Unable to connect Dreamweaver with mysqli

[martint12500299]

I am having hard time connecting to a sql database. I am using DW 19.1, Windows 10, Wampserver (all services running). I just build a simple DW-php form/code.

I am starting with two issues:

The very first line is looking for a wamp64.php file that has:

            $wamp64 = mysql_pconnect(.......), I am replacing with mysqli but DW is replacing that all the time with the original mysql sentence.

Second: I am trying with different PHP verion, but I am not able to get the databases.

Can anyone help me with the right environment to avoid all this annoying situation. Seems like PHP's dreamweaver is working with and old version and DW is not reading mysql. Any help highly appreciated

Thread Renamed by Moderator.

[osgood_]

Dreamweaver server behaviours are way out-dated. Unless you are running php 5.6 or less they wont work and even if you are using php 5.6 or less you should'nt be using mysql as its been replaced by mysqli (note the 'i') or pdo. Your server is most likely running at least php 7+. Dreamwever currently has nothing that will allow you to connect using mysqli or pdo. Your only options are to buy an extension or write the code yourself.

We have for the last 4/5 years encouraged the dozy blighters at Adobe to re-write the DW server behaviours but you cant tell em whose pockets (money, money, money) are too deep for their brains to be able to think clearly and provider what their users really really want.

If you want to buy an extension give me a shout in the forum and I'll provide a couple of url of companies that offer them

[BenPleysier]

The (deprecated) Server Behaviours panels should not be used with PHP 7+.

The reason is that PHP 7+ does not recognise MySQL and the SB panels do not create MySQLi or PDO.

You will need to hand code, see https://www.webtutorials.me/crud-operation-php-mysqli/  or purchase an extension from Webassist

[martint12500299]

Thank all for your input. The main reason that I selected DW was due to the "ability" to connect with a sql database (wampp, mysql). With no connectivity, seems like DW is loosing market not updating the server behavior. Since I do not have experience with PHP, is nice "developing" PHP code using DW, that is powerful.

Now my question is if still I can use DW to develop my project (need to read/update the database) or move to something else. Please provide me the companies offering the extension.

[osgood_]

martint12500299  wrote

Thank all for your input. The main reason that I selected DW was due to the "ability" to connect with a sql database (wampp, mysql). With no connectivity, seems like DW is loosing market not updating the server behavior. Since I do not have experience with PHP, is nice "developing" PHP code using DW, that is powerful.

Now my question is if still I can use DW to develop my project (need to read/update the database) or move to something else. Please provide me the companies offering the extension.

This one is the closest to the old DW server behaviours BUT its a bit pricey:

MySQLi Server Behaviors | Dreamweaver extension | WebAssist

I was going to recommend this company also https://www.dmxzone.com/

but I can never understand their website, its a bit of a mess to find anything to be honest but I thought at one stage they produced a pdo/mysqli database connection extension for DW. Recently they have been converting everything to use their own editor solution and App-Connect solution:

https://wappler.io/index

It does use a niche coding workflow though which you might find restrictive if you need any help beyond their own forum.

Otherwise its write your own, which is not hugely difficult to be honest. How to connect, insert/update/delete database information using sqli or pdo is all over you tube if you care to search...just look for tutorials no more than a couple of years old, although some that are older are still relevant.

[Nancy OShea]

You must not  combine old and new code.   Copy & paste the following MySQLi (improved) code into a new php file.  Change code in red to your own  values.

<?php

$con = mysqli_connect("localhost","your_username","your_password","database_name");

// Check connection

if (mysqli_connect_errno())

  {

  echo "Failed to connect to MySQL: " . mysqli_connect_error();

        }

        else echo "Successfully connected, happy coding!"

?>

[osgood_]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

You must not  combine old and new code.   Copy & paste the following MySQLi (improved) code into a new php file.  Change code in red to your own  values.

<?php

$con = mysqli_connect("localhost","your_username","your_password","database_name");

// Check connection

if (mysqli_connect_errno())

  {

  echo "Failed to connect to MySQL: " . mysqli_connect_error();

        }

        else echo "Successfully connected, happy coding!"

?>

That only really gets the OP connected, nothing more. From the first post image it looks like they have a lot of old DW server behaviours code going on and what I think they are trying to 'hack' is connecting to the database via sqli but even if they succeed nothing else is going to function becasue their server is running php 7.1

To me it looks like they need to gut the code to make it compatible with php 7+ or drop back to a server running 5.6 or less.

[HARSHIKA_VERMA]

Hi Martin,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble in connecting Dreamweaver with Mysqli and unable to pull up databases. Thank you for providing the detailed description of the issue with the help of screenshot.

As Ben and Os have already mentioned that you need to purchase an extension, so I would recommend checking Adobe Exchange from this link: Creative Cloud​.

Thanks,

Harshika

[Nancy OShea]

I don't use Adobe Exchange.

See links below for modern server-side development tools.

