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4.2 Invoking MySQL Programs
===========================
To invoke a MySQL program from the command line (that is, from your
shell or command prompt), enter the program name followed by any
options or other arguments needed to instruct the program what you want
it to do. The following commands show some sample program invocations.
``shell>'' represents the prompt for your command interpreter; it is
not part of what you type. The particular prompt you see depends on your
command interpreter. Typical prompts are `$' for `sh' or `bash', `%'
for `csh' or `tcsh', and `C:\>' for the Windows `command.com' or
`cmd.exe' command interpreters.
shell> mysql -u root test
shell> mysqladmin extended-status variables
shell> mysqlshow --help
shell> mysqldump --user=root personnel
Arguments that begin with a single or double dash (‘`-'’,
‘`--'’) are option arguments. Options typically specify the type of
connection a program should make to the server or affect its
operational mode. Option syntax is described in program-options.
Non-option arguments (arguments with no leading dash) provide
additional information to the program. For example, the `mysql' program
interprets the first non-option argument as a database name, so the
command `mysql -u root test' indicates that you want to use the `test'
database.
Later sections that describe individual programs indicate which options
a program understands and describe the meaning of any additional
non-option arguments.
Some options are common to a number of programs. The most common of
these are the -host (or -h), -user (or -u), and -password (or -p)
options that specify connection parameters. They indicate the host
where the MySQL server is running, and the username and password of your
MySQL account. All MySQL client programs understand these options; they
allow you to specify which server to connect to and the account to use
on that server.
You may find it necessary to invoke MySQL programs using the pathname
to the `bin' directory in which they are installed. This is likely to
be the case if you get a `program not found' error whenever you attempt
to run a MySQL program from any directory other than the `bin'
directory. To make it more convenient to use MySQL, you can add the
pathname of the `bin' directory to your `PATH' environment variable
setting. That enables you to run a program by typing only its name, not
its entire pathname. For example, if `mysql' is installed in
`/usr/local/mysql/bin', you'll be able to run it by invoking it as
`mysql'; it will not be necessary to invoke it as
`/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql'.
Consult the documentation for your command interpreter for instructions
on setting your `PATH' variable. The syntax for setting environment
variables is interpreter-specific.
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