How do I display content for foreign keys in phpmyadmin

Question

Whenever I try to insert a new record in my MySQL database using phpMyAdmin, if the column refers to a foreign key, i get a dropdown box with the valid IDs that i can use. The problem is when the database gets too big, the ID is meaningless for me. For example if the ID is the social security number of the employee, i don't know it, but i can probably remember the name. Is there a way to display the row contents next to the ID or at least one column that could be more meaningful to the user? I have seen that feature in phpPgAdmin.

I tried this in the config file:

$cfg['ForeignKeyDropdownOrder'] = array( 'content-id', 'id-content' ); 

But it didn't work.

Answer 1

phpMyAdmin has a function for this, but you must be using the InnoDB table type. You must also have pmadb configured.

1. Select the table that contains the foreign key (child).
2. Click the "Structure" tab.
3. Click "Relation view".
4. Under the foreign key constraints, click the "Choose column to display" drop down and make a choice.

The column value will now be shown next to the id. It will also be shown when hovering over the foreign key value after making a selection.

For anyone having trouble getting this setup, please see the #relation-view documentation which tells you exactly how to configure it with screenshots.

Answer 2

In addition to what @EternalHour says you also need to check the radio button under view options

that says "Relational display column" if you want the value to be displayed.

If not checked you will only see the Foreign Key value when you hover that specific id.