• Wappler https://wappler.io/index
• DMX Zone https://www.dmxzone.com/3/extensions
• WebAssist Adobe Dreamweaver Extensions for CS3 CS4 CS5 CS6 | WebAssist

[BenPleysier]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/HARSHIKA+VERMA  wrote

Hi Martin,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble in connecting Dreamweaver with Mysqli and unable to pull up databases. Thank you for providing the detailed description of the issue with the help of screenshot.

As Ben and Os have already mentioned that you need to purchase an extension, so I would recommend checking Adobe Exchange from this link: Creative Cloud.

Thanks,

Harshika

I am sorry, but this angers me no end. Webassist, along with ProjectSeven and DMXzone are providing a service for users of Dreamweaver, a service that Dreamweaver should be providing as an integral part. Before Adobe started messing around with what they wanted rather than what we as Dreamweaver users wanted, they started stripping the program bare. Adobe even removed the extension manager so that these 3 providers have had to create their own. As a member of the pre-release program, I was promised that updated SB panels would be available in a future release of Dreamweaver, still waiting.

Not only have you pulled EM off the shelves, but you are now trying to profit from what others are doing to improve Dreamweaver by charging them to be on Adobe Exchange. These extensions that you are trying to make so hard to implement are available from the producers without them losing money to Adobe while their EM's can be used to install them.

As a last note, I have not been as angry as I am now since Dreamweaver dropped the SB's.

End rant.

[Nancy OShea]

In all fairness, Harshika probably doesn't know the sordid back story.  

Apart from the fact that it doesn't work right,  Adobe Exchange is trying to profit off the backs of 3rd party extension developers and it has so far been a disaster.   I cannot support it or recommend it.  I always go directly to the extension developer's website.

[Preran]

That is correct, Nancy. Harshika is our new team member and she is doing her best to help users on the forum. All of you here, as Nancy correctly pointed out, have more insights into the development history of Dreamweaver than she does. My team is doing its best to get her to speed. Meanwhile, she will keep learning from your posts and your guidance.

Thanks,

Preran

[osgood_]

BenPleysier  wrote

I have not been as angry as I am now since Dreamweaver dropped the SB's.

Bring them back

The server behaviours updated, new and shiny, that is.

[BenPleysier]

Nancy OShea​, thank you for your balanced view and I do apologise to HARSHIKA VERMA​, I did not mean it personally.

[martint12500299]

Hi All,

My post was working with DW->Preferences->PHP 5.6.

Already I try with the PHP 7.1 Version, but no difference. As you can see (below), the "connection" file is very different, but I can not connect to the database. DW is unable to find/connect the database. So is one problem or the other.

Like I mentioned before, I believe is nice to work with DW building forms and using PHP commands at the same time. Saving time and headaches.

[BenPleysier]

MySQLi is totally different to MySQL, it is not just the connection to the database that needs consideration. This may help you on your way PHP 5 MySQLi Functions

[martint12500299]

Well, seems like I am not alone, thanks all for your comments. Preran and the staff are aware of this mess/situation. Now lets redirect the issue. Preran, rather than be part of the problem why you and your staff are not part of the solution. Training a person to keep the flow, day by day, is not resolving the issue. We, need a real solution. I believe at your end you have to have enough statistics to show all this complains that can be solve if the company is properly guided. My hope is that you, Preran, can escalated all this claims that have been developing not for lack of knowledge but for been greedy an reluctant to hear all users.

[Paul-M]

There was an old Dreamweave extension called PHAKT by Interakt. Adobe bought Interakt aorund the same time they bought Macroedia from what I can remember.

The PHAKT extension worked inside Dreamweaver exactly the same as the old PHP/MySQL Server Behaviors but utilised the PHP ADOdb Database Abstraction Layer - if Adobe had adopted this for the SB's in Dreamweaver then progression would have been a much easier prospect. Altiohgh not as well known as PDO, PHP ADODB is still under active development and currently supports up to PHP 7.2 and makes switching between database types seamless.

What's more is that the PHAKT server behaviors also worked exactly the same as the old PHP MySQL server behaviors did with and old Interakt extension called MX Kollection which was an advanced set of server beahaviors/tools for creating backend applications. After acquiring Interakt Adobe changed the name of MX Kollection to ADDT (Adobe Dreamweaver Developer Toolbox) which may be more familiar to people, in reality they did very little with MX Kollection (ADDT) and then discontinued it a few years later. Adobe never had any committment to it ....

What happend to the PHAKT extension/server model? I have no idea it was never even looked at or considered by Adobe as far as I can make out?

The Interakt people were from Romania I beleive and very clever developers, I'm pretty sure they ended up working at Adobe and at least one or two are still there as QA Engineers or in some other capacity. Very strange to have these people at your disposal and just bury all their products which were great additions to Dreamweaver in their time and could have been something amazing in 2019 had Adobe  commited resources to them.

I know nothing that happens inside Adobe as they seem to be a very secretive organisation these days, I'd imagine there are a lot of confidentiality agreements being signed on a regular basis. So nobody has a clue what has been going on with Adobe and Dreamweaver but here are the key points/errors IMO that will see the death of Dreamweaver in the next few years.

