The Connector/ODBC architecture is based on five components, as shown in the following diagram:

An ODBC Driver Manager is a library that manages communication between the ODBC-aware application and any drivers. Its main functionality includes:

Both Windows and Mac OS X include ODBC driver managers with the operating system. Most ODBC Driver Manager implementations also include an administration application that makes the configuration of DSN and drivers easier. Examples and information on these managers, including Unix ODBC driver managers are listed below:

The installer packages offer a very simple method for installing the Connector/ODBC drivers. If you have downloaded the zipped installer then you must extract the installer application. The basic installation process is identical for both installers.

You should follow these steps to complete the installation:

Now the installation is complete, you can continue to configure your ODBC connections using Section 20.1.4, “Connector/ODBC Configuration”.

If you have downloaded the Zipped DLL package then you must install the individual files required for Connector/ODBC operation manually. Once you have unzipped the installation files, you can either perform this operation by hand, executing each statement individually, or you can use the included Batch file to perform an installation to the default locations.

To install using the Batch file:

If you want to copy the files to an alternative location - for example, to run or test different versions of the Connector/ODBC driver on the same machine, then you must copy the files by hand. It is however not recommended to install these files in a nonstandard location. To copy the files by hand to the default installation location use the following steps:

To install the driver from a tarball distribution (.tar.gz file), download the latest version of the driver for your operating system and follow these steps that demonstrate the process using the Linux version of the tarball:

shell> su root
shell> gunzip mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.11-i686-pc-linux.tar.gz
shell> tar xvf mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.11-i686-pc-linux.tar
shell> cd mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.11-i686-pc-linux

Read the installation instructions in the INSTALL file and execute these commands.

Then proceed on to Section 20.1.4.5, “Configuring a Connector/ODBC DSN on Unix”, to configure the DSN for Connector/ODBC. For more information, refer to the INSTALL file that comes with your distribution.

To install or upgrade Connector/ODBC from an RPM distribution on Linux, simply download the RPM distribution of the latest version of Connector/ODBC and follow the instructions below. Use su root to become root, then install the RPM file.

If you are installing for the first time:

shell> su root
 shell> rpm -ivh mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.12.i386.rpm

If the driver exists, upgrade it like this:

shell> su root
shell> rpm -Uvh mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.12.i386.rpm

If there is any dependency error for MySQL client library, libmysqlclient, simply ignore it by supplying the --nodeps option, and then make sure the MySQL client shared library is in the path or set through LD_LIBRARY_PATH.

This installs the driver libraries and related documents to /usr/local/lib and /usr/share/doc/MyODBC, respectively. Proceed onto Section 20.1.4.5, “Configuring a Connector/ODBC DSN on Unix”.

To uninstall the driver, become root and execute an rpm command:

shell> su root
shell> rpm -e mysql-connector-odbc

Connector/ODBC source distributions include Makefiles that require the nmake or other make utility. In the distribution, you can find Makefile for building the release version and Makefile_debug for building debugging versions of the driver libraries and DLLs.

To build the driver, use this procedure:

After the driver libraries are copied/installed to the system directory, you can test whether the libraries are properly built by using the samples provided in the samples subdirectory:

C:\> cd samples
C:\> nmake -f Makefile all

The configure script gives you a great deal of control over how you configure your Connector/ODBC build. Typically you do this using options on the configure command line. You can also affect configure using certain environment variables. For a list of options and environment variables supported by configure, run this command:

shell> ./configure --help

Some of the more commonly used configure options are described here:

The final configuration command looks something like this:

shell> ./configure --prefix=/usr/local \
         --with-iodbc=/usr/local \
         --with-mysql-path=/usr/local/mysql

There are a number of other options that you need, or want, to set when configuring the Connector/ODBC driver before it is built.

To build the driver libraries, you have to just execute make.

shell> make

If any errors occur, correct them and continue the build process. If you aren't able to build, then send a detailed email to <myodbc@lists.mysql.com> for further assistance.

On most platforms, MySQL does not build or support .so (shared) client libraries by default. This is based on our experience of problems when building shared libraries.

In cases like this, you have to download the MySQL distribution and configure it with these options:

--without-server --enable-shared

To build shared driver libraries, you must specify the --enable-shared option for configure. By default, configure does not enable this option.

If you have configured with the --disable-shared option, you can build the .so file from the static libraries using the following commands:

shell> cd mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.01
shell> make
shell> cd driver
shell> CC=/usr/bin/gcc \
          $CC -bundle -flat_namespace -undefined error \
          -o .libs/libmyodbc3-3.51.01.so \
          catalog.o connect.o cursor.o dll.o error.o execute.o \
          handle.o info.o misc.o myodbc3.o options.o prepare.o \
          results.o transact.o utility.o \
          -L/usr/local/mysql/lib/mysql/ \
          -L/usr/local/iodbc/lib/ \
          -lz -lc -lmysqlclient -liodbcinst

Make sure to change -liodbcinst to -lodbcinst if you are using unixODBC instead of iODBC, and configure the library paths accordingly.

This builds and places the libmyodbc3-3.51.01.so file in the .libs directory. Copy this file to the Connector/ODBC library installation directory (/usr/local/lib (or the lib directory under the installation directory that you supplied with the --prefix).

shell> cd .libs
shell> cp libmyodbc3-3.51.01.so /usr/local/lib
shell> cd /usr/local/lib
shell> ln -s libmyodbc3-3.51.01.so libmyodbc3.so

To build the thread-safe driver library:

shell> CC=/usr/bin/gcc \
          $CC -bundle -flat_namespace -undefined error
          -o .libs/libmyodbc3_r-3.51.01.so
          catalog.o connect.o cursor.o dll.o error.o execute.o
          handle.o info.o misc.o myodbc3.o options.o prepare.o
          results.o transact.o utility.o
          -L/usr/local/mysql/lib/mysql/
          -L/usr/local/iodbc/lib/
          -lz -lc -lmysqlclient_r -liodbcinst

To install the driver libraries, execute the following command:

shell> make install

That command installs one of the following sets of libraries:

For Connector/ODBC 3.51:

For thread-safe Connector/ODBC 3.51:

For more information on build process, refer to the INSTALL file that comes with the source distribution. Note that if you are trying to use the make from Sun, you may end up with errors. On the other hand, GNU gmake should work fine on all platforms.

To run the basic samples provided in the distribution with the libraries that you built, use the following command:

shell> make test

Before running the tests, create the DSN 'myodbc3' in odbc.ini and set the environment variable ODBCINI to the correct odbc.ini file; and MySQL server is running. You can find a sample odbc.ini with the driver distribution.

You can even modify the samples/run-samples script to pass the desired DSN, UID, and PASSWORD values as the command-line arguments to each sample.

To build the driver on Mac OS X (Darwin), make use of the following configure example:

shell> ./configure --prefix=/usr/local
          --with-unixODBC=/usr/local
          --with-mysql-path=/usr/local/mysql
          --disable-shared
          --enable-gui=no
          --host=powerpc-apple

The command assumes that the unixODBC and MySQL are installed in the default locations. If not, configure accordingly.

