I have a MySQL database that I want to distribute with a program. How do you do this without making the user install MySQL.
Thanks.

In many situations, you can simply assume that MySQL is already installed, and concentrate on configuring the database and permissions as you require them.

MySQL is an extremely common database to be offered by an internet hosting company, for example. If someone's looking to adopt your software, they probably have the server or can easily get it separately.

In this case, it is nessecary to be able to access a MySQL database without MySQL being installed. I was wondering if you could save the database as a .sql file or something?

You definitely should design a "seed" database structure and then export it with 'mysqldump' such that the user can re-create the database simply by creating a DB and executing that file.

I think that you should simply require MySQL as being something which you must already have, and already have fully installed, before your product can be expected to run. Then provide instructions that lead the user, absolutely step by every step, through the successful installation of your empty database.

One more thing: if MySQL is not installed, or the password is wrong or what-have-you, then your product must respond intelligently, intelliglbly, and gracefully to the condition! Which means that you have actually created and thoroughly tested that situation before product release.

Allright, I'll try that.
Thanks.