1) Adobe decided to stop developing Server Behaviors & ditch ADDT - Server behaviors were out of date yes, because Adobe had no committment to them at all and let them just drift along.

2) Adobe introduces 'Live View' it looks like its intended to replace Design View (bit of backlash when design-time stylesheets were removed as I recall, in actual fact the function was just hidden from the UI). Live View is terrible, glitchy,  yes its improved but IMO it is still not great. Second problem is some leading extensions were/are quite tightly integrated into Design View. All in all unsatifactory, who are Adobe consulting or speaking to in order decide which direction they go with Dreamweaver? It doesn't seem like its the real users or extension developers. If I want LIve View I'll use a web browser if I wanted a WYSIWG  I'd want a stable user-friendly tool

3) Out of the blue (at least it seemed it to me anyway) Adobe decides to rip out a very stable code editor from Dreamweaver that just needed a bit of TLC and a few new features and replace it with integrated version of Brackets. Lord knows how much development time when into this, in all honestly it was a bit of disaster. Brackets brought a few new features and host of issues including loss of some populkar features that the old code editor had ..... what the hell was the point onf it? - It was close to a disaster (my opinion anyway).

Any light at the end of the tunnel? Well wrapping of snippets is coming back (its never been removed properly anyway), maybe thats a tiny victory for regular users of Dreamweaver .... I'd like to think we can get the old code editor back in Dreamweaver 20.0  but I know that will never happen and yet the current Dreamweaver team are still fixing issues with the Brackets code editor that was first introduces in Dreamweaver CC 2017 in November 2016.

Who's driving and making the key decisions for Dreamweaver??????????????

...........................

Fingers crossed but confidence is low on what Adobe will do with Dreamweaver, I should point out that the currenr Dreamweaver dev team are not reposnisible for the above issue. They have been trying to correct and fix a lot of the problems with the code editor, code formatting isues etc etc and I think they have managed to tackle most of the problems.

[BenPleysier]

Paul-M  wrote

2) Adobe introduces 'Live View' it looks like its intended to replace Design View (bit of backlash when design-time stylesheets were removed as I recall, in actual fact the function was just hidden from the UI). Live View is terrible, glitchy,  yes its improved but IMO it is still not great. Second problem is some leading extensions were/are quite tightly integrated into Design View. All in all unsatifactory, who are Adobe consulting or speaking to in order decide which direction they go with Dreamweaver? It doesn't seem like its the real users or extension developers. If I want LIve View I'll use a web browser if I wanted a WYSIWG  I'd want a stable user-friendly tool

Paul, have a look at what extension suppliers are doing for Live view and WYSIWYG: Building a Responsive Layout with Bootstrap 4 Version 2 - YouTube

How come that these people can make something of Dreamweaver and why are they being hindered in installing the extensions.

[pziecina]

Whilst adding the ability to use pdo to the SB's is not easy, it can be done, (but Adobe do not want to do so).

What many forget is that back when the first CC version was realeased, open source cms's where seen as the main requirerment for Dw users, and anyone wanting more than what those offered, then BC was Adobes offering, (was at the time actively promoted as such).

Personally I don't think Adobe even has a plan for Dw anymore, beyond bug fixes and Bootstrap.

[BenPleysier]

pziecina  wrote

Whilst adding the ability to use pdo to the SB's is not easy, it can be done, (but Adobe do not want to do so).

I know of one person who made a start making me aware of the fact that MySQL was coming to an end.

Edit: that person was Paula Ziecina.

[pziecina]

Just in case anyone is interested, (Adobe/Dw managment take note).

Having about 10 years ago coded an extension to enable pdo to be used instead of the old mysql extension for SB's, (only crud and log-in) my estimate would be that if a Dw team member, (coder) was to be given the task, it would take that 1 person, 1 year to complete with all functionality.

The main problem however is updating the use of pdo to include stored procedures and transactions, as those alone would require more work than the comparatively simple updating of SB's, (there is nothing to convert as they would be new features) the display of sp's and transactions is the db panel is however very easy.

[B i r n o u]

yo Paula, do you mean form a mini-team to develop a free extension that can replace SBs based on PDO?

if that's the case, why not?...... you can count me in the loop...

as far as I'm concerned I'd like to see an AJAX-based management to refresh the content of the page without having to reload it as SB did.

[pziecina]

Hi Birnou,

dmxzone offer an ajax based SB extension.

I was talking about the requirerment of 1 person if the Dw team take up the offer. The main problem with converting to old SB's to use pdo is the complete lack of documentation of the old SB's, (not even available to Adobe), but it is not something that could or should be done as a free extension in my opinion.

The problem is time. As anyone, (individual of team) would have to provide documentation and support, something which would have to be organised and if done by a none Adobe team, charged for.

I stopped development, because my extension 'piggy backed' on the old SB's, (a method later copied by webassist) which I decided did not have a future.

[martint12500299]

After all these comments, now we know Adobe is not giving a dime for DW.  Is any other app/tool that we can use to design forms, connect with the SQL database and do PHP?. Any input highly appreciated.