.. _faq:

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
================================

Please have a look at our `Link section
<http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/docs.php>`_ on the official
phpMyAdmin homepage for in-depth coverage of phpMyAdmin's features and
or interface.

.. _faqserver:

Server
++++++

.. _faq1_1:

1.1 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?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Try to set the :config:option:`$cfg['OBGzip']`  directive to ``false`` in your
:file:`config.inc.php` file and the ``zlib.output_compression`` directive to
``Off`` in your php configuration file.

.. _faq1_2:

1.2 My Apache server crashes when using phpMyAdmin.
---------------------------------------------------

You should first try the latest versions of Apache (and possibly MySQL). If
your server keeps crashing, please ask for help in the various Apache support
groups.

.. seealso:: :ref:`faq1_1`

.. _faq1_3:

1.3 (withdrawn).
----------------

.. _faq1_4:

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 `PHP bug report #12061
<http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=12061>`_ from the official PHP bug
database.

.. _faq1_5:

1.5 Using phpMyAdmin on IIS, I'm facing crashes and/or many error messages with the HTTP.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a known problem with the PHP :term:`ISAPI` filter: it's not so stable.
Please use instead the cookie authentication mode.

.. _faq1_6:

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 :file:`libraries/Header.class.php`
and :file:`index.php`.

.. _faq1_7:

1.7 How can I GZip a dump or a CSV export? It does not seem to work.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

This feature is based on the ``gzencode()``
PHP function to be more independent of the platform (Unix/Windows,
Safe Mode or not, and so on). So, you must have Zlib support
(``--with-zlib``).

.. _faq1_8:

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
:file:`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: :command:`mkdir /tmp/php`
* give ownership to the Apache server's user.group: :command:`chown
  apache.apache /tmp/php`
* give proper permission: :command:`chmod 600 /tmp/php`
* put ``upload_tmp_dir = /tmp/php`` in :file:`php.ini`
* restart Apache

.. _faq1_9:

1.9 (withdrawn).
----------------

.. _faq1_10:

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*:

.. code-block:: apache

    SetEnvIf User-Agent ".*MSIE.*" nokeepalive ssl-unclean-shutdown

It seems to clear up many problems between Internet Explorer and SSL.

.. _faq1_11:

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. However you need to create temporary directory and configure it
as :config:option:`$cfg['TempDir']`. The uploaded files will be moved there,
and after execution of your :term:`SQL` commands, removed.

.. _faq1_12:

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

The MySQL manual explains how to `reset the permissions
<http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/resetting-permissions.html>`_.

.. _faq1_13:

1.13 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq1_14:

1.14 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq1_15:

1.15 I have problems with *mysql.user* column names.
----------------------------------------------------

In previous MySQL versions, the ``User`` and ``Password``columns were
named ``user`` and ``password``. Please modify your column names to
align with current standards.

.. _faq1_16:

1.16 I cannot upload big dump files (memory, HTTP or timeout problems).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Starting with version 2.7.0, the import engine has been re–written and
these problems should not occur. If possible, upgrade your phpMyAdmin
to the latest version to take advantage of the new import features.

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 :file:`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``.
There exist several workarounds if your upload is too big or your
hosting provider is unwilling to change the settings:

* Look at the :config:option:`$cfg['UploadDir']` feature. This allows one to upload a file to the server
  via scp, ftp, or your favorite file transfer method. PhpMyAdmin is
  then able to import the files from the temporary directory. More
  information is available in the :ref:`config`  of this document.
* Using a utility (such as `BigDump
  <http://www.ozerov.de/bigdump.php>`_) to split the files before
  uploading. We cannot support this or any third party applications, but
  are aware of users having success with it.
* If you have shell (command line) access, use MySQL to import the files
  directly. You can do this by issuing the "source" command from within
  MySQL:

  .. code-block:: mysql

    source filename.sql;

.. _faq1_17:

1.17 Which MySQL versions does phpMyAdmin support?
--------------------------------------------------

Since phpMyAdmin 3.0.x, only MySQL 5.0.1 and newer are supported. For
older MySQL versions, you need to use the latest 2.x branch.
phpMyAdmin can connect to your MySQL server using PHP's classic `MySQL
extension <http://php.net/mysql>`_ as well as the `improved MySQL
extension (MySQLi) <http://php.net/mysqli>`_ that is available in PHP
5.0. The latter one should be used unless you have a good reason not
to do so. When compiling PHP, we strongly recommend that you manually
link the MySQL extension of your choice to a MySQL client library of
at least the same minor version since the one that is bundled with
some PHP distributions is rather old and might cause problems see
:ref:`faq1_17a`. `MariaDB <http://mariadb.org/>`_ is also supported
(versions 5.1 and 5.2 were tested). 

.. versionchanged:: 3.5
    Since phpMyAdmin 3.5 `Drizzle <http://www.drizzle.org/>`_ is supported.

.. _faq1_17a:

1.17a I cannot connect to the MySQL server. It always returns the error message, "Client does not support authentication protocol requested by server; consider upgrading MySQL client"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You tried to access MySQL with an old MySQL client library. The
version of your MySQL client library can be checked in your phpinfo()
output. In general, it should have at least the same minor version as
your server - as mentioned in :ref:`faq1_17`. This problem is
generally caused by using MySQL version 4.1 or newer. MySQL changed
the authentication hash and your PHP is trying to use the old method.
The proper solution is to use the `mysqli extension
<http://www.php.net/mysqli>`_ with the proper client library to match
your MySQL installation. Your chosen extension is specified in 
:config:option:`$cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension']`. More
information (and several workarounds) are located in the `MySQL
Documentation <http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/old-client.html>`_.

.. _faq1_18:

1.18 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq1_19:

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

The :term:`TCPDF` library we're using for this feature requires some special
files to use font faces. Please refers to the `TCPDF manual
<http://www.tcpdf.org/>`_ to build these files.

.. _faqmysql:

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
distribution (compiled-in), otherwise it needs to be loaded
dynamically. Its name is probably *mysql.so* or *php\_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.

There are currently two interfaces PHP provides as MySQL extensions - ``mysql``
and ``mysqli`` and you can change which of then is being used by
:config:option:`$cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension']`.

