How to Enable All Features for PHPMyAdmin in DirectAdmin

In the field of MySQL database management, the phpMyAdmin tool is quite widely used. It includes a web-based AJAX interface for the administration of your databases, tables, and data. But if you are a direct admin user, then enabling all of them in phpmyadmin may not be as simple as that. 

In this article, we will tell you how to enable all phpMyAdmin possible features in DirectAdmin, so you can use them all.

Why Enable All Features?

It should be mentioned that some features can be disabled by security or configuration reasons in phpMyAdmin by default. It may include extra tools for databases management, the ability to import/export, and other features that would facilitate such management. All features is the choice means that you would like to use all the possibilities of phpMyAdmin and this choice would let you not to limit your work with the database.

Configuring the phpMyAdmin Configuration File : The phpMyAdmin configuration file (`config.inc.php`) is crucial for managing phpMyAdmin settings such as authentication, server connections, and other user preferences. By editing this file, administrators can customize the user interface, control access levels, and integrate security features like encryption and cookies to enhance database management efficiency.

Steps to Enable All Features for phpMyAdmin in DirectAdmin

Accessing the Server
To begin, you need to access your server where DirectAdmin is installed. This typically requires SSH access. Use an SSH client like PuTTY if you're on Windows, or simply use the terminal if you're on a Unix-based system.

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ssh username@your-server-ip

Replace username with your actual username and your-server-ip with the IP address of your server.

Navigate to the phpMyAdmin Configuration Directory
Once logged in, navigate to the phpMyAdmin configuration directory. This is where you'll find the configuration file that controls phpMyAdmin's settings.

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cd /usr/local/directadmin/custombuild

Edit the Configuration File
You'll need to edit the configuration file for phpMyAdmin to enable all features. This can be done using a text editor like nano or vi. For this guide, we'll use nano.

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nano custom/ap2/conf/extra/httpd-phpmodules.conf

In this file, look for the section related to phpMyAdmin and make the necessary changes to enable the features you need.

Modify phpMyAdmin Configuration
phpMyAdmin’s configuration file is typically named config.inc.php. You can find this file in the phpMyAdmin installation directory, often located at /usr/local/directadmin/custombuild/phpmyadmin.

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cd /usr/local/directadmin/custombuild/phpmyadmin

nano config.inc.php

In the config.inc.php file, you'll find various configuration directives. Some key directives to enable all features include:

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = true; – Allows logging in without a password.

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser'] and $cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] – These settings allow phpMyAdmin to manage additional features such as bookmarks and relations. Ensure these are set up correctly.

$cfg['UploadDir'] and $cfg['SaveDir'] – Directories for import and export functionalities. Make sure these paths are correctly configured and writable by the web server.

Example configuration snippet:
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$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = true;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser'] = 'pma';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] = 'yourpassword';
$cfg['UploadDir'] = 'upload';
$cfg['SaveDir'] = 'save';

Set Permissions
Ensure the directories specified in the configuration file have the correct permissions. This can be done using the chmod command.

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chmod 755 /path/to/upload

chmod 755 /path/to/save

Replace /path/to/upload and /path/to/save with the actual paths used in your config.inc.php.

Restart Web Server
After making these changes, restart your web server to apply the new configurations.

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service httpd restart

or

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systemctl restart httpd

Depending on your system's configuration, the command to restart the web server may vary.

Test phpMyAdmin

Finally, log in to phpMyAdmin through DirectAdmin to ensure all features are enabled. You should see additional functionalities available in the interface, reflecting the changes you made in the configuration.

Troubleshooting Tips

- Check Logs: If you encounter issues, check the server logs for errors. Logs can often be found in /var/log/httpd/ or /var/log/apache2/ depending on your system.

- Verify Configuration: Ensure that there are no syntax errors in the config.inc.php file. Even a small mistake can cause phpMyAdmin to fail to load properly.

- Permissions: Double-check directory permissions to ensure phpMyAdmin can read and write to the necessary directories.

Conclusion

Using DirectAdmin to manage phpMyAdmin accounts allows the user to configure all features for this advanced MySQL client. If you are precise with these steps then it is sure that PhpMyAdmin will offer all the functionalities that you require for efficient database management tasks. No matter if you are a novice or an experienced PHP developer, having a phpMyAdmin working environment that offers all the necessary tools can significantly contribute to your workflow.