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Creating a database using phpMyAdmin

 

You can create all of your database tables and queries using PHP code. But before doing that, it's a good idea to get an understanding of just what it is you'll be creating. If you're new to the world of databases, then here's a simple primer.


What is a database and what do they look like?

A database is a way to store lots of information. You might want to store the names and addresses of all your contacts, or save usernames and passwords for your online forum. Or maybe customer information.

When you create a database, you're creating a structure like this:
  ID Title First_Name Surname
  1 Mr Test Name
  2 Mrs Second Test

 

The columns (ID, Title, First_Name, Surname) are called Fields. The rows are called Records. Each record is a separate entry.

In a database, you save the information in a Table. A single database can contain many tables, and they can be linked together. When the tables are linked together, it's said to be a relational database. If you just have a single table in your database, then it's called a flat-file database. Flat-file database are easier to create and understand, so we'll start by creating one of these using phpMyAdmin.

So, if you have version 1.8 of EasyPHP, type http://127.0.0.1/mysql/ to bring up phpMyAdmin. However, if you have EasyPHP version 2.0, type http://127.0.0.1/home/mysql/ instead.

Although it looks a bit muddled, the part to concentrate on is the textbox under the words create new database, as in the next image:

Create a New Database

This is where you type a name for your database. We're going to create a simple Address Book, so type that into the textbox:

Type addressbook into the text box

After you have typed a name for your new database, click the "Create" button. You will be taken to a new area:

The Structure page in phpMyAdmin

In this new area, you can create a Table to go in your database. At the moment, as it says, there are No tables found in the database. But the database itself has been created.

To create a new table, type a name for it in the box at the bottom. You can also type a number for the Fields textbox. The fields are the columns, remember, and will be things like first_name, surname, address, etc. You can always add more later, but just type 4 in there. In fact, type it out exactly as it is below:

A new Table in phpMyAdmin

When you've finished, click the Go button. Another, more complex, area will appear:

Set up the fields in your Table


In this new area, you set up the fields in your database. You can specify whether a field is for text, for numbers, for yes/no values, etc. We'll see how to do that in the next part.

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