.. _faq1_21:

1.21 I am running the CGI version of PHP under Unix, and I cannot log in using cookie auth.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In :file:`php.ini`, set ``mysql.max_links`` higher than 1.

.. _faq1_22:

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

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

.. _faq1_23:

1.23 I'm running MySQL on a Win32 machine. Each time I create a new table the table and column 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]:

.. code-block:: ini

    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

.. code-block:: mysql

    SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'lower_case_table_names';

.. _faq1_24:

1.24 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq1_25:

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:

.. code-block:: apache

    
    # 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.

.. _faq1_26:

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 "IUSR\_machine" from the list. Now set his permissions and it
should work.

.. _faq1_27:

1.27 I get empty page when I want to view huge page (eg. db\_structure.php with plenty of tables).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was caused by a `PHP bug <http://bugs.php.net/21079>`_ that occur when
GZIP output buffering is enabled. If you turn off it (by
:config:option:`$cfg['OBGzip']` in :file:`config.inc.php`), it should work.
This bug will has been fixed in PHP 5.0.0.

.. _faq1_28:

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.

.. _faq1_29:

1.29 When I create a table or modify a column, I get an error and the columns 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:

.. code-block:: apache

    
    SetOutputFilter PHP
    SetInputFilter PHP

and

.. code-block:: apache

    AddType application/x-httpd-php .php

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

.. code-block:: apache

    
    #SetOutputFilter PHP
    #SetInputFilter PHP

.. _faq1_30:

1.30 I get the error "navigation.php: Missing hash".
----------------------------------------------------

This problem is known to happen when the server is running Turck
MMCache but upgrading MMCache to version 2.3.21 solves the problem.

.. _faq1_31:

1.31 Does phpMyAdmin support PHP 5?
-----------------------------------

Yes.

Since release 4.1 phpMyAdmin supports only PHP 5.3 and newer. For PHP 5.2 you
can use 4.0.x releases.

.. _faq1_32:

1.32 Can I use HTTP authentication with IIS?
--------------------------------------------

Yes. This procedure was tested with phpMyAdmin 2.6.1, PHP 4.3.9 in
:term:`ISAPI` mode under :term:`IIS` 5.1.

#. In your :file:`php.ini` file, set ``cgi.rfc2616_headers = 0``
#. In ``Web Site Properties -> File/Directory Security -> Anonymous
   Access`` dialog box, check the ``Anonymous access`` checkbox and
   uncheck any other checkboxes (i.e. uncheck ``Basic authentication``,
   ``Integrated Windows authentication``, and ``Digest`` if it's
   enabled.) Click ``OK``.
#. In ``Custom Errors``, select the range of ``401;1`` through ``401;5``
   and click the ``Set to Default`` button.

.. seealso:: :rfc:`2616`

.. _faq1_33:

1.33 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq1_34:

1.34 Can I access directly to database or table pages?
------------------------------------------------------

Yes. Out of the box, you can use :term:`URL` like
http://server/phpMyAdmin/index.php?server=X&db=database&table=table&target=script.
For ``server`` you use the server number
which refers to the order of the server paragraph in
:file:`config.inc.php`. Table and script parts are optional. If you want
http://server/phpMyAdmin/database[/table][/script] :term:`URL`, you need to do some configuration. Following
lines apply only for `Apache <http://httpd.apache.org>`_ web server.
First make sure, that you have enabled some features within global
configuration. You need ``Options FollowSymLinks`` and ``AllowOverride
FileInfo`` enabled for directory where phpMyAdmin is installed and you
need mod\_rewrite to be enabled. Then you just need to create
following :term:`.htaccess` file in root folder of phpMyAdmin installation (don't
forget to change directory name inside of it):

.. code-block:: apache

    
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteBase /path_to_phpMyAdmin
    RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)/([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)/([a-z_]+\.php)$ index.php?db=$1&table=$2&target=$3 [R]
    RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)/([a-z_]+\.php)$ index.php?db=$1&target=$2 [R]
    RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)/([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)$ index.php?db=$1&table=$2 [R]
    RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)$ index.php?db=$1 [R]

.. _faq1_35:

1.35 Can I use HTTP authentication with Apache CGI?
---------------------------------------------------

Yes. However you need to pass authentication variable to :term:`CGI` using
following rewrite rule:

.. code-block:: apache

    
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteRule .* - [E=REMOTE_USER:%{HTTP:Authorization},L]

.. _faq1_36:

1.36 I get an error "500 Internal Server Error".
------------------------------------------------

There can be many explanations to this and a look at your server's
error log file might give a clue.

.. _faq1_37:

1.37 I run phpMyAdmin on cluster of different machines and password encryption in cookie auth doesn't work.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If your cluster consist of different architectures, PHP code used for
encryption/decryption won't work correct. This is caused by use of
pack/unpack functions in code. Only solution is to use mcrypt
extension which works fine in this case.

.. _faq1_38:

1.38 Can I use phpMyAdmin on a server on which Suhosin is enabled?
------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes but the default configuration values of Suhosin are known to cause
problems with some operations, for example editing a table with many
columns and no primary key or with textual primary key.

Suhosin configuration might lead to malfunction in some cases and it
can not be fully avoided as phpMyAdmin is kind of application which
needs to transfer big amounts of columns in single HTTP request, what
is something what Suhosin tries to prevent. Generally all
``suhosin.request.*``, ``suhosin.post.*`` and ``suhosin.get.*``
directives can have negative effect on phpMyAdmin usability. You can
always find in your error logs which limit did cause dropping of
variable, so you can diagnose the problem and adjust matching
configuration variable.