On Mac OS X, --enable-shared builds .dylib files by default. You can build .so files like this:

shell> make
shell> cd driver
shell> CC=/usr/bin/gcc \
          $CC -bundle -flat_namespace -undefined error
          -o .libs/libmyodbc3-3.51.01.so *.o
          -L/usr/local/mysql/lib/
          -L/usr/local/iodbc/lib
          -liodbcinst -lmysqlclient -lz -lc

To build the thread-safe driver library:

shell> CC=/usr/bin/gcc \
          $CC -bundle -flat_namespace -undefined error
          -o .libs/libmyodbc3-3.51.01.so *.o
          -L/usr/local/mysql/lib/
          -L/usr/local/iodbc/lib
          -liodbcinst -lmysqlclienti_r -lz -lc -lpthread

Make sure to change the -liodbcinst to -lodbcinst in case of using unixODBC instead of iODBC and configure the libraries path accordingly.

In Apple's version of GCC, both cc and gcc are actually symbolic links to gcc3.

Copy this library to the $prefix/lib directory and symlink to libmyodbc3.so.

You can cross-check the output shared-library properties using this command:

shell> otool -LD .libs/libmyodbc3-3.51.01.so

To build the driver on HP-UX 10.x or 11.x, make use of the following configure example:

If using cc:

shell> CC="cc" \
          CFLAGS="+z" \
          LDFLAGS="-Wl,+b:-Wl,+s" \
          ./configure --prefix=/usr/local
          --with-unixodbc=/usr/local
          --with-mysql-path=/usr/local/mysql/lib/mysql
          --enable-shared
          --enable-thread-safe

If using gcc:

shell> CC="gcc" \
          LDFLAGS="-Wl,+b:-Wl,+s" \
          ./configure --prefix=/usr/local
          --with-unixodbc=/usr/local
          --with-mysql-path=/usr/local/mysql
          --enable-shared
          --enable-thread-safe

Once the driver is built, cross-check its attributes using chatr .libs/libmyodbc3.sl to determine whether you need to have set the MySQL client library path using the SHLIB_PATH environment variable. For static versions, ignore all shared-library options and run configure with the --disable-shared option.

To build the driver on AIX, make use of the following configure example:

shell> ./configure --prefix=/usr/local
          --with-unixodbc=/usr/local
          --with-mysql-path=/usr/local/mysql
          --disable-shared
          --enable-thread-safe

To add and configure a new Connector/ODBC data source on Windows, use the ODBC Data Source Administrator:

A completed DSN configuration may look like this:

You can verify the connection using the parameters you have entered by clicking the Test button. If the connection could be made successfully, you will be notified with a Success; connection was made! dialog.

If the connection failed, you can obtain more information on the test and why it may have failed by clicking the Diagnostics... button to show additional error messages.

You can configure a number of options for a specific DSN by using either the Connect Options or Advanced tabs in the DSN configuration dialog.

The three options you can configure are:

The Advanced tab enables you to configure Connector/ODBC connection parameters. Refer to Section 20.1.4.2, “Connector/ODBC Connection Parameters”, for information about the meaning of these options.

The DSN configuration when using Connector/ODBC 5.1.1 and later has a slightly different layout. Also, due to the native Unicode support within Connector/ODBC 5.1, you no longer need to specify the initial character set to be used with your connection.

To configure a DSN using the Connector/ODBC 5.1.1 or later driver:

You can verify the connection using the parameters you have entered by clicking the Test button. If the connection could be made successfully, you will be notified with a Success; connection was made! dialog.

You can configure a number of options for a specific DSN by using the Details button.

The Details button opens a tabbed display which allows you to set additional options:

The Advanced tab enables you to configure Connector/ODBC connection parameters. Refer to Section 20.1.4.2, “Connector/ODBC Connection Parameters”, for information about the meaning of these options.

This section answers Connector/ODBC connection-related questions.

To enable the trace option on Windows:

To enable the trace option on Mac OS X 10.3 or later you should use the Tracing tab within ODBC Administrator .

To enable the trace option on Mac OS X 10.2 (or earlier) or Unix you must add the trace option to the ODBC configuration:

To generate a Connector/ODBC log, do the following:

If you need help determining what is wrong, see Section 20.1.8.1, “Connector/ODBC Community Support”.

To export a table of data from an Access database to MySQL, follow these instructions:

Microsoft Access connects to the MySQL Server through this data source and exports new tables and or data.

To import a table or tables from MySQL to Access, follow these instructions:

You can use Microsoft Access as a front end to a MySQL database by linking tables within your Microsoft Access database to tables that exist within your MySQL database. When a query is requested on a table within Access, ODBC is used to execute the queries on the MySQL database instead.

To create a linked table:

Once the process has been completed, you can now build interfaces and queries to the linked tables just as you would for any Access database.

Use the following procedure to view or to refresh links when the structure or location of a linked table has changed. The Linked Table Manager lists the paths to all currently linked tables.

To view or refresh links:

Microsoft Access confirms a successful refresh or, if the table wasn't found, displays the Select New Location of <table name> dialog box in which you can specify its the table's new location. If several selected tables have moved to the new location that you specify, the Linked Table Manager searches that location for all selected tables, and updates all links in one step.

To change the path for a set of linked tables:

This section contains simple examples of the use of MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver with ADO, DAO and RDO.

Private Sub myodbc_ado_Click()

Dim conn As ADODB.Connection
Dim rs As ADODB.Recordset
Dim fld As ADODB.Field
Dim sql As String

'connect to MySQL server using MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver
Set conn = New ADODB.Connection
conn.ConnectionString = "DRIVER={MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver};"_
& "SERVER=localhost;"_
& " DATABASE=test;"_
& "UID=venu;PWD=venu; OPTION=3"

conn.Open

'create table
conn.Execute "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS my_ado"
conn.Execute "CREATE TABLE my_ado(id int not null primary key, name varchar(20)," _
& "txt text, dt date, tm time, ts timestamp)"

'direct insert
conn.Execute "INSERT INTO my_ado(id,name,txt) values(1,100,'venu')"
conn.Execute "INSERT INTO my_ado(id,name,txt) values(2,200,'MySQL')"
conn.Execute "INSERT INTO my_ado(id,name,txt) values(3,300,'Delete')"

Set rs = New ADODB.Recordset
rs.CursorLocation = adUseServer

'fetch the initial table ..
rs.Open "SELECT * FROM my_ado", conn
Debug.Print rs.RecordCount
rs.MoveFirst
Debug.Print String(50, "-") & "Initial my_ado Result Set " & String(50, "-")
For Each fld In rs.Fields
Debug.Print fld.Name,
Next
Debug.Print

Do Until rs.EOF
For Each fld In rs.Fields
Debug.Print fld.Value,
Next
rs.MoveNext
Debug.Print
Loop
rs.Close

'rs insert
rs.Open "select * from my_ado", conn, adOpenDynamic, adLockOptimistic
rs.AddNew
rs!Name = "Monty"
rs!txt = "Insert row"
rs.Update
rs.Close

