~$ mysql -u username -p

Create a database:

create database db_name;

Delete a database:

drop database db_name;

List all databases:

show databases;

Select a database:

use db_name;

List tables of current database:

show tables;

List fields of a table:

describe table_name;

Table query structure:

select * from table_name where id = "5" 

Export a MySQL Database:

~$ mysqldump -u username -p db_name > FILE.sql 

Import a MySQL Database:

~$ mysql -u username -p db_name < FILE.sql 

http://my.blog.com/archive/2007/10/pretty-urls

Note that every part of the URL is relevant for a human reader. For comparison, here’s an example of an “ugly” URL:

http://www.mysite.com/nuke/modules.php?name=Forums&file=posting&mode=quote&p=14488&sid=0293840293840577

To enable the mod_rewrite module in Apache2 on Ubuntu:

(1) Add the rewrite.load to /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/

sudo ln -s /etc/apache2/mods-available/rewrite.load /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/

(2) Edit the apache configuration for your virtual hosting (/var/www/):

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default

(3) Change the AllowOverride value to “All” for the document root directory:

<directory /var/www/>
  Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
  AllowOverride All
  Order allow,deny
  allow from all
  # This directive allows us to have apache2's default start page
  # in /apache2-default/, but still have / go to the right place
  # Commented out for Ubuntu
  #RedirectMatch ^/$ /apache2-default/
</directory>

(4) Restart the server:

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

With this setup, you’ll be primed and ready to go to run popular content management software on your local box–like Drupal, Joomla or Silverstripe; start a WordPress or Textpattern blog; or even roll your own community site from scratch using a hot framework like CakePHP.

(If you’re just getting started with web design, it’s a good idea to check out the tutorials at w3schools.com, although you don’t have to know a single line of code to install a well-designed product like WordPress.)

This short tutorial assumes you’ve already installed some version of Ubuntu on your computer (–that takes care of the “Linux” part–), and leads you through installing an Apache web server, the PHP scripting language, and a MySQL database server.

(These instructions were tested on Kubuntu 7.10 “Gutsy.”)

(1) Install everything. Open a terminal and paste the following code, which will grab Apache, PHP, and MySQL all at once. That was easy.

sudo apt-get install apache2 php5-mysql libapache2-mod-php5 mysql-server

(2) Test Apache. Once installed, the Apache web server should be running. To find out for sure, open up a browser and enter http://localhost/ in the URL field. You should see something like this:

If you click on the apache2-default/ folder, you should see a message that says, “It works!” If instead of seeing the above, you get some sort of “Unable to connect” message, then the server is not running.

Try restarting Apache, then repeat step two:

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

(3) Enable PHP. Open a terminal and paste the following code, which will enable support for the PHP module in Apache’s configuration file:

sudo ln -s /etc/apache2/mods-available/php5.load /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/

Now, restart the Apache server (so the new module will take effect).

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

(4) Learn PHP. Quick. Create your first PHP script to test that the new module works. Open a terminal and paste the following code:

sudo nano /var/www/phpinfo.php

Whoa! What happened? Never used nano before? It’s a simple terminal-based text editor. Check out the keyboard shortcut commands at the bottom of the screen. You’ll figure it out.

Here’s the code to paste into nano:

<?php
  phpinfo();
?>

Don’t forget to save the file using Ctrl-O and then exit with Ctrl-X. Are we having fun yet?!

(5) Test PHP. Jump back over to the browser and reload the localhost page. You should see your new phpinfo.php file in there. Hey cool; we learned something: The Apache web root is located at /var/www, so any PHP files you save in there will be parsed by the server’s PHP engine.

Anyway, click on your new file. You should see some variant of this:

Great! We’re in.

(6) Test MySQL. This should already be installed and running, if step one went as planned. You should have already created a root username and password. If that’s the case, then just open a terminal and type:

mysql -u root -p

You’ll be prompted for the password you created earlier, and then you should see something like this:

Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 26
Server version: 5.0.45-Debian_1ubuntu3-log Debian etch distribution

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql>

Done! That’s it. You’re all set up. Check out the MySQL Command Reference for a few things to try in the monitor, if you like. Now you’re ready to start building your first dynamic website.

Fortunately, that’s another tutorial.