The default values for most Suhosin configuration options will work in
most scenarios, however you might want to adjust at least following
parameters:

* `suhosin.request.max\_vars <http://www.hardened-
  php.net/suhosin/configuration.html#suhosin.request.max_vars>`_ should
  be increased (eg. 2048)
* `suhosin.post.max\_vars <http://www.hardened-
  php.net/suhosin/configuration.html#suhosin.post.max_vars>`_ should be
  increased (eg. 2048)
* `suhosin.request.max\_array\_index\_length <http://www.hardened-php.ne
  t/suhosin/configuration.html#suhosin.request.max_array_index_length>`_
  should be increased (eg. 256)
* `suhosin.post.max\_array\_index\_length <http://www.hardened-php.net/s
  uhosin/configuration.html#suhosin.post.max_array_index_length>`_
  should be increased (eg. 256)
* `suhosin.request.max\_totalname\_length <http://www.hardened-php.net/s
  uhosin/configuration.html#suhosin.request.max_totalname_length>`_
  should be increased (eg. 8192)
* `suhosin.post.max\_totalname\_length <http://www.hardened-php.net/suho
  sin/configuration.html#suhosin.post.max_totalname_length>`_ should be
  increased (eg. 8192)
* `suhosin.get.max\_value\_length <http://www.hardened-
  php.net/suhosin/configuration.html#suhosin.get.max_value_length>`_
  should be increased (eg. 1024)
* `suhosin.sql.bailout\_on\_error <http://www.hardened-
  php.net/suhosin/configuration.html#suhosin.sql.bailout_on_error>`_
  needs to be disabled (the default)
* `suhosin.log.\* <http://www.hardened-
  php.net/suhosin/configuration.html#logging_configuration>`_ should not
  include :term:`SQL`, otherwise you get big
  slowdown

You can also disable the warning using the :config:option:`$cfg['SuhosinDisableWarning']`.

.. _faq1_39:

1.39 When I try to connect via https, I can log in, but then my connection is redirected back to http. What can cause this behavior?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be sure that you have enabled ``SSLOptions`` and ``StdEnvVars`` in
your Apache configuration. 

.. seealso:: <http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/mod_ssl.html#ssloptions>

.. _faq1_40:

1.40 When accessing phpMyAdmin via an Apache reverse proxy, cookie login does not work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be able to use cookie auth Apache must know that it has to rewrite
the set-cookie headers. Example from the Apache 2.2 documentation:

.. code-block:: apache

    
    ProxyPass /mirror/foo/ http://backend.example.com/
    ProxyPassReverse /mirror/foo/ http://backend.example.com/
    ProxyPassReverseCookieDomain backend.example.com public.example.com
    ProxyPassReverseCookiePath / /mirror/foo/

Note: if the backend url looks like http://host/~user/phpmyadmin, the
tilde (~) must be url encoded as %7E in the ProxyPassReverse\* lines.
This is not specific to phpmyadmin, it's just the behavior of Apache.

.. code-block:: apache

    
    ProxyPass /mirror/foo/ http://backend.example.com/~user/phpmyadmin
    ProxyPassReverse /mirror/foo/ http://backend.example.com/%7Euser/phpmyadmin
    ProxyPassReverseCookiePath /%7Euser/phpmyadmin /mirror/foo

.. seealso:: <http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/mod_proxy.html>

.. _faq1_41:

1.41 When I view a database and ask to see its privileges, I get an error about an unknown column.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The MySQL server's privilege tables are not up to date, you need to
run the :command:`mysql_upgrade` command on the server.

.. _faq1_42:

1.42 How can I prevent robots from accessing phpMyAdmin?
--------------------------------------------------------

You can add various rules to :term:`.htaccess` to filter access based on user agent
field. This is quite easy to circumvent, but could prevent at least
some robots accessing your installation.

.. code-block:: apache

    
    RewriteEngine on
    
    # Allow only GET and POST verbs
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} !^(GET|POST)$ [NC,OR]
    
    # Ban Typical Vulnerability Scanners and others
    # Kick out Script Kiddies
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ^(java|curl|wget).* [NC,OR]
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ^.*(libwww-perl|curl|wget|python|nikto|wkito|pikto|scan|acunetix).* [NC,OR]
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ^.*(winhttp|HTTrack|clshttp|archiver|loader|email|harvest|extract|grab|miner).* [NC,OR]
    
    # Ban Search Engines, Crawlers to your administrative panel
    # No reasons to access from bots
    # Ultimately Better than the useless robots.txt
    # Did google respect robots.txt?
    # Try google: intitle:phpMyAdmin intext:"Welcome to phpMyAdmin *.*.*" intext:"Log in" -wiki -forum -forums -questions intext:"Cookies must be enabled"
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ^.*(AdsBot-Google|ia_archiver|Scooter|Ask.Jeeves|Baiduspider|Exabot|FAST.Enterprise.Crawler|FAST-WebCrawler|www\.neomo\.de|Gigabot|Mediapartners-Google|Google.Desktop|Feedfetcher-Google|Googlebot|heise-IT-Markt-Crawler|heritrix|ibm.com\cs/crawler|ICCrawler|ichiro|MJ12bot|MetagerBot|msnbot-NewsBlogs|msnbot|msnbot-media|NG-Search|lucene.apache.org|NutchCVS|OmniExplorer_Bot|online.link.validator|psbot0|Seekbot|Sensis.Web.Crawler|SEO.search.Crawler|Seoma.\[SEO.Crawler\]|SEOsearch|Snappy|www.urltrends.com|www.tkl.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~crawler|SynooBot|crawleradmin.t-info@telekom.de|TurnitinBot|voyager|W3.SiteSearch.Crawler|W3C-checklink|W3C_Validator|www.WISEnutbot.com|yacybot|Yahoo-MMCrawler|Yahoo\!.DE.Slurp|Yahoo\!.Slurp|YahooSeeker).* [NC]
    RewriteRule .* - [F]

.. _faq1_43:

1.43 Why can't I display the structure of my table containing hundreds of columns? 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Because your PHP's ``memory_limit`` is too low; adjust it in :file:`php.ini`.

.. _faqconfig:

Configuration
+++++++++++++

.. _faq2_1:

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

Edit your :file:`config.inc.php` 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. We also got a report
from a user under :term:`IIS`, that used a zipped distribution kit: the file
:file:`libraries/Config.class.php` contained an end-of-line character (hex 0A)
at the end; removing this character cleared his errors.

.. _faq2_2:

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.

.. _faq2_3:

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 :file:`php.ini` you will find a line

.. code-block:: ini

    mysql.default_socket = /tmp/mysql.sock

change it to

.. code-block:: ini

    mysql.default_socket = /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock

Then restart apache and it will work.