'rs update
rs.Open "SELECT * FROM my_ado"
rs!Name = "update"
rs!txt = "updated-row"
rs.Update
rs.Close

'rs update second time..
rs.Open "SELECT * FROM my_ado"
rs!Name = "update"
rs!txt = "updated-second-time"
rs.Update
rs.Close

'rs delete
rs.Open "SELECT * FROM my_ado"
rs.MoveNext
rs.MoveNext
rs.Delete
rs.Close

'fetch the updated table ..
rs.Open "SELECT * FROM my_ado", conn
Debug.Print rs.RecordCount
rs.MoveFirst
Debug.Print String(50, "-") & "Updated my_ado Result Set " & String(50, "-")
For Each fld In rs.Fields
Debug.Print fld.Name,
Next
Debug.Print

Do Until rs.EOF
For Each fld In rs.Fields
Debug.Print fld.Value,
Next
rs.MoveNext
Debug.Print
Loop
rs.Close
conn.Close
End Sub

Private Sub myodbc_dao_Click()

Dim ws As Workspace
Dim conn As Connection
Dim queryDef As queryDef
Dim str As String

'connect to MySQL using MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver
Set ws = DBEngine.CreateWorkspace("", "venu", "venu", dbUseODBC)
str = "odbc;DRIVER={MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver};"_
& "SERVER=localhost;"_
& " DATABASE=test;"_
& "UID=venu;PWD=venu; OPTION=3"
Set conn = ws.OpenConnection("test", dbDriverNoPrompt, False, str)

'Create table my_dao
Set queryDef = conn.CreateQueryDef("", "drop table if exists my_dao")
queryDef.Execute

Set queryDef = conn.CreateQueryDef("", "create table my_dao(Id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, " _
& "Ts TIMESTAMP(14) NOT NULL, Name varchar(20), Id2 INT)")
queryDef.Execute

'Insert new records using rs.addNew
Set rs = conn.OpenRecordset("my_dao")
Dim i As Integer

For i = 10 To 15
rs.AddNew
rs!Name = "insert record" & i
rs!Id2 = i
rs.Update
Next i
rs.Close

'rs update..
Set rs = conn.OpenRecordset("my_dao")
rs.Edit
rs!Name = "updated-string"
rs.Update
rs.Close

'fetch the table back...
Set rs = conn.OpenRecordset("my_dao", dbOpenDynamic)
str = "Results:"
rs.MoveFirst
While Not rs.EOF
str = " " & rs!Id & " , " & rs!Name & ", " & rs!Ts & ", " & rs!Id2
Debug.Print "DATA:" & str
rs.MoveNext
Wend

'rs Scrolling
rs.MoveFirst
str = " FIRST ROW: " & rs!Id & " , " & rs!Name & ", " & rs!Ts & ", " & rs!Id2
Debug.Print str

rs.MoveLast
str = " LAST ROW: " & rs!Id & " , " & rs!Name & ", " & rs!Ts & ", " & rs!Id2
Debug.Print str

rs.MovePrevious
str = " LAST-1 ROW: " & rs!Id & " , " & rs!Name & ", " & rs!Ts & ", " & rs!Id2
Debug.Print str

'free all resources
rs.Close
queryDef.Close
conn.Close
ws.Close

End Sub

Dim rs As rdoResultset
Dim cn As New rdoConnection
Dim cl As rdoColumn
Dim SQL As String

'cn.Connect = "DSN=test;"
cn.Connect = "DRIVER={MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver};"_
& "SERVER=localhost;"_
& " DATABASE=test;"_
& "UID=venu;PWD=venu; OPTION=3"

cn.CursorDriver = rdUseOdbc
cn.EstablishConnection rdDriverPrompt


'drop table my_rdo
SQL = "drop table if exists my_rdo"
cn.Execute SQL, rdExecDirect

'create table my_rdo
SQL = "create table my_rdo(id int, name varchar(20))"
cn.Execute SQL, rdExecDirect

'insert - direct
SQL = "insert into my_rdo values (100,'venu')"
cn.Execute SQL, rdExecDirect

SQL = "insert into my_rdo values (200,'MySQL')"
cn.Execute SQL, rdExecDirect

'rs insert
SQL = "select * from my_rdo"
Set rs = cn.OpenResultset(SQL, rdOpenStatic, rdConcurRowVer, rdExecDirect)
rs.AddNew
rs!id = 300
rs!Name = "Insert1"
rs.Update
rs.Close

'rs insert
SQL = "select * from my_rdo"
Set rs = cn.OpenResultset(SQL, rdOpenStatic, rdConcurRowVer, rdExecDirect)
rs.AddNew
rs!id = 400
rs!Name = "Insert 2"
rs.Update
rs.Close

'rs update
SQL = "select * from my_rdo"
Set rs = cn.OpenResultset(SQL, rdOpenStatic, rdConcurRowVer, rdExecDirect)
rs.Edit
rs!id = 999
rs!Name = "updated"
rs.Update
rs.Close

'fetch back...
SQL = "select * from my_rdo"
Set rs = cn.OpenResultset(SQL, rdOpenStatic, rdConcurRowVer, rdExecDirect)
Do Until rs.EOF
For Each cl In rs.rdoColumns
Debug.Print cl.Value,
Next
rs.MoveNext
Debug.Print
Loop
Debug.Print "Row count="; rs.RowCount

'close
rs.Close
cn.Close

End Sub

This section contains simple examples that demonstrate the use of Connector/ODBC drivers with ODBC.NET.

/**
 * @sample    : mycon.cs
 * @purpose   : Demo sample for ODBC.NET using Connector/ODBC
 * @author    : Venu, <myodbc@lists.mysql.com>
 *
 * (C) Copyright MySQL AB, 1995-2006
 *
 **/

/* build command
 *
 *  csc /t:exe
 *      /out:mycon.exe mycon.cs
 *      /r:Microsoft.Data.Odbc.dll
 */

using Console = System.Console;
using Microsoft.Data.Odbc;

namespace myodbc3
{
  class mycon
  {
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      try
        {
          //Connection string for Connector/ODBC 3.51
          string MyConString = "DRIVER={MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver};" +
            "SERVER=localhost;" +
            "DATABASE=test;" +
            "UID=venu;" +
            "PASSWORD=venu;" +
            "OPTION=3";

          //Connect to MySQL using Connector/ODBC
          OdbcConnection MyConnection = new OdbcConnection(MyConString);
          MyConnection.Open();

          Console.WriteLine("\n !!! success, connected successfully !!!\n");

          //Display connection information
          Console.WriteLine("Connection Information:");
          Console.WriteLine("\tConnection String:" +
                            MyConnection.ConnectionString);
          Console.WriteLine("\tConnection Timeout:" +
                            MyConnection.ConnectionTimeout);
          Console.WriteLine("\tDatabase:" +
                            MyConnection.Database);
          Console.WriteLine("\tDataSource:" +
                            MyConnection.DataSource);
          Console.WriteLine("\tDriver:" +
                            MyConnection.Driver);
          Console.WriteLine("\tServerVersion:" +
                            MyConnection.ServerVersion);

