<div id="docs-body">
 <div class="section">
  <div class="titlepage">
   <div>
    <div>
     <h4 class="title">
      <a name="mysql-server-side-help">
      </a>
      6.5.1.4 mysql Client Server-Side Help
     </h4>
    </div>
   </div>
  </div>
  <div class="copytoclipboard-wrapper">
   <pre class="programlisting one-line language-none"><div class="docs-select-all right" id="sa22003661"><div class="copy-help left">Press ⌘+C to copy</div> <div class="right"><button class="clipboard-btn" title="Copy to Clipboard"><span class="icon-clipboard"></span></button></div></div><code class="language-none">mysql&gt; help <em class="replaceable">search_string</em></code></pre>
  </div>
  <p>
   If you provide an argument to the
   <code class="literal">
    help
   </code>
   command,
   <a class="link" href="mysql.html" title="6.5.1 mysql — The MySQL Command-Line Client">
    <span class="command">
     <strong>
      mysql
     </strong>
    </span>
   </a>
   uses it as a search string to
        access server-side help from the contents of the MySQL Reference
        Manual. The proper operation of this command requires that the
        help tables in the
   <code class="literal">
    mysql
   </code>
   database be
        initialized with help topic information (see
   <a class="xref" href="server-side-help-support.html" title="7.1.17 Server-Side Help Support">
    Section 7.1.17, “Server-Side Help Support”
   </a>
   ).
  </p>
  <p>
   If there is no match for the search string, the search fails:
  </p>
  <div class="copytoclipboard-wrapper">
   <pre class="programlisting language-none"><div class="docs-select-all right" id="sa34782381"><div class="copy-help left">Press ⌘+C to copy</div> <div class="right"><button class="clipboard-btn" title="Copy to Clipboard"><span class="icon-clipboard"></span></button></div></div><code class="language-none">mysql&gt; help me

Nothing found
Please try to run 'help contents' for a list of all accessible topics</code></pre>
  </div>
  <p>
   Use
   <a class="link" href="help.html" title="15.8.3 HELP Statement">
    <span class="command">
     <strong>
      help contents
     </strong>
    </span>
   </a>
   to see a list of the help
        categories:
  </p>
  <div class="copytoclipboard-wrapper">
   <pre class="programlisting language-none"><div class="docs-select-all right" id="sa85748789"><div class="copy-help left">Press ⌘+C to copy</div> <div class="right"><button class="clipboard-btn" title="Copy to Clipboard"><span class="icon-clipboard"></span></button></div></div><code class="language-none">mysql&gt; help contents
You asked for help about help category: "Contents"
For more information, type 'help &lt;item&gt;', where &lt;item&gt; is one of the
following categories:
   Account Management
   Administration
   Data Definition
   Data Manipulation
   Data Types
   Functions
   Functions and Modifiers for Use with GROUP BY
   Geographic Features
   Language Structure
   Plugins
   Storage Engines
   Stored Routines
   Table Maintenance
   Transactions
   Triggers</code></pre>
  </div>
  <p>
   If the search string matches multiple items,
   <a class="link" href="mysql.html" title="6.5.1 mysql — The MySQL Command-Line Client">
    <span class="command">
     <strong>
      mysql
     </strong>
    </span>
   </a>
   shows a list of matching topics:
  </p>
  <div class="copytoclipboard-wrapper">
   <pre class="programlisting language-none"><div class="docs-select-all right" id="sa48356450"><div class="copy-help left">Press ⌘+C to copy</div> <div class="right"><button class="clipboard-btn" title="Copy to Clipboard"><span class="icon-clipboard"></span></button></div></div><code class="language-none">mysql&gt; help logs
Many help items for your request exist.
To make a more specific request, please type 'help &lt;item&gt;',
where &lt;item&gt; is one of the following topics:
   SHOW
   SHOW BINARY LOGS
   SHOW ENGINE
   SHOW LOGS</code></pre>
  </div>
  <p>
   Use a topic as the search string to see the help entry for that
        topic:
  </p>
  <div class="copytoclipboard-wrapper">
   <pre class="programlisting language-none"><div class="docs-select-all right" id="sa99101358"><div class="copy-help left">Press ⌘+C to copy</div> <div class="right"><button class="clipboard-btn" title="Copy to Clipboard"><span class="icon-clipboard"></span></button></div></div><code class="language-none">mysql&gt; help show binary logs
Name: 'SHOW BINARY LOGS'
Description:
Syntax:
SHOW BINARY LOGS

Lists the binary log files on the server. This statement is used as
part of the procedure described in [purge-binary-logs], that shows how
to determine which logs can be purged.</code></pre>
  </div>
  <div class="copytoclipboard-wrapper">
   <pre class="programlisting language-sql"><div class="docs-select-all right" id="sa55659438"><div class="copy-help left">Press ⌘+C to copy</div> <div class="right"><button class="clipboard-btn" title="Copy to Clipboard"><span class="icon-clipboard"></span></button></div></div><code class="language-sql"><span class="token prompt">mysql&gt;</span> <span class="token keyword">SHOW</span> <span class="token datatype">BINARY</span> <span class="token keyword">LOGS</span><span class="token punctuation">;</span>
<span class="token output"><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span></span>
<span class="token output"><span class="token punctuation">|</span> Log_name      <span class="token punctuation">|</span> File_size <span class="token punctuation">|</span> Encrypted <span class="token punctuation">|</span></span>
<span class="token output"><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span></span>
<span class="token output"><span class="token punctuation">|</span> binlog.000015 <span class="token punctuation">|</span>    724935 <span class="token punctuation">|</span> Yes       <span class="token punctuation">|</span></span>
<span class="token output"><span class="token punctuation">|</span> binlog.000016 <span class="token punctuation">|</span>    733481 <span class="token punctuation">|</span> Yes       <span class="token punctuation">|</span></span>
<span class="token output"><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">-</span><span class="token punctuation">+</span></span></code></pre>
  </div>
  <p>
   The search string can contain the wildcard characters
   <code class="literal">
    %
   </code>
   and
   <code class="literal">
    _
   </code>
   . These have the
        same meaning as for pattern-matching operations performed with
        the
   <a class="link" href="string-comparison-functions.html#operator_like">
    <code class="literal">
     LIKE
    </code>
   </a>
   operator. For example,
   <code class="literal">
    HELP rep%
   </code>
   returns a list of topics that begin
        with
   <code class="literal">
    rep
   </code>
   :
  </p>
  <div class="copytoclipboard-wrapper">
   <pre class="programlisting language-none"><div class="docs-select-all right" id="sa60192382"><div class="copy-help left">Press ⌘+C to copy</div> <div class="right"><button class="clipboard-btn" title="Copy to Clipboard"><span class="icon-clipboard"></span></button></div></div><code class="language-none">mysql&gt; HELP rep%
Many help items for your request exist.
To make a more specific request, please type 'help &lt;item&gt;',
where &lt;item&gt; is one of the following
topics:
   REPAIR TABLE
   REPEAT FUNCTION
   REPEAT LOOP
   REPLACE
   REPLACE FUNCTION</code></pre>
  </div>
 </div>
 <br/>
</div>