Here is a fix suggested by Brad Ummer:

* 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. To do this in
  phpMyAdmin, you need to complete the socket information in the
  :file:`config.inc.php`. For example:
  :config:option:`$cfg['Servers'][$i]['socket']`  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 <http://dev.mysql.com/doc/en/can-not-connect-to-
server.html>`_.

.. _faq2_4:

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

Try to set the :config:option:`$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 "b" or "alpha" it means you're running a testing
version of PHP. That's not a so good idea, please upgrade to a plain
revision.

.. _faq2_5:

2.5 Each time I want to insert or change a row 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 log in again. What's wrong?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

.. _faq2_6:

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 command line tool :command:`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
:term:`TCP` connection.

.. _faqthemes:

2.7 Using and creating themes
-----------------------------

Themes are configured with :config:option:`$cfg['ThemePath']`,
:config:option:`$cfg['ThemeManager']` and :config:option:`$cfg['ThemeDefault']`.  
Under :config:option:`$cfg['ThemePath']`, you should not delete the
directory ``pmahomme`` or its underlying structure, because this is the
system theme used by phpMyAdmin. ``pmahomme`` contains all images and
styles, for backwards compatibility and for all themes that would not
include images or css-files.  If :config:option:`$cfg['ThemeManager']`
is enabled, you can select your favorite theme on the main page. Your selected
theme will be stored in a cookie.

To create a theme:

* make a new subdirectory (for example "your\_theme\_name") under :config:option:`$cfg['ThemePath']` (by
  default ``themes``)
* copy the files and directories from ``pmahomme`` to "your\_theme\_name"
* edit the css-files in "your\_theme\_name/css"
* put your new images in "your\_theme\_name/img"
* edit :file:`layout.inc.php` in "your\_theme\_name"
* edit :file:`info.inc.php` in "your\_theme\_name" to contain your chosen
  theme name, that will be visible in user interface
* make a new screenshot of your theme and save it under
  "your\_theme\_name/screen.png"

In theme directory there is file :file:`info.inc.php` which contains theme
verbose name, theme generation and theme version. These versions and
generations are enumerated from 1 and do not have any direct
dependence on phpMyAdmin version. Themes within same generation should
be backwards compatible - theme with version 2 should work in
phpMyAdmin requiring version 1. Themes with different generation are
incompatible.

If you do not want to use your own symbols and buttons, remove the
directory "img" in "your\_theme\_name". phpMyAdmin will use the
default icons and buttons (from the system-theme ``pmahomme``).

.. _faqmissingparameters:

2.8 I get "Missing parameters" errors, what can I do?
-----------------------------------------------------

Here are a few points to check:

* In :file:`config.inc.php`, try to leave the :config:option:`$cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri']` directive empty. See also
  :ref:`faq4_7`.
* Maybe you have a broken PHP installation or you need to upgrade your
  Zend Optimizer. See <http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=31134>.
* If you are using Hardened PHP with the ini directive
  ``varfilter.max_request_variables`` set to the default (200) or
  another low value, you could get this error if your table has a high
  number of columns. Adjust this setting accordingly. (Thanks to Klaus
  Dorninger for the hint).
* In the :file:`php.ini` directive ``arg_separator.input``, a value of ";"
  will cause this error. Replace it with "&;".
* If you are using `Hardened-PHP <http://www.hardened-php.net/>`_, you
  might want to increase `request limits <http://www.hardened-
  php.net/hphp/troubleshooting.html>`_.
* The directory specified in the :file:`php.ini` directive
  ``session.save_path`` does not exist or is read-only.

.. _faq2_9:

2.9 Seeing an upload progress bar
---------------------------------

To be able to see a progress bar during your uploads, your server must
have the `APC <http://pecl.php.net/package/APC>`_ extension, the
`uploadprogress <http://pecl.php.net/package/uploadprogress>`_ one, or
you must be running PHP 5.4.0 or higher. Moreover, the JSON extension
has to be enabled in your PHP.

If using APC, you must set ``apc.rfc1867`` to ``on`` in your :file:`php.ini`.

If using PHP 5.4.0 or higher, you must set
``session.upload_progress.enabled`` to ``1`` in your :file:`php.ini`. However,
starting from phpMyAdmin version 4.0.4, session-based upload progress has
been temporarily deactivated due to its problematic behavior. 

.. seealso:: :rfc:`1867`

.. _faqlimitations:

Known limitations
+++++++++++++++++

.. _login_bug:

3.1 When using HTTP authentication, a user who logged out can not log in again in with the same nick.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is related to the authentication mechanism (protocol) used by
phpMyAdmin. To bypass this problem: just close all the opened browser
windows and then go back to phpMyAdmin. You should be able to log in
again.

.. _faq3_2:

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

Compressed dumps are built in memory and because of this are limited
to php's memory limit. For GZip/BZip2 exports this can be overcome
since 2.5.4 using :config:option:`$cfg['CompressOnFly']` (enabled by default).
Zip exports can not be handled this way, so if you need Zip files for larger
dump, you have to use another way.

.. _faq3_3:

3.3 With InnoDB tables, I lose foreign key relationships when I rename a table or a column.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an InnoDB bug, see <http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=21704>.

.. _faq3_4:

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

The problem is that older versions of ``mysqldump`` created invalid
comments like this:

.. code-block:: mysql

    
    -- 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 two dashes of the line or add
a # before it:  ``-- -------------------------------------------------------`` or
``#---------------------------------------------------------``

.. _faq3_5:

3.5 When using nested folders, multiple hierarchies are displayed in a wrong manner.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please note that you should not use the separating 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.

.. seealso:: :config:option:`$cfg['NavigationTreeTableSeparator']`

.. _faq3_6:

3.6 What is currently not supported in phpMyAdmin about InnoDB?
---------------------------------------------------------------

In Relation view, having more than one index column in the foreign key. In Query-by-
example (Query), automatic generation of the query LEFT JOIN from the
foreign table.

.. _faq3_7:

3.7 I have table with many (100+) columns and when I try to browse table I get series of errors like "Warning: unable to parse url". How can this be fixed?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your table neither have a primary key nor an unique one, so we must
use a long expression to identify this row. This causes problems to
parse\_url function. The workaround is to create a primary or unique
key.

