Entry

How can I see the field types for all columns in a table?

What does DESCRIBE table_name do?

Jan 25th, 2000 06:44
Nathan Wallace, Jay J

You can get a print out of all the fields in a table with their types by
using the DESCRIBE query:

    http://www.mysql.com/Manual_chapter/manual_Reference.html#DESCRIBE

For example:

mysql> create table test
    -> (
    -> n tinyint(4) ZEROFILL,
    -> m varchar(10)
    -> );
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.02 sec)

mysql> insert into test values (0103,'MYName');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.02 sec)

mysql> select * from test;
 ------ -------- 
| n    | m      |
 ------ -------- 
| 0103 | MYName |
 ------ -------- 
1 row in set (0.01 sec)

mysql> describe test;
 ------- ------------------------------ ------ ----- --------- ------- 
| Field | Type                         | Null | Key | Default | Extra |
 ------- ------------------------------ ------ ----- --------- ------- 
| n     | tinyint(4) unsigned zerofill | YES  |     | NULL    |       |
| m     | varchar(10)                  | YES  |     | NULL    |       |
 ------- ------------------------------ ------ ----- --------- ------- 
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)