          //Create a sample table
          OdbcCommand MyCommand =
            new OdbcCommand("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS my_odbc_net",
                            MyConnection);
          MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery();
          MyCommand.CommandText =
            "CREATE TABLE my_odbc_net(id int, name varchar(20), idb bigint)";
          MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery();

          //Insert
          MyCommand.CommandText =
            "INSERT INTO my_odbc_net VALUES(10,'venu', 300)";
          Console.WriteLine("INSERT, Total rows affected:" +
                            MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery());;

          //Insert
          MyCommand.CommandText =
            "INSERT INTO my_odbc_net VALUES(20,'mysql',400)";
          Console.WriteLine("INSERT, Total rows affected:" +
                            MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery());

          //Insert
          MyCommand.CommandText =
            "INSERT INTO my_odbc_net VALUES(20,'mysql',500)";
          Console.WriteLine("INSERT, Total rows affected:" +
                            MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery());

          //Update
          MyCommand.CommandText =
            "UPDATE my_odbc_net SET id=999 WHERE id=20";
          Console.WriteLine("Update, Total rows affected:" +
                            MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery());

          //COUNT(*)
          MyCommand.CommandText =
            "SELECT COUNT(*) as TRows FROM my_odbc_net";
          Console.WriteLine("Total Rows:" +
                            MyCommand.ExecuteScalar());

          //Fetch
          MyCommand.CommandText = "SELECT * FROM my_odbc_net";
          OdbcDataReader MyDataReader;
          MyDataReader =  MyCommand.ExecuteReader();
          while (MyDataReader.Read())
            {
              if(string.Compare(MyConnection.Driver,"myodbc3.dll") == 0) {
                //Supported only by Connector/ODBC 3.51
                Console.WriteLine("Data:" + MyDataReader.GetInt32(0) + " " +
                                  MyDataReader.GetString(1) + " " +
                                  MyDataReader.GetInt64(2));
              }
              else {
                //BIGINTs not supported by Connector/ODBC
                Console.WriteLine("Data:" + MyDataReader.GetInt32(0) + " " +
                                  MyDataReader.GetString(1) + " " +
                                  MyDataReader.GetInt32(2));
              }
            }

          //Close all resources
          MyDataReader.Close();
          MyConnection.Close();
        }
      catch (OdbcException MyOdbcException) //Catch any ODBC exception ..
        {
          for (int i=0; i < MyOdbcException.Errors.Count; i++)
            {
              Console.Write("ERROR #" + i + "\n" +
                            "Message: " +
                            MyOdbcException.Errors[i].Message + "\n" +
                            "Native: " +
                            MyOdbcException.Errors[i].NativeError.ToString() + "\n" +
                            "Source: " +
                            MyOdbcException.Errors[i].Source + "\n" +
                            "SQL: " +
                            MyOdbcException.Errors[i].SQLState + "\n");
            }
        }
    }
  }
}

' @sample    : myvb.vb
' @purpose   : Demo sample for ODBC.NET using Connector/ODBC
' @author    : Venu, <myodbc@lists.mysql.com>
'
' (C) Copyright MySQL AB, 1995-2006
'
'

'
' build command
'
' vbc /target:exe
'     /out:myvb.exe
'     /r:Microsoft.Data.Odbc.dll
'     /r:System.dll
'     /r:System.Data.dll
'

Imports Microsoft.Data.Odbc
Imports System

Module myvb
  Sub Main()
    Try

      'Connector/ODBC 3.51 connection string
      Dim MyConString As String = "DRIVER={MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver};" & _
      "SERVER=localhost;" & _
      "DATABASE=test;" & _
      "UID=venu;" & _
      "PASSWORD=venu;" & _
      "OPTION=3;"

      'Connection
      Dim MyConnection As New OdbcConnection(MyConString)
      MyConnection.Open()

      Console.WriteLine("Connection State::" & MyConnection.State.ToString)

      'Drop
      Console.WriteLine("Dropping table")
      Dim MyCommand As New OdbcCommand()
      MyCommand.Connection = MyConnection
      MyCommand.CommandText = "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS my_vb_net"
      MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery()

      'Create
      Console.WriteLine("Creating....")
      MyCommand.CommandText = "CREATE TABLE my_vb_net(id int, name varchar(30))"
      MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery()

      'Insert
      MyCommand.CommandText = "INSERT INTO my_vb_net VALUES(10,'venu')"
      Console.WriteLine("INSERT, Total rows affected:" & _
      MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery())

      'Insert
      MyCommand.CommandText = "INSERT INTO my_vb_net VALUES(20,'mysql')"
      Console.WriteLine("INSERT, Total rows affected:" & _
      MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery())

      'Insert
      MyCommand.CommandText = "INSERT INTO my_vb_net VALUES(20,'mysql')"
      Console.WriteLine("INSERT, Total rows affected:" & _
      MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery())

      'Insert
      MyCommand.CommandText = "INSERT INTO my_vb_net(id) VALUES(30)"
      Console.WriteLine("INSERT, Total rows affected:" & _
                        MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery())

      'Update
      MyCommand.CommandText = "UPDATE my_vb_net SET id=999 WHERE id=20"
      Console.WriteLine("Update, Total rows affected:" & _
      MyCommand.ExecuteNonQuery())

      'COUNT(*)
      MyCommand.CommandText = "SELECT COUNT(*) as TRows FROM my_vb_net"
      Console.WriteLine("Total Rows:" & MyCommand.ExecuteScalar())

      'Select
      Console.WriteLine("Select * FROM my_vb_net")
      MyCommand.CommandText = "SELECT * FROM my_vb_net"
      Dim MyDataReader As OdbcDataReader
      MyDataReader = MyCommand.ExecuteReader
      While MyDataReader.Read
        If MyDataReader("name") Is DBNull.Value Then
          Console.WriteLine("id = " & _
          CStr(MyDataReader("id")) & "  name = " & _
          "NULL")
        Else
          Console.WriteLine("id = " & _
          CStr(MyDataReader("id")) & "  name = " & _
          CStr(MyDataReader("name")))
        End If
      End While

      'Catch ODBC Exception
    Catch MyOdbcException As OdbcException
      Dim i As Integer
      Console.WriteLine(MyOdbcException.ToString)

      'Catch program exception
    Catch MyException As Exception
      Console.WriteLine(MyException.ToString)
    End Try
  End Sub

Obtaining the value of column that uses AUTO_INCREMENT after an INSERT statement can be achieved in a number of different ways. To obtain the value immediately after an INSERT, use a SELECT query with the LAST_INSERT_ID() function.

For example, using Connector/ODBC you would execute two separate statements, the INSERT statement and the SELECT query to obtain the auto-increment value.

INSERT INTO tbl (auto,text) VALUES(NULL,'text');
SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID();

If you do not require the value within your application, but do require the value as part of another INSERT, the entire process can be handled by executing the following statements:

INSERT INTO tbl (auto,text) VALUES(NULL,'text');
INSERT INTO tbl2 (id,text) VALUES(LAST_INSERT_ID(),'text');

Certain ODBC applications (including Delphi and Access) may have trouble obtaining the auto-increment value using the previous examples. In this case, try the following statement as an alternative:

SELECT * FROM tbl WHERE auto IS NULL;

See Section 20.9.10.3, “How to Get the Unique ID for the Last Inserted Row”.

