4.5.1.4. mysql Server-Side Help

mysql> help search_string

If you provide an argument to the help command, mysql uses it as a search string to access server-side help from the contents of the MySQL Reference Manual. The proper operation of this command requires that the help tables in the mysql database be initialized with help topic information (see Section 5.1.10, "Server-Side Help").

If there is no match for the search string, the search fails:

mysql> help meNothing foundPlease try to run 'help contents' for a list of all accessible topics

Use help contents to see a list of the help categories:

mysql> help contentsYou asked for help about help category: "Contents"For more information, type 'help <item>', where <item> is one of thefollowing categories:   Account Management   Administration   Data Definition   Data Manipulation   Data Types   Functions   Functions and Modifiers for Use with GROUP BY   Geographic Features   Language Structure   Plugins   Storage Engines   Stored Routines   Table Maintenance   Transactions   Triggers

If the search string matches multiple items, mysql shows a list of matching topics:

mysql> help logsMany help items for your request exist.To make a more specific request, please type 'help <item>',where <item> is one of the following topics:   SHOW   SHOW BINARY LOGS   SHOW ENGINE   SHOW LOGS

Use a topic as the search string to see the help entry for that topic:

mysql> help show binary logsName: 'SHOW BINARY LOGS'Description:Syntax:SHOW BINARY LOGSSHOW MASTER LOGSLists the binary log files on the server. This statement is used aspart of the procedure described in [purge-binary-logs], that shows howto determine which logs can be purged.mysql> SHOW BINARY LOGS;+---------------+-----------+| Log_name      | File_size |+---------------+-----------+| binlog.000015 |    724935 || binlog.000016 |    733481 |+---------------+-----------+

The search string can contain the the wildcard characters "%" and "_". These have the same meaning as for pattern-matching operations performed with the LIKE operator. For example, HELP rep% returns a list of topics that begin with rep:

mysql> HELP rep%Many help items for your request exist.To make a more specific request, please type 'help <item>',where <item> is one of the followingtopics:   REPAIR TABLE   REPEAT FUNCTION   REPEAT LOOP   REPLACE   REPLACE FUNCTION