Here we present mechanisms that can be used to find the data we are looking for instead of just browsing tables page-by-page and sorting them. This chapter covers single-table and whole database searches. Chapter 13 is a complement to this chapter and presents multi-table query by example.
This section describes the Search sub-page where single-table search is available.
The main use for the tool for some users is with the Search mode, for finding and updating data. For this, the phpMyAdmin team has made it possible to define which sub-page is the starting page in Table view, with the $cfg['DefaultTabTable'] parameter. Setting it to 'tbl_select.php' defines the default sub-page to search.
With this mode, application developers can look for data in ways not expected by the interface they are building, adjusting and sometimes repairing data.