.. _faq3_8:

3.8 I cannot use (clickable) HTML-forms in columns where I put a MIME-Transformation onto!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Due to a surrounding form-container (for multi-row delete checkboxes),
no nested forms can be put inside the table where phpMyAdmin displays
the results. You can, however, use any form inside of a table if keep
the parent form-container with the target to tbl\_row\_delete.php and
just put your own input-elements inside. If you use a custom submit
input field, the form will submit itself to the displaying page again,
where you can validate the $HTTP\_POST\_VARS in a transformation. For
a tutorial on how to effectively use transformations, see our `Link
section <http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/docs.php>`_ on the
official phpMyAdmin-homepage.

.. _faq3_9:

3.9 I get error messages when using "--sql\_mode=ANSI" for the MySQL server.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

When MySQL is running in ANSI-compatibility mode, there are some major
differences in how :term:`SQL` is structured (see
<http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/ansi-mode.html>). Most important of all, the
quote-character (") is interpreted as an identifier quote character and not as
a string quote character, which makes many internal phpMyAdmin operations into
invalid :term:`SQL` statements. There is no
workaround to this behaviour.  News to this item will be posted in `Bug report
#1013 <https://sourceforge.net/p/phpmyadmin/bugs/1013/>`_.

.. _faq3_10:

3.10 Homonyms and no primary key: When the results of a SELECT display more that one column with the same value (for example ``SELECT lastname from employees where firstname like 'A%'`` and two "Smith" values are displayed), if I click Edit I cannot be sure that I am editing the intended row.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please make sure that your table has a primary key, so that phpMyAdmin
can use it for the Edit and Delete links.

.. _faq3_11:

3.11 The number of rows for InnoDB tables is not correct.
---------------------------------------------------------

phpMyAdmin uses a quick method to get the row count, and this method only
returns an approximate count in the case of InnoDB tables. See
:config:option:`$cfg['MaxExactCount']` for a way to modify those results, but
this could have a serious impact on performance.

.. _faq3_12:

3.12 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq3_13:

3.13 I get an error when entering ``USE`` followed by a db name containing an hyphen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tests I have made with MySQL 5.1.49 shows that the API does not
accept this syntax for the USE command.

.. _faq3_14:

3.14 I am not able to browse a table when I don't have the right to SELECT one of the columns.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This has been a known limitation of phpMyAdmin since the beginning and
it's not likely to be solved in the future.

.. _faq3_15:

3.15 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq3_16:

3.16 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq3_17:

3.17 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq3_18:

3.18 When I import a CSV file that contains multiple tables, they are lumped together into a single table.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is no reliable way to differentiate tables in :term:`CSV` format. For the
time being, you will have to break apart :term:`CSV` files containing multiple
tables.

.. _faq3_19:

3.19 When I import a file and have phpMyAdmin determine the appropriate data structure it only uses int, decimal, and varchar types.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Currently, the import type-detection system can only assign these
MySQL types to columns. In future, more will likely be added but for
the time being you will have to edit the structure to your liking
post-import.  Also, you should note the fact that phpMyAdmin will use
the size of the largest item in any given column as the column size
for the appropriate type. If you know you will be adding larger items
to that column then you should manually adjust the column sizes
accordingly. This is done for the sake of efficiency.

.. _faq3_20:

3.20 After upgrading, some bookmarks are gone or their content cannot be shown.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At some point, the character set used to store bookmark content has changed.
It's better to recreate your bookmark from the newer phpMyAdmin version.

.. _faqmultiuser:

ISPs, multi-user installations
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

.. _faq4_1:

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
:term:`HTTP` or cookie authentication. 

.. seealso:: :ref:`authentication_modes`

.. _faq4_2:

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 :term:`.htaccess` files,
for example). If other people have telnet access to your server, you should use
phpMyAdmin's :term:`HTTP` or cookie authentication features.  
    
Suggestions:

* Your :file:`config.inc.php` file should be ``chmod 660``.
* All your phpMyAdmin files should be chown -R phpmy.apache, where phpmy
  is a user whose password is only known to you, and apache is the group
  under which Apache runs.
* Follow security recommendations for PHP and your webserver.

.. _faq4_3:

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

Check :file:`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.

.. _faq4_4:

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

This could happen for several reasons:

* :config:option:`$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser']` and/or :config:option:`$cfg['Servers'][$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 :term:`.htaccess` file. This would interfere with phpMyAdmin's
  authentication, so remove it.

.. _faq4_5:

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).

.. _faq4_6:

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

If you have existing rules from an old :term:`.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
:config:option:`$cfg['Servers'][$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 :term:`IP` blocks.

.. code-block:: php

    
    //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',
    );

.. _faq4_7:

4.7 Authentication window is displayed more than once, why?
-----------------------------------------------------------

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

.. _faq4_8:

4.8 Which parameters can I use in the URL that starts phpMyAdmin?
-----------------------------------------------------------------

When starting phpMyAdmin, you can use the ``db``, ``pma_username``,
``pma_password`` and ``server`` parameters. This last one can contain
either the numeric host index (from ``$i`` of the configuration file)
or one of the host names present in the configuration file. Using
``pma_username`` and ``pma_password`` has been tested along with the
usage of 'cookie' ``auth_type``.

.. _faqbrowsers:

Browsers or client OS
+++++++++++++++++++++

.. _faq5_1:

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 columns.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

.. _faq5_2:

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.

.. _faq5_3:

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.

.. _faq5_4:

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.

.. _faq5_5:

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

Upgrade to at least Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2.

.. _faq5_6:

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 columns, or with a text column.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your table neither have a primary key nor an unique one, so we must use a long
:term:`URL` to identify this row. There is a limit on the length of the
:term:`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.

.. _faq5_7:

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.

.. _faq5_8:

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.

.. _faq5_9:

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
<http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/>`_).

.. _faq5_10:

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.

.. _faq5_11:

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.

.. _faq5_12:

5.12 Mac OS X Safari browser changes special characters to "?".
---------------------------------------------------------------

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

.. _faq5_13:

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

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

.. _faq5_14:

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

Please upgrade to Opera7 at least.

.. _faq5_15:

5.15 I have display problems with Safari.
-----------------------------------------

Please upgrade to at least version 1.2.3.

