php - Warning: mysql_connect(): [2002] No such file or directory (trying to connect via unix:///tmp/mysql.sock) in

Question

I'm trying to connect to my MySQL DB with the Terminal on my Apple (With PHP).

Yesterday it worked fine, and now I suddenly get the error in the title.

The script works when I use my browser to run it (I have XAMPP installed), but Terminal refuses to connect to the DB.

Here is the file that I include to connect (the script works when I don't include this, but then it doesn't connect to the DB):

<?php
    mysql_connect("localhost", "root", "") or die(mysql_error());
    mysql_select_db("FNB1C_data") or die(mysql_error());
?>

That should work, since it works with my browser.

The command I use at the Terminal is php scriptname.php.

Answer 1

For some reason mysql on OS X gets the locations of the required socket file a bit wrong, but thankfully the solution is as simple as setting up a symbolic link.

You may have a socket (appearing as a zero length file) as /tmp/mysql.sock or /var/mysql/mysql.sock, but one or more apps is looking in the other location for it. Find out with this command:

ls -l /tmp/mysql.sock /var/mysql/mysql.sock

Rather than move the socket, edit config files, and have to remember to keep edited files local and away from servers where the paths are correct, simply create a symbolic link so your Mac finds the required socket, even when it's looking in the wrong place!

If you have /tmp/mysql.sock but no /var/mysql/mysql.sock then...

cd /var 
sudo mkdir mysql
sudo chmod 755 mysql
cd mysql
sudo ln -s /tmp/mysql.sock mysql.sock

If you have /var/mysql/mysql.sock but no /tmp/mysql.sock then...

cd /tmp
ln -s /var/mysql/mysql.sock mysql.sock

You will need permissions to create the directory and link, so just prefix the commands above with sudo if necessary.