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21.9.3.49. mysql_options()

int mysql_options(MYSQL *mysql, enum mysql_option option, const void *arg)

Description

Can be used to set extra connect options and affect behavior for a connection. This function may be called multiple times to set several options.

mysql_options() should be called after mysql_init() and before mysql_connect() or mysql_real_connect().

The option argument is the option that you want to set; the arg argument is the value for the option. If the option is an integer, arg should point to the value of the integer.

The following list describes the possible options, their effect, and how arg is used for each option. Several of the options apply only when the application is linked against the libmysqld embedded server library and are unused for applications linked against the libmysql client library. For option descriptions that indicate arg is unused, its value is irrelevant; it is conventional to pass 0.

  • MYSQL_INIT_COMMAND (argument type: char *)

    SQL statement to execute when connecting to the MySQL server. Automatically re-executed if reconnection occurs.

  • MYSQL_OPT_COMPRESS (argument: not used)

    Use the compressed client/server protocol.

  • MYSQL_OPT_CONNECT_TIMEOUT (argument type: unsigned int *)

    Connect timeout in seconds.

  • MYSQL_OPT_GUESS_CONNECTION (argument: not used)

    For an application linked against the libmysqld embedded server library, this allows the library to guess whether to use the embedded server or a remote server. “Guess” means that if the host name is set and is not localhost, it uses a remote server. This behavior is the default. MYSQL_OPT_USE_EMBEDDED_CONNECTION and MYSQL_OPT_USE_REMOTE_CONNECTION can be used to override it. This option is ignored for applications linked against the libmysqlclient client library.

  • MYSQL_OPT_LOCAL_INFILE (argument type: optional pointer to unsigned int)

    If no pointer is given or if pointer points to an unsigned int that has a nonzero value, the LOAD LOCAL INFILE statement is enabled.

  • MYSQL_OPT_NAMED_PIPE (argument: not used)

    Use named pipes to connect to a MySQL server on Windows, if the server allows named-pipe connections.

  • MYSQL_OPT_PROTOCOL (argument type: unsigned int *)

    Type of protocol to use. Should be one of the enum values of mysql_protocol_type defined in mysql.h.

  • MYSQL_OPT_READ_TIMEOUT (argument type: unsigned int *)

    The timeout in seconds for attempts to read from the server. Each attempt uses this timeout value and there are retries if necessary, so the total effective timeout value is three times the option value. You can set the value so that a lost connection can be detected earlier than the TCP/IP Close_Wait_Timeout value of 10 minutes. This option works only for TCP/IP connections and, prior to MySQL 5.1.12, only for Windows.

  • MYSQL_OPT_RECONNECT (argument type: my_bool *)

    Enable or disable automatic reconnection to the server if the connection is found to have been lost. Reconnect is off by default; this option provides a way to set reconnection behavior explicitly.

    Note: mysql_real_connect() incorrectly reset the MYSQL_OPT_RECONNECT option to its default value before MySQL 5.1.6. Therefore, prior to that version, if you want reconnect to be enabled for each connection, you must call mysql_options() with the MYSQL_OPT_RECONNECT option after each call to mysql_real_connect(). This is not necessary as of 5.1.6: Call mysql_options() only before mysql_real_connect() as usual.

  • MYSQL_SET_CLIENT_IP (argument type: char *)

    For an application linked against the libmysqld embedded server library (when libmysqld is compiled with authentication support), this means that the user is considered to have connected from the specified IP address (specified as a string) for authentication purposes. This option is ignored for applications linked against the libmysqlclient client library.

  • MYSQL_OPT_SSL_VERIFY_SERVER_CERT (argument type: my_bool *)

    Enable or disable verification of the server's Common Name value in its certificate against the host name used when connecting to the server. The connection is rejected if there is a mismatch. This feature can be used to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. Verification is disabled by default. Added in MySQL 5.1.11.

  • MYSQL_OPT_USE_EMBEDDED_CONNECTION (argument: not used)

    For an application linked against the libmysqld embedded server library, this forces the use of the embedded server for the connection. This option is ignored for applications linked against the libmysqlclient client library.

  • MYSQL_OPT_USE_REMOTE_CONNECTION (argument: not used)

    For an application linked against the libmysqld embedded server library, this forces the use of a remote server for the connection. This option is ignored for applications linked against the libmysqlclient client library.

  • MYSQL_OPT_USE_RESULT (argument: not used)

    This option is unused.

  • MYSQL_OPT_WRITE_TIMEOUT (argument type: unsigned int *)

    The timeout in seconds for attempts to write to the server. Each attempt uses this timeout value and there are net_retry_count retries if necessary, so the total effective timeout value is net_retry_count times the option value. This option works only for TCP/IP connections and, prior to MySQL 5.1.12, only for Windows.

  • MYSQL_READ_DEFAULT_FILE (argument type: char *)

    Read options from the named option file instead of from my.cnf.

