The easiest way to experiment with MySQL and PHP is to purchase some space on a shared web host.

Although you can set up MySQL manually on your home PC, it can be rather difficult for a beginner to do, and would require more than a few lessons! If you think you've got what it takes, or you're just mentally unstable, head on over to MySQL.com for more information on installing MySQL yourself.

setting up mysql in cpanel

There are many different types of control panels that your shared hosting provider may have. This tutorial assumes that you are using the most popular,CPanel.

First, find the link that allows you to administer MySQL. Within CPanel the icon is labeled MySQL Databases. Once there, you will need to do the following before you can start using MySQL.

• Create a new database
• Create a new user with password
• Assign the user to the database

If you have problems with this steps, seek help from your web hosting provider.

helpful tool - phpmyadmin!

Also supplied by most hosting services is phpMyAdmin (you can also install it anywhere you want, as it's open source and free). This tool will allow you to view all the MySQL database, tables, and entries, as well as perform SQL queries remotely through a web browser.

Although we will be teaching how to create databases, tables and all other MySQL tasks through PHP, we encourage you to learn about phpMyAdmin. It's easy-to-use interface will allow you to do many common MySQL tasks quickly and easily, saving you many beginner headaches and helping you understand what's going on in a more visual manner.