.. _faq5_16:

5.16 With Internet Explorer, I get "Access is denied" Javascript errors. Or I cannot make phpMyAdmin work under Windows.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please check the following points:

* Maybe you have defined your :config:option:`$cfg['PmaAbsoluteUri']` setting in
  :file:`config.inc.php` to an :term:`IP` address and you are starting phpMyAdmin
  with a :term:`URL` containing a domain name, or the reverse situation.
* Security settings in IE and/or Microsoft Security Center are too high,
  thus blocking scripts execution.
* The Windows Firewall is blocking Apache and MySQL. You must allow
  :term:`HTTP` ports (80 or 443) and MySQL
  port (usually 3306) in the "in" and "out" directions.

.. _faq5_17:

5.17 With Firefox, I cannot delete rows of data or drop a database.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Many users have confirmed that the Tabbrowser Extensions plugin they
installed in their Firefox is causing the problem.

.. _faq5_18:

5.18 With Konqueror 4.2.x an invalid ``LIMIT`` clause is generated when I browse a table.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This happens only when both of these conditions are met: using the
``http`` authentication mode and ``register_globals`` being set to
``On`` on the server. It seems to be a browser-specific problem;
meanwhile use the ``cookie`` authentication mode.

.. _faq5_19:

5.19 I get JavaScript errors in my browser.
-------------------------------------------

Issues have been reported with some combinations of browser
extensions. To troubleshoot, disable all extensions then clear your
browser cache to see if the problem goes away.

.. _faqusing:

Using phpMyAdmin
++++++++++++++++

.. _faq6_1:

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 :term:`SQL` error with care.
Often the problem is caused by specifying a wrong column-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.

.. _faq6_2:

6.2 When I create a table, I set an index for two columns and phpMyAdmin generates only one index with those two columns.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the way to create a multi-columns 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.

.. _faq6_3:

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

Since version 2.2.3, you have a checkbox for each column that can be
null. Before 2.2.3, you had to enter "null", without the quotes, as
the column's value. Since version 2.5.5, you have to use the checkbox
to get a real NULL value, so if you enter "NULL" this means you want a
literal NULL in the column, and not a NULL value (this works in PHP4).

.. _faq6_4:

6.4 How can I backup my database or table?
------------------------------------------

Click on a database or table name in the navigation panel, the properties will
be displayed. Then on the menu, click "Export", you can dump the structure, the
data, or both. This will generate standard :term:`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 :config:option:`$cfg['ExecTimeLimit']` configuration variable. For
additional help on this subject, look for the word "dump" in this document.

.. _faq6_5:

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 navigation panel, the properties will
be displayed. Select "Import" from the list of tabs in the right–hand
frame (or ":term:`SQL`" if your phpMyAdmin
version is previous to 2.7.0). In the "Location of the text file"
section, type in the path to your dump filename, or use the Browse
button. Then click Go.  With version 2.7.0, the import engine has been
re–written, if possible it is suggested that you upgrade to take
advantage of the new features.  For additional help on this subject,
look for the word "upload" in this document.

.. _faq6_6:

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:

.. code-block:: mysql

    
    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
* for "town\_code", choose from dropdowns, "mydb", "REL\_towns", "code"
  for foreign database, table and column respectively
* for "country\_code", choose  from dropdowns, "mydb", "REL\_countries",
  "country\_code" for foreign database, table and column respectively
* on table "REL\_towns" click Structure, then Relation view
* in "Choose column to display", choose "description"
* repeat the two previous steps for table "REL\_countries"

Then test like this:

* Click on your db name in the navigation panel
* Choose "Query"
* Use tables: persons, towns, countries
* Click "Update query"
* In the columns 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"

.. _faqdisplay:

6.7 How can I use the "display column" 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.  See also
:ref:`faq6_21` for an additional feature that "display column"
enables: drop-down list of possible values.

.. _faqpdf:

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

First the configuration variables "relation", "table\_coords" and
"pdf\_pages" have to be filled in.  Then you need to think about your
schema layout. Which tables will go on which pages?

* Select your database in the navigation panel.
* Choose "Operations" in the navigation bar at the top.
* Choose "Edit :term:`PDF` Pages" near the
  bottom of the page.
* Enter a name for the first :term:`PDF` page
  and click Go. If you like, you can use the "automatic layout," which
  will put all your linked tables onto the new page.
* Select the name of the new page (making sure the Edit radio button is
  selected) and click Go.
* Select a table from the list, enter its coordinates and click Save.
  Coordinates are relative; your diagram will be automatically scaled to
  fit the page. When initially placing tables on the page, just pick any
  coordinates -- say, 50x50. After clicking Save, you can then use the
  :ref:`wysiwyg` to position the element correctly.
* When you'd like to look at your :term:`PDF`, first be sure to click the Save 
  button beneath the list of tables and coordinates, to save any changes you 
  made there. Then scroll all the way down, select the :term:`PDF` options you 
  want, and click Go.
* Internet Explorer for Windows may suggest an incorrect filename when
  you try to save a generated :term:`PDF`.
  When saving a generated :term:`PDF`, be
  sure that the filename ends in ".pdf", for example "schema.pdf".
  Browsers on other operating systems, and other browsers on Windows, do
  not have this problem.

.. _faq6_9:

6.9 phpMyAdmin is changing the type of one of my columns!
---------------------------------------------------------

No, it's MySQL that is doing `silent column type changing
<http://dev.mysql.com/doc/en/silent-column-changes.html>`_.

.. _underscore:

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.

.. _faq6_11:

6.11 What is the curious symbol ø in the statistics pages?
----------------------------------------------------------

It means "average".

.. _faqexport:

6.12 I want to understand some Export options.
----------------------------------------------

**Structure:**

* "Add DROP TABLE" will add a line telling MySQL to `drop the table
  <http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/drop-table.html>`_, if it already
  exists during the import. It does NOT drop the table after your
  export, it only affects the import file.
* "If Not Exists" will only create the table if it doesn't exist.
  Otherwise, you may get an error if the table name exists but has a
  different structure.
* "Add AUTO\_INCREMENT value" ensures that AUTO\_INCREMENT value (if
  any) will be included in backup.
* "Enclose table and column names with backquotes" ensures that column
  and table names formed with special characters are protected.
* "Add into comments" includes column comments, relations, and MIME
  types set in the pmadb in the dump as :term:`SQL` comments 
  (*/\* xxx \*/*).

