lins, Mark Kronsbein, Jannis Hermanns,
    G. Wieggers.

    And thanks to everyone else who sent me email with suggestions, bug-reports
    and or just some feedback.