Support for the dynamic cursor is provided in Connector/ODBC 3.51, but dynamic cursors are not enabled by default. You can enable this function within Windows by selecting the Enable Dynamic Cursor checkbox within the ODBC Data Source Administrator.

On other platforms, you can enable the dynamic cursor by adding 32 to the OPTION value when creating the DSN.

The Connector/ODBC driver has been optimized to provide very fast performance. If you experience problems with the performance of Connector/ODBC, or notice a large amount of disk activity for simple queries, there are a number of aspects you should check:

For more information on how to set the query timeout on Microsoft Windows when executing queries through an ODBC connection, read the Microsoft knowledgebase document at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B153756.

The majority of Microsoft applications have been tested with Connector/ODBC, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Access and the various programming languages supported within ASP and Microsoft Visual Studio.

Dim myconn As New ADODB.Connection
Dim myrs As New Recordset
Dim mySQL As String
Dim myrows As Long

myconn.Open "DSN=MyODBCsample"
mySQL = "SELECT * from user"
myrs.Source = mySQL
Set myrs.ActiveConnection = myconn
myrs.CursorLocation = adUseClient
myrs.Open
myrows = myrs.RecordCount

myrs.Close
myconn.Close

With all Borland applications where the Borland Database Engine (BDE) is used, follow these steps to improve compatibility:

fReg:= TRegistry.Create;
fReg.OpenKey('\Software\ODBC\ODBC.INI\DocumentsFab', True);
fReg.WriteString('Database', 'Documents');
fReg.WriteString('Description', ' ');
fReg.WriteString('Driver', 'C:\WINNT\System32\myodbc.dll');
fReg.WriteString('Flag', '1');
fReg.WriteString('Password', '');
fReg.WriteString('Port', ' ');
fReg.WriteString('Server', 'xmark');
fReg.WriteString('User', 'winuser');
fReg.OpenKey('\Software\ODBC\ODBC.INI\ODBC Data Sources', True);
fReg.WriteString('DocumentsFab', 'MySQL');
fReg.CloseKey;
fReg.Free;

Memo1.Lines.Add('DATABASE NAME=');
Memo1.Lines.Add('USER NAME=');
Memo1.Lines.Add('ODBC DSN=DocumentsFab');
Memo1.Lines.Add('OPEN MODE=READ/WRITE');
Memo1.Lines.Add('BATCH COUNT=200');
Memo1.Lines.Add('LANGDRIVER=');
Memo1.Lines.Add('MAX ROWS=-1');
Memo1.Lines.Add('SCHEMA CACHE DIR=');
Memo1.Lines.Add('SCHEMA CACHE SIZE=8');
Memo1.Lines.Add('SCHEMA CACHE TIME=-1');
Memo1.Lines.Add('SQLPASSTHRU MODE=SHARED AUTOCOMMIT');
Memo1.Lines.Add('SQLQRYMODE=');
Memo1.Lines.Add('ENABLE SCHEMA CACHE=FALSE');
Memo1.Lines.Add('ENABLE BCD=FALSE');
Memo1.Lines.Add('ROWSET SIZE=20');
Memo1.Lines.Add('BLOBS TO CACHE=64');
Memo1.Lines.Add('BLOB SIZE=32');

AliasEditor.Add('DocumentsFab','MySQL',Memo1.Lines);

The following information is taken from the ColdFusion documentation:

Use the following information to configure ColdFusion Server for Linux to use the unixODBC driver with Connector/ODBC for MySQL data sources. You can download Connector/ODBC at http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/odbc/.

ColdFusion version 4.5.1 allows you to us the ColdFusion Administrator to add the MySQL data source. However, the driver is not included with ColdFusion version 4.5.1. Before the MySQL driver appears in the ODBC data sources drop-down list, you must build and copy the Connector/ODBC driver to /opt/coldfusion/lib/libmyodbc.so.

The Contrib directory contains the program mydsn-xxx.zip which allows you to build and remove the DSN registry file for the Connector/ODBC driver on ColdFusion applications.

For more information and guides on using ColdFusion and Connector/ODBC, see the following external sites:

Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org) How-to: MySQL + OpenOffice. How-to: OpenOffice + MyODBC + unixODBC.

Sambar Server (http://www.sambarserver.info) How-to: MyODBC + SambarServer + MySQL.

You have to change it to output VARCHAR rather than ENUM, as it exports the latter in a manner that causes MySQL problems.

You should select the Return matching rows option.

Using the installer is the most straightforward method of installing Connector/NET on Windows and the installed components include the source code, test code and full reference documentation.

Connector/NET is installed through the use of a Windows Installer (.msi) installation package, which can be used to install Connector/NET on all Windows operating systems. The MSI package in contained within a ZIP archive named mysql-connector-net-version.zip, where version indicates the Connector/NET version.

To install Connector/NET:

Unless you choose otherwise, Connector/NET is installed in C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Connector Net X.X.X, where X.X.X is replaced with the version of Connector/NET you are installing. New installations do not overwrite existing versions of Connector/NET.

Depending on your installation type, the installed components will include some or all of the following components:

You may also use the /quiet or /q command-line option with the msiexec tool to install the Connector/NET package automatically (using the default options) with no notification to the user. Using this method the user cannot select options. Additionally, no prompts, messages or dialog boxes will be displayed.

C:\> msiexec /package conector-net.msi /quiet

To provide a progress bar to the user during automatic installation, use the /passive option.

If you are having problems running the installer, you can download a Zip file without an installer as an alternative. That file is called mysql-connector-net-version-noinstall.zip. Once downloaded, you can extract the files to a location of your choice.

The file contains the following directories:

Connector/NET 6.0.x has a different directory structure:

There is also another Zip file available for download called mysql-connector-net-version-src.zip. This file contains the source code distribution.

The file contains the following directories:

Finally, you need to ensure that MySql.Data.dll is accessible to your program at build time (and run time). If using Microsoft Visual Studio you will need to add MySql.Data as a Reference to your project.

You can use the Column Editor to set or change the name, data type, default value, and other properties of a table column. To set the focus to a needed cell of a grid, use the mouse click. Also you can move through the grid using Tab and Shift+Tab keys.

To set or change the name, data type, default value and comment of a column, activate the appropriate cell and type the desired value.

To set or unset flag-type column properties (NOT NULL, auto incremented, flags), check or uncheck the corresponding check boxes. Note that the set of column flags depends on its data type.

To reorder columns, index columns or foreign key columns in the Column Editor, select the whole column you wish to reorder by clicking on the selector column on the left of the column grid. Then move the column by using Ctrl+Up (to move the column up) or Ctrl+Down (to move the column down) keys.

To delete a column, select it by clicking on the selector column on the left of the column grid, then press the Delete button on a keyboard.

Indexes management is performed via the Indexes/Keys dialog.