**Data:**

* "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.
* "Delayed inserts" are best explained in the `MySQL manual - INSERT DELAYED Syntax
  <http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/insert-delayed.html>`_.
* "Ignore inserts" treats errors as a warning instead. Again, more info
  is provided in the `MySQL manual - INSERT Syntax
  <http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/insert.html>`_, but basically with
  this selected, invalid values are adjusted and inserted rather than
  causing the entire statement to fail.

.. _faq6_13:

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.

.. _faqsqlvalidator:

6.14 How do I set up the SQL Validator?
---------------------------------------

To use SQL Validator, you need PHP with :term:`XML`, :term:`PCRE` and
:term:`PEAR` support. In addition you need a :term:`SOAP` support, either as a
PHP extension or as a PEAR SOAP module.

To install :term:`PEAR` :term:`SOAP` module, run :command:`pear install
Net_Socket Net_URL HTTP_Request Mail_Mime Net_DIME SOAP` to get the necessary
:term:`PEAR` modules for usage.

If you use the Validator, you should be aware that any :term:`SQL` statement
you submit will be stored anonymously (database/table/column names, strings,
numbers replaced with generic values). The Mimer :term:`SQL` Validator itself,
is © 2001 Upright Database Technology. We utilize it as free SOAP service.

.. _faq6_15:

6.15 I want to add a BLOB column 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 column 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 column, and set a
size to the index, which is the condition to create an index on a BLOB
column.

.. _faq6_16:

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

You can use :kbd:`Ctrl+arrows` (:kbd:`Option+Arrows` in Safari) for moving on
most pages with many editing fields (table structure changes, row editing,
etc.).

.. _faq6_17:

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
column. 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?

.. _faqbookmark:

6.18 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.

You can also have, inside the query, a placeholder for a variable.
This is done by inserting into the query a SQL comment between ``/*`` and 
``*/``. Inside the comment, the special string ``[VARIABLE]`` is used. 
Be aware that the whole query minus the SQL comment must be
valid by itself, otherwise you won't be able to store it as a bookmark.

When you execute the bookmark, everything typed into the *value* 
input box on the query box page will replace the string ``/*[VARIABLE]*/`` in 
your stored query.

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:

.. code-block:: mysql

    /*, [VARIABLE] AS myname */
    
which will be expanded to 

.. code-block:: mysql

    , 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: 

.. code-block:: mysql

    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: 

.. code-block:: mysql

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

You can use multiple occurrences of ``/*[VARIABLE]*/`` in a single query
(that is, multiple occurrences of the *same* variable). 

**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.

.. _faq6_19:

6.19 How can I create simple LATEX document to include exported table?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You can simply include table in your LATEX documents,
minimal sample document should look like following one (assuming you
have table exported in file :file:`table.tex`):

.. code-block:: latex

    
    \documentclass{article} % or any class you want
    \usepackage{longtable}  % for displaying table
    \begin{document}        % start of document
    \include{table}         % including exported table
    \end{document}          % end of document

.. _faq6_20:

6.20 I see a lot of databases which are not mine, and cannot access them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have one of these global privileges: CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES, SHOW
DATABASES, LOCK TABLES. Those privileges also enable users to see all the
database names. So if your users do not need those privileges, you can remove
them and their databases list will shorten.

.. seealso:: <http://bugs.mysql.com/179>

.. _faq6_21:

6.21 In edit/insert mode, how can I see a list of possible values for a column, based on some foreign table?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have to setup appropriate links between the tables, and also setup
the "display column" in the foreign table. See :ref:`faq6_6` for an
example. Then, if there are 100 values or less in the foreign table, a
drop-down list of values will be available. You will see two lists of
values, the first list containing the key and the display column, the
second list containing the display column and the key. The reason for
this is to be able to type the first letter of either the key or the
display column. For 100 values or more, a distinct window will appear,
to browse foreign key values and choose one. To change the default
limit of 100, see :config:option:`$cfg['ForeignKeyMaxLimit']`.


.. _faq6_22:

6.22 Bookmarks: Can I execute a default bookmark automatically when entering Browse mode for a table?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes. If a bookmark has the same label as a table name and it's not a
public bookmark, it will be executed.

.. _faq6_23:

6.23 Export: I heard phpMyAdmin can export Microsoft Excel files?
-----------------------------------------------------------------

You can use :term:`CSV` for Microsoft Excel,
which works out of the box. 

.. versionchanged:: 3.4.5
    Since phpMyAdmin 3.4.5 support for direct export to Microsoft Excel version
    97 and newer was dropped.

.. _faq6_24:

6.24 Now that phpMyAdmin supports native MySQL 4.1.x column comments, what happens to my column comments stored in pmadb?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Automatic migration of a table's pmadb-style column comments to the
native ones is done whenever you enter Structure page for this table.

.. _faq6_25:

6.25 (withdrawn).
-----------------

.. _faq6_26:

6.26 How can I select a range of rows?
--------------------------------------

Click the first row of the range, hold the shift key and click the
last row of the range. This works everywhere you see rows, for example
in Browse mode or on the Structure page.

.. _faq6_27:

6.27 What format strings can I use?
-----------------------------------

In all places where phpMyAdmin accepts format strings, you can use
``@VARIABLE@`` expansion and `strftime <http://php.net/strftime>`_
format strings. The expanded variables depend on a context (for
example, if you haven't chosen a table, you can not get the table
name), but the following variables can be used:

``@HTTP_HOST@``
    HTTP host that runs phpMyAdmin
``@SERVER@``
    MySQL server name
``@VERBOSE@``
    Verbose MySQL server name as defined in :config:option:`$cfg['Servers'][$i]['verbose']`
``@VSERVER@``
    Verbose MySQL server name if set, otherwise normal
``@DATABASE@``
    Currently opened database
``@TABLE@``
    Currently opened table
``@COLUMNS@``
    Columns of the currently opened table
``@PHPMYADMIN@``
    phpMyAdmin with version

.. _wysiwyg:

6.28 How can I easily edit relational schema for export?
--------------------------------------------------------

By clicking on the button 'toggle scratchboard' on the page where you
edit x/y coordinates of those elements you can activate a scratchboard
where all your elements are placed. By clicking on an element, you can
move them around in the pre-defined area and the x/y coordinates will
get updated dynamically. Likewise, when entering a new position
directly into the input field, the new position in the scratchboard
changes after your cursor leaves the input field.

