mysqli Instllation for handling MySQL database with PHP

Checking PHP Installation

Use phpinfo() function to get details of your PHP installation. You should able to read this part from the output.

Using function_exists to check mysqli support

if (function_exists('mysqli_connect')) {
  echo "mysqli is installed";
}else{
echo " Enable Mysqli support in your PHP installation "; 
}

Download files to test your MySQLI support

Podcast on MySQL database management using MySQLi connector

How to enable MySQLi inside php.ini file

Open your php.ini file ( php configuration file ) inside your PHP directory ( or windows directory ) . Search for mysqli and enable the dll by removing ; before it. You may have to re-boot your system. Here is an image of two lines after removing ; inside php.ini file.

php.ini mysqli dll

Example 2: Checking MySQLi Installation via PHP Script

You can verify MySQLi installation by running a simple PHP script. This script will confirm if the MySQLi extension is enabled:

<?php
if (function_exists('mysqli_connect')) {
    echo "MySQLi is installed and working.";
} else {
    echo "MySQLi is not installed.";
}
?>

Example 3: Testing a Connection to MySQL Database

Once installed, you can create a basic connection to the MySQL database using MySQLi:

<?php
$host = "localhost";
$user = "root";
$pass = "password";
$db = "test_db";
$connection = mysqli_connect($host, $user, $pass, $db);
if (!$connection) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}
echo "Connected successfully!";
?>

Example 4: Configuring MySQLi with ini_set()

Adjust PHP runtime settings to enable MySQLi dynamically using ini_set(), useful for environments where you cannot directly edit php.ini file.

<?php
ini_set("mysqli.allow_local_infile", "1");
ini_set("mysqli.allow_persistent", "1");
echo "MySQLi runtime configurations adjusted!";
?>

Additional Installation Tip: Installing MySQLi via Command Line

If you're on Linux or macOS, you can install the MySQLi extension using package managers:

// For Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install php-mysqli

// For macOS with Homebrew
brew install php

Example 4: Enabling MySQLi in php.ini

Ensure that the MySQLi extension is enabled in your *php.ini* configuration file:

extension=mysqli

These additions explain how to check the MySQLi installation, test the connection, and give further instructions for enabling the MySQLi extension, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the installation process.
MYSQLI Functions mysqli_connect(): Connection string for MYSQLI

Subhendu Mohapatra

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MYSQLI Connection String