  • MYSQL_READ_DEFAULT_GROUP (argument type: char *)

    Read options from the named group from my.cnf or the file specified with MYSQL_READ_DEFAULT_FILE.

  • MYSQL_REPORT_DATA_TRUNCATION (argument type: my_bool *)

    Enable or disable reporting of data truncation errors for prepared statements via the error member of MYSQL_BIND structures. (Default: enabled.)

  • MYSQL_SECURE_AUTH (argument type: my_bool *)

    Whether to connect to a server that does not support the password hashing used in MySQL 4.1.1 and later.

  • MYSQL_SET_CHARSET_DIR (argument type: char *)

    The path name to the directory that contains character set definition files.

  • MYSQL_SET_CHARSET_NAME (argument type: char *)

    The name of the character set to use as the default character set.

  • MYSQL_SHARED_MEMORY_BASE_NAME (argument type: char *)

    The name of the shared-memory object for communication to the server on Windows, if the server supports shared-memory connections. Should have the same value as the --shared-memory-base-name option used for the mysqld server you want to connect to.

The client group is always read if you use MYSQL_READ_DEFAULT_FILE or MYSQL_READ_DEFAULT_GROUP.

The specified group in the option file may contain the following options.

Option Description
character-sets-dir=path The directory where character sets are installed.
compress Use the compressed client/server protocol.
connect-timeout=seconds Connect timeout in seconds. On Linux this timeout is also used for waiting for the first answer from the server.
database=db_name Connect to this database if no database was specified in the connect command.
debug Debug options.
default-character-set=charset_name The default character set to use.
disable-local-infile Disable use of LOAD DATA LOCAL.
host=host_name Default host name.
init-command=stmt Statement to execute when connecting to MySQL server. Automatically re-executed if reconnection occurs.
interactive-timeout=seconds Same as specifying CLIENT_INTERACTIVE to mysql_real_connect(). See Section 21.9.3.52, “mysql_real_connect()”.
local-infile[={0|1}] If no argument or nonzero argument, enable use of LOAD DATA LOCAL; otherwise disable.
max_allowed_packet=bytes Maximum size of packet that client can read from server.
multi-queries, multi-results Allow multiple result sets from multiple-statement executions or stored procedures.
multi-statements Allow the client to send multiple statements in a single string (separated by “;”).
password=password Default password.
pipe Use named pipes to connect to a MySQL server on Windows.
port=port_num Default port number.
protocol={TCP|SOCKET|PIPE|MEMORY} The protocol to use when connecting to the server.
return-found-rows Tell mysql_info() to return found rows instead of updated rows when using UPDATE.
shared-memory-base-name=name Shared-memory name to use to connect to server.
socket=path Default socket file.
ssl-ca=file_name Certificate Authority file.
ssl-capath=path Certificate Authority directory.
ssl-cert=file_name Certificate file.
ssl-cipher=cipher_list Allowable SSL ciphers.
ssl-key=file_name Key file.
timeout=seconds Like connect-timeout.
user Default user.

timeout has been replaced by connect-timeout, but timeout is still supported in MySQL 5.1 for backward compatibility.

For more information about option files, see Section 4.2.3.3, “Using Option Files”.

Before MySQL 5.1.18, the arg argument was declared as char *.

Return Values

Zero for success. Nonzero if you specify an unknown option.

Example

The following mysql_options() calls request the use of compression in the client/server protocol, cause options to be read from the [odbc] group of option files, and disable transaction autocommit mode: 

MYSQL mysql;

mysql_init(&mysql);
mysql_options(&mysql,MYSQL_OPT_COMPRESS,0);
mysql_options(&mysql,MYSQL_READ_DEFAULT_GROUP,"odbc");
mysql_options(&mysql,MYSQL_INIT_COMMAND,"SET autocommit=0");
if (!mysql_real_connect(&mysql,"host","user","passwd","database",0,NULL,0))
{
    fprintf(stderr, "Failed to connect to database: Error: %s\n",
          mysql_error(&mysql));
}

This code requests that the client use the compressed client/server protocol and read the additional options from the odbc section in the my.cnf file.


User Comments

Posted by Rupert Peddle on December 15 2008 1:33pm[Delete] [Edit]

When retrying a connection, I used mysql_options() to set a connection timeout then called mysql_real_connect in a while loop:

mysql_options(...);

while(!mysql_real_connect(...))
{
nanosleep(...);
}

Doing this, it appears that the connection timeout was lost after the first iteration. I had to re-set the connection timeout after every attempt:

mysql_options(...);

while(!mysql_real_connect(...))
{
nanosleep(...);
mysql_options(...);
}

Don't know if this is the case for other options....

Posted by Uros Reljic on April 23 2009 6:52pm[Delete] [Edit]

Set flag CLIENT_REMEMBER_OPTIONS in client_flag when you calling mysql_real_connect().
Without this flag, if mysql_real_connect() fails, you must repeat the mysql_options() calls before trying to connect again.

Speco

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