Trying to edit the my.cnf file in mysql and it does not work

Question

I'm attempting to use cat /etc/my.cnf in mysql but when I do this, it just shows -> wanting me to keep putting in inputs.

However, when I put a semicolon at the end.

cat /etc/my.cnf;

it throws an error.

How can I edit the /etc/my.cnf file?

I'm running this on terminal on a Mac and I got into the mysql server by using the command

sudo /usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql -u root

.

_It shows and error_ Would you like to share that error with us please — RiggsFolly, Feb 22 '19 at 18:16
Cat is not for editing file, its just to view contents of file, to edit, use vi — Mesar ali, Feb 22 '19 at 18:18
mysql> cat /etc/my.cnf; ERROR 1064 (42000): You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'cat /etc/my.cnf' at line 1 — jkim44, Feb 22 '19 at 18:18
And you cannot do anything like that from inside the `mysql>` shell — RiggsFolly, Feb 22 '19 at 18:18
Have a care, if you have never used an editor before, you may do more damage than good — RiggsFolly, Feb 22 '19 at 18:21

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 22 '19 at 18:18

Are you typing this in to the mysql> shell? If so, UNIX-shell commands like cat won't do anything useful. These aren't commands MySQL knows how to deal with.

You need to run these in a plain Terminal (shell) window outside of MySQL.

By default most systems launch the bash shell which has access to command-line tools like vi, etc. The MySQL shell is SQL only.

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 22 '19 at 18:29

It seems you are trying to edit MySQL configuration from MySQL shell but that will not work. Follow below steps to edit the file

Open terminal and type below command to open mysql config file in textedit
sudo nano /etc/my.cnf
Save the file and restart MySQL

Hope this helps you

Trying to edit the my.cnf file in mysql and it does not work

2 Answers2