To add an index, select Table Designer, Indexes/Keys... from the main menu, and click Add to add a new index. You can then set the index name, index kind, index type, and a set of index columns.

Figure 20.9. Indexes Dialog

To remove an index, select it in the list box on the left, and click the Delete button.

To change index settings, select the needed index in the list box on the left. The detailed information about the index is displayed in the panel on the right hand side. Change the desired values.

Foreign Keys management is performed via the Foreign Key Relationships dialog.

To add a foreign key, select Table Designer, Relationships... from the main menu. This displays the Foreign Key Relationship dialog. Click Add. You can then set the foreign key name, referenced table name, foreign key columns, and actions upon update and delete.

To remove a foreign key, select it in the list box on the left, and click the Delete button.

To change foreign key settings, select the required foreign key in the list box on the left. The detailed information about the foreign key is displayed in the right hand panel. Change the desired values.

Figure 20.10. Foreign Key Relationships Dialog

The Column Properties tab can be used to set column options. In addition to the general column properties presented in the Column Editor, in the Column Properties tab you can set additional properties such as Character Set, Collation and Precision.

To bring up Table Properties select the table and right click to activate the context menu. Select Properties. The Table Properties dockable window will be displayed.

Figure 20.11. Table Properties Menu Item

The following table properties can be set:

The property Schema is read only.

Figure 20.12. Table Properties

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a Windows Forms Data Source from an Entity in an Entity Data Model. This tutorial assumes that you have installed the World example database, which can be downloaded from the MySQL Documentation page. You can also find details on how to install the database on the same page. It will also be convenient for you to create a connection to the World database after it is installed. For instructions on how to do this see Section 20.2.3.1, “Making a connection”.

Creating a new Windows Forms application

The first step is to create a new Windows Forms application.

Adding an Entity Data Model

You will now add an Entity Data Model to your solution.

Adding a new Data Source

You will now add a new Data Source to your project and see how it can be used to read and write to the database.

Using the Data Source in a Windows Form

You will now learn how to use the Data Source in a Windows Form.

Adding Code to Populate the Data Grid View

You are now ready to add code to ensure that the Data Grid View control will be populated with data from the City database table.

Adding Code to Save Changes to the Database

You will now add code to enable you to save changes to the database.

The Binding source component ensures that changes made in the Data Grid View control are also made to the Entity classes bound to it. However, that data needs to be saved back from the entities to the database itself. This can be achieved by the enabling of the Save button in the Navigator control, and the addition of some code.

In this tutorial you create an ASP.NET web page that binds LINQ queries to entities using the Entity Framework mapping.

If you have not already done so, you should install the World example database prior to attempting this tutorial. Instructions on where to obtain the database and instructions on how to install it where given in the tutorial Section 20.2.3.9.1, “Tutorial: Using an Entity Framework Entity as a Windows Forms Data Source”.

Creating an ASP.NET web site

In this part of the tutorial you will create an ASP.NET web site. The web site will use the World database. The main web page will feature a drop down list from which you can select a country, data about that country's cities will then be displayed in a grid view control.

At this stage you have a web site that will build, but further functionality is required. The next step will be to use the Entity Framework to create a mapping from the World database into entities that you can control programmatically.

Creating an ADO.NET Entity Data Model

In this stage of the tutorial you will add an ADO.NET Entity Data Model to your project, using the World database at the storage level. The procedure for doing this is described in the tutorial Section 20.2.3.9.1, “Tutorial: Using an Entity Framework Entity as a Windows Forms Data Source”, and so will not be repeated here.

Populating a Drop Data List Box with using the results of a entity LINQ query

In this part of the tutorial you will write code to populate the DropDownList control. When the web page loads the data to populate the list will be achieved by using the results of a LINQ query on the model created previously.

At this point you have a working Drop Down List control, populated by a LINQ query on your entity data model.

Populating a Grid View control using an entity LINQ query

In the last part of this tutorial you will populate the Grid View Control using a LINQ query on your entity data model.

In this tutorial you have seen how to create an ASP.NET web site, you have also seen how you can access a MySQL database via LINQ queries on an entity data model.

For your Connector/NET application to connect to a MySQL database it needs to establish a connection. This is achieved through the use of a MySqlConnection object.

The MySqlConnection constructor takes a connection string as one of its parameters. The connection string provides necessary information to make the connection to the MySQL database. The connection string is discussed more fully in Section 20.2.4.2, “Connecting to MySQL Using Connector/NET”. A reference containing a list of supported connection string options can also be found in Section 20.2.4.5, “Connector/NET Connection String Options Reference”.

The following code shows how to create a connection object.

using System;
using System.Data;

using MySql.Data;
using MySql.Data.MySqlClient;

public class Tutorial1
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string connStr = "server=localhost;user=root;database=world;port=3306;password=******;";
        MySqlConnection conn = new MySqlConnection(connStr);
        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Connecting to MySQL...");
            conn.Open();
            // Perform databse operations
            conn.Close();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Done.");
    }
}

When the MySqlConnection constructor is invoked it returns a connection object, which is used for subsequent database operations. The first operation in this example is to open the connection. This needs to be done before further operations take place. Before the application exits the connection to the database needs to be closed by calling Close on the connection object.

Sometimes an attempt to perform an Open on a connection object can fail, this will generate an exception that can be handled via standard exception handling code.

In this section you have learned how to create a connection to a MySQL database, and open and close the corresponding connection object.

Once a connection has been established with the MySQL database, the next step is do carry out the desired database operations. This can be achieved through the use of the MySqlCommand object.

You will see how to create a MySqlCommand object. Once it has been created there are three main methods of interest that you can call:

Once a MySqlCommand object has been created, you will call one of the above methods on it to carry out a database operation, such as perform a query. The results are usually returned into a MySqlDataReader object, and then processed, for example the results might be displayed. The following code demonstrates how this could be done.

using System;
using System.Data;

using MySql.Data;
using MySql.Data.MySqlClient;

public class Tutorial2
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string connStr = "server=localhost;user=root;database=world;port=3306;password=******;";
        MySqlConnection conn = new MySqlConnection(connStr);
        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Connecting to MySQL...");
            conn.Open();

            string sql = "SELECT Name, HeadOfState FROM Country WHERE Continent='Oceania'";
            MySqlCommand cmd = new MySqlCommand(sql, conn);
            MySqlDataReader rdr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

            while (rdr.Read())
            {
                Console.WriteLine(rdr[0]+" -- "+rdr[1]);
            }

            rdr.Close();
            conn.Close();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Done.");
    }
}

When a connection has been created and opened, the code then creates a MySqlCommand object. Note that the SQL query to be executed is passed to the MySqlCommand constructor. The ExecuteReader method is then used to generate a MySqlReader object. The MySqlReader object contains the results generated by the SQL executed on the command object. Once the results have been obtained in a MySqlReader object, the results can be processed. In this case the information is simply printed out as part of a while loop. Finally, the MySqlReader object is displosed of by running its Close method on it.

In the next example you will see how to use the ExecuteNonQuery method.

