Readme.txt  -- MySqlJavaClient expiring beta release 0.4 -- October 12, 2001

What MySqlJavaClient Is:

MySqlJavaClient is an application written in Java which allows you to connect to a MySql database over a network (including the internet), issue database queries in SQL, receive the results of those queries, and display them in tabular form.

Information about the MySql database management system is available from MySQL AB at http://www.mysql.com  In many situations, it is free.

If you need information about how to administer and/or use a MySql database, consult their tutorial at http://www.mysql.com/documentation/mysql/bychapter/manual_toc.html

If you need information about the SQL language, invented at IBM by the way, consult the same tutorial or the later chapters of any book by Roger Jennings.

Basic Info:

MySqlJavaClient author: Charles W. Neville
Revised version of: MySqlDBApp by Charles W. Neville

The final release of MySqlJavaClient will probably be copyrighted (copyleft?) under one of the GNU licenses, but until then,

MySqlDBApp is copyright Charles W. Neville, April 2000, all rights reserved.
MySqlJavaClient is copyright Charles W. Neville, March 2001, October 2001, all rights reserved.

This expiring beta release expires exactly six months from October 12, 2001.  Until then, it may be freely downloaded and used by anyone, provided it is neither modified nor sold for profit.

As with anything else that is free, this beta release is provided as is, and there are no guarantees or warrantees of any sort, either expessed or implied.  In no event will the copyright holder(s) be liable for any damages resulting from the use of this software.  Use at your own risk.

Both MySqlDBApp and MySqlJavaClient use Mark Matthews' MySql JDBC Driver, mm.mysql, which is copyright under the GNU General Public License.  The source code is available from Mark Mathews' web site at http://www.worldserver.com/mm.mysql/  The terms of the GNU General Public License are available at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html  Overviews of all the GNU licenses are available at http://www.gnu.org  (The grammatically mandated periods have been left out so readers won't misinterpret them as parts of the Web addresses.)

System Requirements:

To run this beta release of MySqlJavaClient, you need the Java Development Kit -- JDK 1.2.2 or higher --  installed.  You should be able to run this beta release on any machine for which a suitable version of the JDK is available.  To run this release by double clicking MySqlJavaClient.bat, you need to be running Windows 98 or higher, or NT 4.0 or higher.

The JDK is available for free for many operating systems from Sun Microsystems (http://java.sun.com/).

Installation and Uninstallation Instructions:

To install this beta release, simply

  1. Download the file MySqlJavaClientb04.zip 
  2. unzip it.  This produces a folder named MySqlJavaClientb04
  3. Move the folder to a convenient place.
  4. That's all there is to it!

To uninstall this beta release,

  1. Simply delete the folder MySqlJavaClientb04.
  2. That's all there is to it!
  3. Note: For the technically initiated, there is no writing to the Windows/NT registry.

Operating Instructions:

To start MySqlJavaClient,

  1. Windows and NT: Simply open the folder MySqlJavaClientb04 and double click on MySqlJavaClient.bat
  2. Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, Linux, Sun Solaris, etc., etc.  MySqlJavaClient is an ordinary Java  application.  The name of the Java class file is MySqlJavaClient.class.  Run it the way you run any other Java application in your operating environment.  You will have to set the classpath first; read the .bat file to see how.

To connect to a MySql Database,

  1. First, you have to have a MySql account for the database.  See your system administrator for details.  (Sorry about the "see your system administrator" statement, but either you or your system administrator has to have access to a machine running MySql, and one of you has to set up suitable access privileges.)
  2. Start MySqlJavaClient.
  3. Click on Open DB under the File menu.  This brings up the connection dialog panel.
  4. In the host field, enter the Web address or numeric IP address of the server machine on which your MySql database resides.  For instance, if the web address is mysql.myserver.com, simply enter that in the host field.  Don't put in any http://'s.
  5. Enter the name of the database in the database field.  For example, if you want to connect to the menagerie database, enter menagerie there.  Please note that database names are usually case sensitive in MySql.
  6. Enter your MySql user name in the user field.  For example, if your user name is joeuser, enter joeuser there.  Please note that user names are also case sensitive, and please note also that your MySql user name for the server machine may be different from any other user names you may have.  Again, sorry for this, but ask your system administrator for help.
  7. Enter your password in the password field.  Your password must be exactly eight characters long, so grmphh%$ is a legal password, but grumph is not.  Please note that passwords are case sensitive.  Caution: Although your password is blanked out, if you drag the mouse across the password field to highlight it, your password will be revealed.  This will be fixed in future releases.
  8. Click the OK button.
  9. If all goes well, you will see "database ready for use" in the status field.  Click the  Close button to close the dialog panel.

To query a MySql Database,

  1. First, you have to be connected to the database (see above).
  2. Enter the SQL query in the query window.  For example, if you are connected to the menagerie database on mysql.myserver.com, you might enter
        select * from pet
(For SQL cognoscenti, be sure to leave the trailing semicolon off.)
  3. Press the GO button.
  4. If all goes well, the result returned by your query will appear in the result window.

Other MySql Database stuff,

  1. Once connected, you can see the names of MySql databases on the server machine by typing
        show databases
in the query window.
  2. You can switch databases by typing the use statement in the query window.  For example, to switch from the menagerie database to the test database, you would type
        use test
there.
  3. You can see the names of the tables in the database you are currently using by typing
       show tables
in the query window.

Other MySqlJavaClient stuff,

  1. The query window supports all standard editing functions, though the Edit menu does not work in this beta release.  On a Windows machine, you can cut by highlighting and pressing CTRL X.  (Hold the Ctrl key down and press x.)  You can copy by highlighting and pressing CTRL C, and you can paste by positioning the cursor suitably and pressing CTRL V.
  2. Unfortunately, the result window does not support cut, copy or paste.
  3. In the case of a network error, there is a long timeout period.  So if something goes wrong with your network connection while you are issuing a query, the application can appear to hang.  If there is a fire, kill it using CTRL ALT DEL or the equivalent.  Otherwise, wait for a minute or two.
  4. After something goes wrong with your network connection, you will have to reconnect, even if it comes back up again.  (You reconnect just like you connect, see the "To connect to a MySql Database" instructions above.)  Those using their local cable TV company as network service providers are likely to experience this situation often.

Cautions,

  1. Passwords are supposed to be encrypted, but I have no way to check this.
  2. Data transferred over the internet is not encrypted, and potentially can be read by anyone with a packet sniffer.  So if you deal with sensitive data, only use this beta release on a suitably secured intranet.


    -- Charles W. Neville