PHP5 does not finf "mysql_*()"

Brownre

I am new to the use of PHP and have installed MYSQL (5.0.51-win32), PHP (php-5.2.3-win32) and Apache(apache_2.059-win32-X86-no_sl) on Windows XP professional.
PHP works fine with Apache and MYSQL works fine on its own, updates via the "Command" line.
I am getting an error when trying to access MYSQL from PHP
Fatal error:
Call to undefined function mysql_connect() in D:\Web\Webserver\Apache2\htdocs\databases-1.php on line 15
My code
$connection = mysql_connect($host, $user, $pas) or die ("Unable to connect!";
The error appears to be "mysql_*()" cannot be found.
I see you guys have met this problem a numbers of times and there appears to have been a number of articles about it. As a new user I am having difficulty in interpreting the solutions.
It appears that it is not straight forward to uninstall PHP and possibly change the version of PHP.
I am reluctant to make too many changes on my installed version, with an instruction that I am not familiar with.
Is there an one article that one confidently use please?

               I hope that this request finds a patient and helpful reader.

                        Regards Ray Brown

Weedpacket

Have you followed the instructions for enabling [man]MySQL[/man] in PHP5 on Windows (on the linked page)? In particular, have you uncommented "php_mysql.dll" in php.ini?

Brownre

Weedpacket wrote:
Have you followed the instructions for enabling [man]MySQL[/man] in PHP5 on Windows (on the linked page)? In particular, have you uncommented "php_mysql.dll" in php.ini?

Thanks for suggestion
I have removed ";" from "extension=php_mysql.dll". This is the only extension that has been enabled in PHP.ini.

I am reading a number of articles that suggest that this extension has been replaced as unreliable with "extension=php_mysqli.dll".
Apart from replacing the extension by removing ";" I believe other changes need to be made to access the appropriate libraries. I have made no other changes.

Ray

laserlight

I have removed ";" from "extension=php_mysql.dll". This is the only extension that has been enabled in PHP.ini.

Is your extension directory set correctly? Did you forget to restart the webserver after saving php.ini?

I am reading a number of articles that suggest that this extension has been replaced as unreliable with "extension=php_mysqli.dll".
Apart from replacing the extension by removing ";" I believe other changes need to be made to access the appropriate libraries. I have made no other changes.

I do recommend using the MySQLi extension if you are starting a new project, but you might want to do some cost-benefit analysis before retrofitting an existing project to use the MySQLi extension instead of the MySQL extension. The MySQL extension is not so much unreliable as lacking in support for newer MySQL and PHP features.