Reading an MS Access Database file on *NIX platform using PHP

[Weston C]

I'm building a small web application for a friend using PHP. He'd like to
use MS Access to keep the data in, and update the data on the site by FTP'ing
Access files he edits on his machine up to the web host.

The web host is unix-based (FreeBSD, slightly hacked by Verio, I believe), so
this means COM functions aren't available. ODBC was my next thought, but I've
never used it, and there are a few things I don't understand. Setting up a
DSN is one of them -- apparently this isn't as simple as constructing a string,
and all the tutorials I can find seem to involve going into a Windows control
panel and making a setting. This of course will not be possible, since there
are no windows control panels on FreeBSD.

Can anyone offer any quick tips on how to use the odbc database functions or
PEAR::DB to query data from an MS Access file sitting on a UNIX box?

Thanks in advance!

[Travis Kroh]

This is a widespread problem. One which we faced, and eventually solved by
deciding to just write the application in .NET instead.

Some links that may be helpful...
This link deals with problems trying to use PHP's built-in function
"odbc_connect" on a Linux box:
[url]http://forums.devshed.com/t37357/s.html[/url]

These links mention using database functions within this PHP include
library (adodb.inc.php) and skipping ODBC altogether:
[url]http://www.devshed.com/Server_Side/PHP/ADODB[/url]
[url]http://php.weblogs.com/ADODB[/url]

The basic problem is trying to get something on a nix box to play nice with
Jet. We never found an elegant way of doing it. (Some brief thought was
given to writing a VB app to live on the windows box, conveniently leaving a
port open to listen for requests from our PHP script and return results.
Humorous, yet ever-so-brief thought. :)

Good luck.
-trav

>-----Original Message-----
>From: [email]weston@leary.csoft.net[/email] [mailto:weston@leary.csoft.net]
>Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2003 1:55 PM
>To: [email]php-general@lists.php.net[/email]
>Cc: [email]weston@csoft.net[/email]
>Subject: Reading an MS Access Database file on *NIX platform using PHP
>
>
>I'm building a small web application for a friend using PHP. He'd like to
>use MS Access to keep the data in, and update the data on the site
>by FTP'ing
>Access files he edits on his machine up to the web host.
>
>The web host is unix-based (FreeBSD, slightly hacked by Verio, I
>believe), so
>this means COM functions aren't available. ODBC was my next
>thought, but I've
>never used it, and there are a few things I don't understand. Setting up a
>DSN is one of them -- apparently this isn't as simple as
>constructing a string,
>and all the tutorials I can find seem to involve going into a
>Windows control
>panel and making a setting. This of course will not be possible,
>since there
>are no windows control panels on FreeBSD.
>
>In short: can anyone offer any quick tips on how to use the odbc
>database functions or PEAR::DB to query data from an MS Access
>file sitting on a UNIX box?
>
>Thanks,
> Weston
>

[Michiel]

Weston C wrote:

> I'm building a small web application for a friend using PHP. He'd like to
> use MS Access to keep the data in, and update the data on the site by FTP'ing
> Access files he edits on his machine up to the web host.
>
> The web host is unix-based (FreeBSD, slightly hacked by Verio, I believe), so
> this means COM functions aren't available. ODBC was my next thought, but I've
> never used it, and there are a few things I don't understand. Setting up a
> DSN is one of them -- apparently this isn't as simple as constructing a string,
> and all the tutorials I can find seem to involve going into a Windows control
> panel and making a setting. This of course will not be possible, since there
> are no windows control panels on FreeBSD.
>
> Can anyone offer any quick tips on how to use the odbc database functions or
> PEAR::DB to query data from an MS Access file sitting on a UNIX box?
>
> Thanks in advance!

You could upload a csv file and then import it into mysql with "LOAD
DATA INFILE 'filename' INTO table". You can create a csv file from
Access with "Save as".

Michiel.

[Peter Jones]

Michiel <michiel@...NO...SPAM!*.2see.nl> wrote in
news:3f4a7c6a$0$49106$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl:

> You could upload a csv file and then import it into mysql with "LOAD
> DATA INFILE 'filename' INTO table". You can create a csv file from
> Access with "Save as".

You can do that?

Excuse me, I'll be over in the corner, kicking myself... :-)

Pete.