MySQL or Flatfile? Which database do I use?

Article Manager 2 gives you the option to use either MySQL, or a Flatfile database. But which one is right for you?

If you have a smaller site (under 1000 articles), or if you don't have access to MySQL, you'll most likely choose Flatfile. This is a built-in database and doesn't require any external database software. Article Manager will create everything necessary itself.

For larger sites (over 1000 articles), we recommend using MySQL. This requires that you have access to a MySQL database, which is a common feature of most hosting providers.

Don't worry about picking the wrong one; you can easily switch from MySQL to flatfile with the click of a button at any time.

Changing databases

To change the database, go to "Admin" and choose "Database Editor". On this page, select "Move data to a new database" from the Database Actions, and hit continue.

Using Flatfile

Article Manager takes care of almost everything for you! The only thing you need to do is pick a table prefix. You can put pretty much anything you want, but it's an internal setting and won't matter unless you plan on modifying the database directly. We recommend something like "artman_" or "am_".

Using MySQL

To use MySQL, first create a database for Article Manager on your web server. Your hosting provider can offer assistance with this.

The fields you'll need to fill out are:

Hostname: Usually localhost (but not always). Check with your hosting provider.
Port: Leave this blank unless your hosting provider has specified a non-standard port.
Database Name: This is whatever name you chose when you created the database.
Username: The username of the MySQL user you created with access to the database.
Password: The password for your MySQL user.
Table Prefix: This will prefix all of the table names, and helps you keep all of the tables separate from any other program you might have using the same database. It's recommended to use something like "artman_" or "am_".

That's it! Article Manager will take care of the rest. It's a snap to move from flatfile to MySQL and back again, or even to an entirely different MySQL server.