mysql_tableinfo [OPTIONS] database_to_write [database_like_wild] [table_like_wild]

  Do not backquote (``) database_to_write, 
  and do not quote ('') database_like_wild or table_like_wild

  Examples:

  mysql_tableinfo info

  mysql_tableinfo info this_db

  mysql_tableinfo info %a% b%

  mysql_tableinfo info --clear-only

  mysql_tableinfo info --col --idx --table-status

SELECT CONCAT(``CHECK TABLE '',`database`,``.'',`table`,`` EXTENDED;'') FROM info.tbl WHERE ... ;

as people usually do with some other RDBMS (note: to increase the speed of your queries on the info tables, you may add some index on them).

The database_like_wild and table_like_wild instructs the program to gather information only about databases and tables whose names match these patterns. If the info tables already exist, their rows matching the patterns are simply deleted and replaced by the new ones. That is, old rows not matching the patterns are not touched. If the database_like_wild and table_like_wild arguments are not specified on the command-line they default to ``%''.

The program :

- does CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS database_to_write where database_to_write is the database name specified on the command-line.

- does CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS database_to_write.`db`

- fills database_to_write.`db` with the output of SHOW DATABASES LIKE database_like_wild

- does CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS database_to_write.`tbl` (respectively database_to_write.`tbl_status` if the --tbl-status option is on)

- for every found database, fills database_to_write.`tbl` (respectively database_to_write.`tbl_status`) with the output of SHOW TABLES FROM found_db LIKE table_like_wild (respectively SHOW TABLE STATUS FROM found_db LIKE table_like_wild)

- if the --col option is on,
    * does CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS database_to_write.`col`
    * for every found table,
      fills database_to_write.`col` with the output of 
      SHOW COLUMNS FROM found_tbl FROM found_db

- if the --idx option is on,
    * does CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS database_to_write.`idx`
    * for every found table,
      fills database_to_write.`idx` with the output of 
      SHOW INDEX FROM found_tbl FROM found_db

Some options may modify this general scheme (see below).

As mentioned, the contents of the info tables are the output of SHOW commands. In fact the contents are slightly more complete :

- the `tbl` (or `tbl_status`) info table
  has an extra column which contains the database name,

- the `col` info table
  has an extra column which contains the table name,
  and an extra column which contains, for each described column,
  the number of this column in the table owning it (this extra column
  is called `Seq_in_table`). `Seq_in_table` makes it possible for you
  to retrieve your columns in sorted order, when you are querying
  the `col` table. 

- the `index` info table
  has an extra column which contains the database name.

Caution: info tables contain certain columns (e.g. Database, Table, Null...) whose names, as they are MySQL reserved words, need to be backquoted (`...`) when used in SQL statements.

Caution: as information fetching and info tables filling happen at the same time, info tables may contain inaccurate information about themselves.

WARRANTY

Patches adding bug fixes, documentation and new features are welcome.

TO DO

And all the authors of mysqlhotcopy, which served as a model for the structure of the program.