The procedure for performing an ExecuteNonQuery method call is simpler, as there is no need to create an object to store results. This is because ExecuteNonQuery is only used for inserting, updating and deleting data. The following example illustrates a simple update to the Country table:

using System;
using System.Data;

using MySql.Data;
using MySql.Data.MySqlClient;

public class Tutorial3
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string connStr = "server=localhost;user=root;database=world;port=3306;password=******;";
        MySqlConnection conn = new MySqlConnection(connStr);
        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Connecting to MySQL...");
            conn.Open();

            string sql = "INSERT INTO Country (Name, HeadOfState, Continent) VALUES ('Disneyland','Mickey Mouse', 'North America')";
            MySqlCommand cmd = new MySqlCommand(sql, conn);
            cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

            conn.Close();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Done.");
    }
}

The query is constructed, the command object created and the ExecuteNonQuery method called on the command object. You can access your MySQL database with the MySQL Client program and verify that the update was carried out correctly.

Finally, you will see how the ExecuteScalar method can be used to return a single value. Again, this is straightforward, as a MySqlDataReader object is not required to store results, a simple variable will do. The following code illustrates how to use ExecuteScalar:

using System;
using System.Data;

using MySql.Data;
using MySql.Data.MySqlClient;

public class Tutorial4
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string connStr = "server=localhost;user=root;database=world;port=3306;password=******;";
        MySqlConnection conn = new MySqlConnection(connStr);
        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Connecting to MySQL...");
            conn.Open();

            string sql = "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Country";
            MySqlCommand cmd = new MySqlCommand(sql, conn);
            object result = cmd.ExecuteScalar();
            if (result != null)
            {
                int r = Convert.ToInt32(result);
                Console.WriteLine("Number of countries in the World database is: " + r);
            }

            conn.Close();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Done.");
    }
}

This example uses a simple query to count the rows in the Country table. The result is obtained by calling ExecuteScaler on the command object.

Previously, when using MySqlDataReader, the connection to the database was continually maintained, unless explicitly closed. It is also possible to work in a manner where a connection is only established when needed. For example, in this mode, a connection could be established in order to read a chunk of data, the data could then be modified by the application as required. A connection could then be reestablished only if and when the application needs to write data back to the database. This decouples the working data set from the database.

This decouple mode of working with data is supported by Connector/NET. There are several parts involved in allowing this method to work:

Each of these classes will now be discussed in more detail.

Instantiating a DataSet object

A DataSet object can be created simply, as shown in the following example code snippet:

DataSet dsCountry;
...
dsCountry = new DataSet();

Although this creates the DataSet object it has not yet filled it with data. For that a Data Adapter is required.

Instantiating a MySqlDataAdapter object

The MySqlDataAdapter can be created as illustrated by the following example:

MySqlDataAdapter daCountry;
...
string sql = "SELECT Code, Name, HeadOfState FROM Country WHERE Continent='North America'";
daCountry = new MySqlDataAdapter (sql, conn);

Note, the MySqlDataAdapter is given the SQL specifying the data you wish to work with.

Instantiating a MySqlCommandBuilder object

Once the MySqlDataAdapter has been created, it is necessary to generate the additional statements required for inserting, updating and deleting data. There are several ways to do this, but in this tutorial you will see how this can most easily be done with MySqlCommandBuilder. The following code snippet ilustrates how this is done:

MySqlCommandBuilder cb = new MySqlCommandBuilder(daCountry);

Note that the MySqlDataAdapter object is passed as a parameter to the command builder.

Filling the Data Set

In order to do anything useful with the data from your datbase, you need to load it into a Data Set. This is one of the jobs of the MySqlDataAdapter object, and is carried out with its Fill method. The following example code illustrates this:

DataSet dsCountry;
...
dsCountry = new DataSet();
...
daCountry.Fill(dsCountry, "Country");

Note the Fill method is a MySqlDataAdapter method, the Data Adapter knows how to establish a connec tion with the database and retrieve the required data, and then populates the Data Set when the Fill method is called. The second parameter “Country” is the table in the Data Set to update.

Updating the Data Set

The data in the Data Set can now be manipulated by the application as required. At some point, changes to data will need to be written back to the database. This is achieved through a MySqlDataAdapter method, the Update method.

daCountry.Update(dsCountry, "Country");

Again, the Data Set and the table within the Data Set to update are specified.

Working Example

The interactions between the DataSet, MySqlDataAdapter and MySqlCommandBuilder classes can be a little confusing, so their operation can perhaps be best illustrated by working code.

In this example, data from the World database is read into a Data Grid View control. Here, the data can be viewed and changed before clicking an update button. The update button then activates code to write changes back to the database. The code uses the principles explained above. The application was built using the Microsoft Visual Studio in order to place and create the user interface controls, but the main code that uses the key classes descibed above is shown below, and is portable.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;

using MySql.Data;
using MySql.Data.MySqlClient;

namespace WindowsFormsApplication5
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        MySqlDataAdapter daCountry;
        DataSet dsCountry;

        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

            string connStr = "server=localhost;user=root;database=world;port=3306;password=******;";
            MySqlConnection conn = new MySqlConnection(connStr);
            try
            {
                label2.Text = "Connecting to MySQL...";

                string sql = "SELECT Code, Name, HeadOfState FROM Country WHERE Continent='North America'";
                daCountry = new MySqlDataAdapter (sql, conn);
                MySqlCommandBuilder cb = new MySqlCommandBuilder(daCountry);

                dsCountry = new DataSet();
                daCountry.Fill(dsCountry, "Country");
                dataGridView1.DataSource = dsCountry;
                dataGridView1.DataMember = "Country";
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                label2.Text = ex.ToString();
            }
        }

        private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            daCountry.Update(dsCountry, "Country");
            label2.Text = "MySQL Database Updated!";
        }

    }
}

The application running is shown below:

Figure 20.39. World Database Application

This part of the tutorial shows you how to use parameters in your Connector/NET application.

Although it is possible to build SQL query strings directly from user input, this is not advisable as it does not prevent from erroneous or malicious information being entered. It is safer to use parameters as they will be processed as field data only. For example, imagine the following query was contructed from user input:

string sql = "SELECT Name, HeadOfState FROM Country WHERE Continent = "+user_continent;

If the string user_continent came from a Text Box control, there would potentially be no control over the string enetred by the user. The user could enter a string that generates a run time error, or in the worst case actually harms the system. When using parameters it is not possible to do this because a parameter is only ever treated as a field parameter, rather than an arbitrary piece of SQL code.

The same query written user a parameter for user input would be:

string sql = "SELECT Name, HeadOfState FROM Country WHERE Continent = @Continent";

Note that the parameter is preceded by an '@' symbol to indicate it is to be treated as a parameter.

As well as marking the position of the parameter in the query string, it is necessary to create a parameter object that can be passed to the Command object. In Connector/NET the class MySqlParameter is used for this purpose. The use of MySqlParameter is best illustrated by a small code snippet:

MySqlParameter param = new MySqlParameter();
param.ParameterName = "@Continent";
param.Value = "North America";
cmd.Parameters.Add(param);

In this example the string "North America" is supplied as the parameter value statically, but in a more practical example it would come from a user input control. Once the parameter has its name and value set it needs to be added to the Command object using the Add method.

