{"id":99239,"date":"2022-10-01T18:26:43","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T22:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/?p=99239"},"modified":"2025-11-07T17:44:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T22:44:26","slug":"database-file-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/product-guides\/central\/projects\/database-file-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Using the Database Admin & File Manager in InMotion Central"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Using<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re an advanced user, you\u2019ll sometimes want to make adjustments to your WordPress site that aren\u2019t possible within the default WordPress dashboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

InMotion Central\u2019s web-based file manager and database access make changing raw files and database tables easy. You get a cleaner, easier-to-navigate interface by offering only the tools you need to complete advanced tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn more about the file manager and database access within InMotion Central.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

File Manager<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Log in to InMotion Central<\/a> and select a project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Click the Cog Icon<\/strong> at the top-right and select File Manager<\/strong>.
    \"InMotion<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. File Manager<\/strong> will open in a new tab, displaying your website root directory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. At the top right, you\u2019ll have three options:

    \u2013 Search<\/strong>. Search for files and subdirectories in the current directory
    \u2013 Upload<\/strong>. Upload files to the current directory using your system window manager, drag-and-drop, or the public URL
    \"Upload
    \u2013 New Item<\/strong>. Create a new file or folder<\/strong>
    \"Create
    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Files and folders are listed and can be organized by alphabetical order, file size, date last modified, numeric file permissions<\/a>, and owner.
    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. To the right of each file and directory, in the Actions<\/strong> column, are options to:

    \u2013 Delete the file or directory
    \u2013 Rename the file or directory
    \u2013 Copy the file or directory to another location
    \u2013 View the public file or directory URL in the browser
    \u2013 Download the file

    \"File
    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. At the bottom, you\u2019ll see system memory and disk space stats, along with buttons to manage multiple files at once, including creating archives with zip or tar.

    \"Memory
    <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Edit a File with InMotion Central File Manager<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Select a file name to view the raw text or edit the file.

      \"View
      <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. There are two options for editing files: Edit<\/strong> and Advanced Editor<\/strong>.

      Edit<\/strong> opens a basic text editor with no additional features, sufficient for quick changes.

      \"Basic


      Advanced Editor<\/strong> is equipped with features fit for in-depth coding:

      \u2013 Full screen mode
      \u2013 Search and replace
      \u2013 Word wrap
      \u2013 Programming language syntax highlighting
      \u2013 Bright and dark color themes

      \"Advanced<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Database Access\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. You can access the database by selecting Database Admin<\/strong> in the top right corner of the File Manager<\/strong>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. The interface will display all tables in your WordPress database.
        \"Database

        <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. From the top of the page, you can:

        \u2013 Alter the database character set

        \"Alter<\/figure>
        \u2013 View and export a schema showing all tables and their columns

        \"WordPress<\/figure>
        \u2013 Create a database user with remote database access

        \"Create<\/figure>
        <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. On the left of the interface, you\u2019ll see the name of your database (username_wp#), tables within the database, and additional functions:

        \u2013 \u201cSQL command\u201d allows you to execute MySQL commands

        \"SQL<\/figure>
        \u2013 Import SQL files from your local machine or already uploaded to the web server

        \"Import<\/figure>
        \u2013 Export database tables in SQL, CSV, or TSV formats

        \"Export<\/figure>

        \u2013 Create a new table

        \"Create<\/figure>
        <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. In the main section, select a table name (e.g. \u201cwp_commentmeta\u201d) to view structure info including indexes, foreign keys, and triggers.

        \"wp_commentmeta
        <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      6. Click Select data<\/strong> at the top of the page or\u00a0select\u00a0<\/strong>on the left of the page (beside the individual table)<\/span> to run basic SQL commands with the graphical interface.

        \"SQL
        <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      7. Alter table<\/strong> is where you\u2019ll modify a column:

        \u2013 Name
        \u2013 Data type
        \u2013 Length
        \u2013 Data type options
        \u2013 Allow \u201cNULL\u201d
        \u2013 Allow \u201cAUTO_INCREMENT\u201d (AI)
        \u2013 Order
        \u2013 Add and remove columns

        \"Alter<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Check and Repair Database<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        If your WordPress site shuts down and displays \u201cError Establishing a Database Connection,\u201d this is an indicator of database corruption. Fortunately, a \u201ccheck and repair database\u201d function can resolve most cases easily. Keep in mind that resolving the public-facing error doesn\u2019t fix the underlying problem causing database corruption<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The fastest method, especially if you see this error often, is to configure WordPress to complete this process automatically with one extra code block in the wp-config.php file:<\/p>\n\n\n\n