You have to click on the 'OK'-button below the tables to save the new
positions. If you want to place a new element, first add it to the
table of elements and then you can drag the new element around.

By changing the paper size and the orientation you can change the size
of the scratchboard as well. You can do so by just changing the
dropdown field below, and the scratchboard will resize automatically,
without interfering with the current placement of the elements.

If ever an element gets out of range you can either enlarge the paper
size or click on the 'reset' button to place all elements below each
other.

.. _faq6_29:

6.29 Why can't I get a chart from my query result table?
--------------------------------------------------------

Not every table can be put to the chart. Only tables with one, two or
three columns can be visualised as a chart. Moreover the table must be
in a special format for chart script to understand it. Currently
supported formats can be found in the `wiki <http://wiki.phpmyadmin.ne
t/pma/Charts#Data_formats_for_query_results_chart>`_.

.. _faq6_30:

6.30 Import: How can I import ESRI Shapefiles?
----------------------------------------------

An ESRI Shapefile is actually a set of several files, where .shp file
contains geometry data and .dbf file contains data related to those
geometry data. To read data from .dbf file you need to have PHP
compiled with the dBase extension (--enable-dbase). Otherwise only
geometry data will be imported.

To upload these set of files you can use either of the following
methods:

Configure upload directory with :config:option:`$cfg['UploadDir']`, upload both .shp and .dbf files with
the same filename and chose the .shp file from the import page.

Create a Zip archive with .shp and .dbf files and import it. For this
to work, you need to set :config:option:`$cfg['TempDir']` to a place where the web server user can
write (for example ``'./tmp'``).

To create the temporary directory on a UNIX-based system, you can do:

.. code-block:: sh

    cd phpMyAdmin
    mkdir tmp
    chmod o+rwx tmp

.. _faq6_31:

6.31 How do I create a relation in designer?
--------------------------------------------

To select relation, click:  The display column is shown in pink. To
set/unset a column as the display column, click the "Choose column to
display" icon, then click on the appropriate column name.

.. _faq6_32:

6.32 How can I use the zoom search feature?
-------------------------------------------

The Zoom search feature is an alternative to table search feature. It allows
you to explore a table by representing its data in a scatter plot. You can
locate this feature by selecting a table and clicking the :guilabel:`Search`
tab. One of the sub-tabs in the :guilabel:`Table Search` page is
:guilabel:`Zoom Search`.  

Consider the table REL\_persons in :ref:`faq6_6` for
an example. To use zoom search, two columns need to be selected, for
example, id and town\_code. The id values will be represented on one
axis and town\_code values on the other axis. Each row will be
represented as a point in a scatter plot based on its id and
town\_code. You can include two additional search criteria apart from
the two fields to display. 

You can choose which field should be
displayed as label for each point. If a display column has been set
for the table (see :ref:`faqdisplay`), it is taken as the label unless
you specify otherwise. You can also select the maximum number of rows
you want to be displayed in the plot by specifing it in the 'Max rows
to plot' field. Once you have decided over your criteria, click 'Go'
to display the plot. 

After the plot is generated, you can use the
mousewheel to zoom in and out of the plot. In addition, panning
feature is enabled to navigate through the plot. You can zoom-in to a
certail level of detail and use panning to locate your area of
interest. Clicking on a point opens a dialogue box, displaying field
values of the data row represented by the point. You can edit the
values if required and click on submit to issue an update query. Basic
instructions on how to use can be viewed by clicking the 'How to use?'
link located just above the plot.

.. _faq6_33:

6.33 When browsing a table, how can I copy a column name?
---------------------------------------------------------

Selecting the name of the column within the browse table header cell
for copying is difficult, as the columns support reordering by
dragging the header cells as well as sorting by clicking on the linked
column name. To copy a column name, double-click on the empty area
next to the column name, when the tooltip tells you to do so. This
will show you an input box with the column name. You may right-click
the column name within this input box to copy it to your clipboard.

.. _faqproject:

phpMyAdmin project
++++++++++++++++++

.. _faq7_1:

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

Our Bug Tracker is located at <http://sf.net/projects/phpmyadmin/> under the
Bugs section. But please first discuss your bug with other users:
<https://sourceforge.net/projects/phpmyadmin/forums>.

.. _faq7_2:

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

Translations are very welcome and all you need to have are the
language skills. The easiest way is to use our `online translation
service <https://l10n.cihar.com/projects/phpmyadmin/>`_. You can check
out all the possibilities to translate in the `translate section on
our website <http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/translate.php>`_.

.. _faq7_3:

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

We welcome every contribution to the development of phpMyAdmin. You
can check out all the possibilities to contribute in the `contribute
section on our website
<http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/improve.php>`_.

.. seealso:: :ref:`developers`

.. _faqsecurity:

Security
++++++++

.. _faq8_1:

8.1 Where can I get information about the security alerts issued for phpMyAdmin?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please refer to <http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/security.php>.

.. _faq8_2:

8.2 How can I protect phpMyAdmin against brute force attacks?
-------------------------------------------------------------

If you use Apache web server, phpMyAdmin exports information about
authentication to the Apache environment and it can be used in Apache
logs. Currently there are two variables available:


``userID``
    User name of currently active user (he does not have to be logged in).
``userStatus``
    Status of currently active user, one of ``ok`` (user is logged in),
    ``mysql-denied`` (MySQL denied user login), ``allow-denied`` (user denied
    by allow/deny rules), ``root-denied`` (root is denied in configuration),
    ``empty-denied`` (empty password is denied).

``LogFormat`` directive for Apache can look like following:

.. code-block:: apache

    LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %b \"%{Referer}i\" \"%{User-Agent}i\" %{userID}n %{userStatus}n"   pma_combined

You can then use any log analyzing tools to detect possible break-in
attempts.

.. _faqsynchronization:

Synchronization
+++++++++++++++

.. _faq9_1:

9.1 (withdrawn). 
----------------

.. _faq9_2:

9.2 (withdrawn). 
----------------

