Everything is Gray » Web Development

Restore MySQL Database from ibdata and .frm Files

James Barclay — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:48:54 +0000

Last week I was presented with a problem that involved restoring a MySQL database for a client using only the /data folder from an original MySQL installation. The solution turned out to be rather simple, but that didn’t stop me from racking my brain for a few hours. Thus, I thought I’d share my experience in hopes of helping others that may run into this.

*NOTE* The MySQL database I was tasked with restoring was associated with a WordPress installation. My guess is that this is irrelevant, though.

*ALSO NOTE* This article assumes you are comfortable with software solutions such as MAMP and/or XAMPP, as well as phpMyAdmin.

I made the decision early on to solve this problem locally, (I find that working directly from a web server usually just gets me into trouble). I use MAMP on a regular basis and as such have quite a few MySQL databases associated with that installation. Rather than fooling with this at all I opted to use XAMPP on a Windows XP SP2 machine. Either one of these solutions will work, as they essentially provide the same services. I chose to avoid using MAMP on my machine because of everything I have invested into that application, but that doesn’t mean you have to.

The first thing you’ll want to do is install a fresh copy of either MAMP, (Mac only), or XAMPP. Then create an empty database using phpMyAdmin with the same name as your original database, (the one you’re trying to restore). For example, if your previous database was called ‘wordpress,’ in phpMyAdmin, (under the ‘Create new database’ text field), you would enter ‘wordpress.’ This will create a folder named wordpress in /Applications/MAMP/db/mysql if you’re using MAMP, or C:\xampp\mysql if you’re using XAMPP. At this point you’ll want to turn off the MySQL service. Now, copy the contents of, (not the entire folder), your mysql database folder that contains the .frm files to the new location. The next step is to copy the ibdata1 file to the MySQL folder in either XAMPP or MAMP, then start the MySQL service again. Now you should be able to locate your database tables in phpMyAdmin.

At this point, (assuming you don’t want to keep the data locally on your machine), you’ll want to export the database using phpMyAdmin. Be sure to check Add DROP TABLE, choose SQL as the export type, and check the ‘Save as file’ checkbox. The .sql file that will be generated can easily be imported into another instance of phpMyAdmin. The new database doesn’t need to have the same name as the previous database, either. I was unable to use my previous database name because the site I was working on had been moved to a shared hosting server, (where someone had already chosen the name of my previous database), and everything worked fine.

Also keep in mind that this can be accomplished whether or not your server is running phpMyAdmin. There are plenty of alternatives available that will allow you to accomplish the same tasks, and there’s always the command line. The most important step is to simply copy the contents of the /data folder and the ibdata1 file. Hope this helps!

Leave a comment if you have any questions!

10 Inspiring Websites

James Barclay — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:57:07 +0000

Lately I’ve been spending quite a bit of time designing websites, whether it’s WordPress theme development or Joomla! template design. A huge part of this process, (for me), is finding inspiration. Below are 10 carefully crafted examples of good web design that I’ve been inspired by as of late.

31THREE

Kyle Florence

A List Apart

Buffalo

Design by Silnt

FullAhead

Viget

thinkdesign

Ed Merritt

ThemeShaper

Snow Stack 3D CSS

James Barclay — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:36:30 +0000

A gentleman by the name of Charles Ying of Satine.org has developed a new 3D CSS visual effects demonstration called Snow Stack, which runs entirely on JavaScript, native WebKit CSS extensions, and XHTML/HTML. If you’re familiar with Cover Flow/Core Animation on the Mac you’ll immediately recognize Snow Stack. In order to run the demo you’ll need either the Snow Leopard Beta + Safari or Leopard + the latest nightly build of WebKit. Either way, it’s quite fascinating to think that this is all being done in the browser.

Cappuccino Web Framework

James Barclay — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:31:43 +0000

So lately I’ve been playing around with the Cappuccino web framework and a nifty little programming language called Objective-J. The Cappuccino framework allows you to create desktop class applications for the browser, and gives you the ability to run these applications on the desktop, (similar to Adobe AIR). One of the many benefits of being able to create applications that run on the desktop is having the ability to run the application while offline.

The interesting thing about Objective-J is that it is based on Objective-C, but any valid JavaScript code is accepted as valid Objective-J code. A fun way to look at it is that Objective-J is to JavaScript as Objective-C is to C.

Cappuccino is frequently compared to another JavaScript framework called SproutCore, which also allows you to build rich Mac-like applications for the browser, (just look at MobileMe). Both Cappuccino and SproutCore utilize the same icon set and window chrome as desktop Mac applications, which can look incredible.

If you’d like to see Cappuccino and Objective-J in action, take a look at 280 Slides, and if you’d like to learn more, read the tutorials on Cappuccino.org and download the sample application.

@end

XHTML is dead, (but don’t worry)

James Barclay — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:06:10 +0000

Today the W3C announced that the XHTML 2 working group will cease development by the end of 2009. Of course all this means is that more time, effort, and man power will be focused on the HTML 5 specification, which is going to drastically change the web, (just take a look at Google Wave). This also means that we won’t have any spec wars to deal with, which are almost as bad as format wars, (HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray anyone?)

From the W3C:

XHTML 2 Working Group Expected to Stop Work End of 2009, W3C to Increase Resources on HTML 5

2009-07-02: Today the Director announces that when the XHTML 2 Working Group charter expires as scheduled at the end of 2009, the charter will not be renewed. By doing so, and by increasing resources in the Working Group, W3C hopes to accelerate the progress of HTML 5 and clarify W3C’s position regarding the future of HTML. A FAQ answers questions about the future of deliverables of the XHTML 2 Working Group, and the status of various discussions related to HTML. Learn more about the HTML Activity. (Permalink)

Version 0.5 of Simplixity is now live

James Barclay — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:44:59 +0000

Today I submitted an update to my WordPress theme Simplixity, which improves how images are handled in posts and fixes an issue that existed while no widgets were activated in the admin panel. You can view and download it here.

I’ve already begun working on the next update, which should include an easily customizable client.css file, for making quick changes to the theme.

Is the browser the new WYSIWYG?

James Barclay — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:39:15 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot about this concept lately. Have we come to a point where the Dreamweaver style IDE, (integrated development environment), has become a thing of the past? Ninety percent of my formal training has been heavily dependent on this model, yet I can’t see any forward thinking web designer/developer continuing to rely on it. In many ways, the browser has become my WYSIWYG of choice. You can quickly see the effects of changes made to style sheets and you’re not confined to any one proprietary system.