A further example illustrates this:

using System;
using System.Data;

using MySql.Data;
using MySql.Data.MySqlClient;

public class Tutorial5
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string connStr = "server=localhost;user=root;database=world;port=3306;password=******;";
        MySqlConnection conn = new MySqlConnection(connStr);
        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Connecting to MySQL...");
            conn.Open();

            string sql = "SELECT Name, HeadOfState FROM Country WHERE Continent=@Continent";
            MySqlCommand cmd = new MySqlCommand(sql, conn);

            Console.WriteLine("Enter a continent e.g. 'North America', 'Europe': ");
            string user_input = Console.ReadLine();

            MySqlParameter param = new MySqlParameter();
            param.ParameterName = "@Continent";
            param.Value = user_input;
            cmd.Parameters.Add(param);

            MySqlDataReader rdr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

            while (rdr.Read())
            {
                Console.WriteLine(rdr["Name"]+" --- "+rdr["HeadOfState"]);
            }

            conn.Close();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Done.");
    }
}

In this part of the tutorial you have see how to use parameters to make your code more secure.

In this section you will see how to work with Stored Procedures. This section assumes you have a basic understanding of what a Stored Procedure is, and how to create one.

For the purposes of this tutorial, you will create a simple Stored Procedure to see how it can be called from Connector/NET. In the MySQL Client program, connect to the World database and enter the following Stored Procedure:

DELIMITER //
CREATE PROCEDURE country_hos
(IN con CHAR(20))
BEGIN
  SELECT Name, HeadOfState FROM Country
  WHERE Continent = con;
END //
DELIMITER ;

Test the Stored Procedure wors as expec ted by typing the following into the MySQL Client program:

CALL country_hos('Europe');

Note that The Stored Routine takes a single parameter, which is the continent you wish to restrict your search to.

Having confirmed that the Stored Procedure is present and correct you can now move on to seeing how it can be accessed from Connector/NET.

Calling a Stored Procedure from your Connector/NET application is similar to techniques you have seen earlier in this tutorial. A MySqlCommand object is created, but rather than taking a SQL query as a parameter it takes the name of the Stored Procedure to call. The MySqlCommand object also needs to be set to the type of Stored Procedure. This is illustrated by the following code snippet:

string rtn = "country_hos";
MySqlCommand cmd = new MySqlCommand(rtn, conn);
cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;

In this case you also need to pass a parameter to the Stored Procedure. This can be achieved using the techniques seen in the previous section on parameters, Section 20.2.4.1.4, “Working with Parameters”. This is shown in the following code snippet:

MySqlParameter param = new MySqlParameter();
param.ParameterName = "@con";
param.Value = "Europe";
cmd.Parameters.Add(param);

The value of the parameter @con could more realistically have come from a user input control, but for simplicity it is set as a static string in this example.

At this point everything is set up and all that now needs to be done is to call the routine. This can be achieved using techniques also learned in earlier sections, but in this case the ExecuteReader method of the MySqlCommand object is used.

Complete working code for the Stored Procedure example is shown below:

using System;
using System.Data;

using MySql.Data;
using MySql.Data.MySqlClient;

public class Tutorial6
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        string connStr = "server=localhost;user=root;database=world;port=3306;password=******;";
        MySqlConnection conn = new MySqlConnection(connStr);
        try
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Connecting to MySQL...");
            conn.Open();

            string rtn = "country_hos";
            MySqlCommand cmd = new MySqlCommand(rtn, conn);
            cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
            MySqlParameter param = new MySqlParameter();
            param.ParameterName = "@con";
            param.Value = "Europe";
            cmd.Parameters.Add(param);

            MySqlDataReader rdr = cmd.ExecuteReader();
            while (rdr.Read())
            {
                Console.WriteLine(rdr[0] + " --- " + rdr[1]);
            }
            conn.Close();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Done.");
    }
}

In this section you have seen how to call a Stored Procedure from Connector/NET. For the moment, this concludes our introductory tutorial on programming with Connector/NET.

Once you have created a connection string it can be used to open a connection to the MySQL server.

The following code is used to create a MySqlConnection object, assign the connection string, and open the connection.

Visual Basic Example

Dim conn As New MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection
Dim myConnectionString as String

myConnectionString = "server=127.0.0.1;" _
            & "uid=root;" _
            & "pwd=12345;" _
            & "database=test;"

Try
  conn.ConnectionString = myConnectionString
  conn.Open()

Catch ex As MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlException
  MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
End Try
  

C# Example

MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection conn;
string myConnectionString;

myConnectionString = "server=127.0.0.1;uid=root;" +
    "pwd=12345;database=test;";

try
{
    conn = new MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection();
    conn.ConnectionString = myConnectionString;
    conn.Open();
}
catch (MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlException ex)
{
    MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
}

You can also pass the connection string to the constructor of the MySqlConnection class:

Visual Basic Example

Dim myConnectionString as String

myConnectionString = "server=127.0.0.1;" _
              & "uid=root;" _
              & "pwd=12345;" _
              & "database=test;"

Try
    Dim conn As New MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection(myConnectionString)
    conn.Open()
Catch ex As MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlException
   MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
End Try
  

C# Example

MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection conn;
string myConnectionString;

myConnectionString = "server=127.0.0.1;uid=root;" +
    "pwd=12345;database=test;";

try
{
    conn = new MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection(myConnectionString);
    conn.Open();
}
catch (MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlException ex)
{
    MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
}

Once the connection is open it can be used by the other Connector/NET classes to communicate with the MySQL server.

Because connecting to an external server is unpredictable, it is important to add error handling to your .NET application. When there is an error connecting, the MySqlConnection class will return a MySqlException object. This object has two properties that are of interest when handling errors:

When handling errors, you can your application's response based on the error number. The two most common error numbers when connecting are as follows:

The following code shows how to adapt the application's response based on the actual error:

Visual Basic Example

Dim myConnectionString as String

myConnectionString = "server=127.0.0.1;" _
          & "uid=root;" _
          & "pwd=12345;" _
          & "database=test;"

Try
    Dim conn As New MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection(myConnectionString)
    conn.Open()
Catch ex As MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlException
    Select Case ex.Number
        Case 0
            MessageBox.Show("Cannot connect to server. Contact administrator")
        Case 1045
            MessageBox.Show("Invalid username/password, please try again")
    End Select
End Try
  

C# Example

MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection conn;
string myConnectionString;

myConnectionString = "server=127.0.0.1;uid=root;" +
    "pwd=12345;database=test;";

try
{
    conn = new MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlConnection(myConnectionString);
    conn.Open();
}
    catch (MySql.Data.MySqlClient.MySqlException ex)
{
    switch (ex.Number)
    {
        case 0:
            MessageBox.Show("Cannot connect to server.  Contact administrator");
        case 1045:
            MessageBox.Show("Invalid username/password, please try again");
    }
}
  

MySqlConnection myConnection = new MySqlConnection("server=127.0.0.1;uid=root;" +
    "pwd=12345;database=test;Charset=latin1;");