Chapter 6. Main Window

Table of Contents

6.1. Introduction
6.2. Sidebar
6.3. Working Area
6.4. Menus
6.4.1. File
6.4.2. Edit
6.4.3. View
6.4.4. Tools
6.4.5. Help

6.1. Introduction

After you have successfully connected to your MySQL server, the main window of MySQL Administrator appears (see figure). The main window contains a sidebar, a working area, and menus with submenus.

Figure 6.1. MySQL Administrator main window

MySQL Administrator main window

6.2. Sidebar

The sidebar consists of the following options:

  • Server Information: Information about the MySQL server you are connected to, about MySQL Administrator and the machine that it runs on, and about your connection.

  • Service Control: Start and stop the MySQL server. If MySQL Administrator is running on Windows and connected to a MySQL server that is also running on Windows, you can configure the MySQL service.

  • Startup Variables: Configure the startup variables for the MySQL server.

  • Server Connections: View or kill current connections to the MySQL server (also called threads).

  • User Administration: Administer existing users, add new users, and delete existing users.

  • Health: Graphical displays of a number of usage or hit-rate values that affect server performance, and a hierarchical view of system and status variables.

  • Server Logs: View log file entries.

  • Backup: Plan and administer backup projects, select the databases to be backed up, and start the backup process.

  • Restore: Restore databases from existing backups.

  • Replication Status: View information about replication master and slave servers.

  • Catalogs: View information about databases, tables, columns, indexes, and rows; optimize tables.

The following sections describe each of these in detail.

You can change the width of the sidebar in the main window by dragging the separator between the sidebar and the working area. To hide the sidebar completely, click on the marked area in the separator (located in the vertical center of it). To make the sidebar visible again, double click the marked area (which then forms the left margin of the main window).

Figure 6.2. Marked area between sidebar and working area

Marked area between sidebar and working
          area

6.3. Working Area

While the sidebar allows you to select options, the working area displays information, or fields, that pertain to the selected section. For some sections, the working area is split into two or more tabs.

6.4. Menus

6.4.1. File

6.4.1.1. New Instance Connection ...

Opens the Connection dialog, allowing you to open a connection to another MySQL server. You may open an arbitrary number of connections. MySQL Administrator opens a new main window for each successfully established connection. Connections may be to the same or different servers. Multiple connections may be opened using the same profile or different profiles.

6.4.1.2. Reconnect

This option closes the current connection and opens the Options dialog, with the Connections section preselected.

6.4.1.3. Copy Active Page as Text ...

This menu option copies the information displayed on the Server Information page to the clipboard. For more information about the Server Information page see Chapter 7, Server Information.

Note

This menu option is only available on Windows and only copies the Server Information page.

6.4.1.4. Save current Connection ...

Opens the Options dialog, with the Connections section preselected. Furthermore, a new connection profile labeled New Connection is created, which is also preselected. The fields are filled with the values of the most recent connection. You can edit the values and save the settings in the new profile. You may also want to rename the profile from New Connection to something more appropriate. If you click the Close button without saving your changes using the Apply Changes button, you will be prompted to save or discard your changes.

6.4.1.5. Close

Closes the MySQL Administrator window and terminates the connection to the MySQL server that had been established in that window. If you have opened more than one instance (program window, or process) of MySQL Administrator, this command will not close the other windows.

6.4.2. Edit

The Cut, Copy, and Paste commands allow you to cut, copy, or paste selected text in the working area.

6.4.2.1. Options

Opens the Options dialog window.

6.4.3. View

The View menu selects sections from the sidebar. Selecting an item from this menu is the same as clicking the section with the same name from the sidebar.

6.4.4. Tools

The Tools menu starts other programs.

6.4.4.1. MySQL Command Line Client

This menu item is available only if MySQL Administrator finds the executable file for the MySQL client. At the moment, it searches locations such as C:\mysql\bin, D:\mysql\bin, and C:\program directory\mysql\bin to find mysql.exe. If the executable file is found, you can start the command-line client with this command. MySQL Administrator will use the credentials provided in the Connection dialog to start a server connection using the command-line client.

6.4.4.2. Windows Command Line

Opens a DOS window.

6.4.5. Help

6.4.5.1. Online Help

Opens a window displaying the MySQL Administrator section of the MySQL reference manual.

6.4.5.2. Report Bug to MySQL

Opens a connection to the MySQL bug reporting system in your web browser.

6.4.5.3. Launch MySQL Website

Opens a connection to the MySQL web site in your web browser.

6.4.5.4. About ...

Displays information about MySQL Administrator.