====== connect ======
~~NOTOC~~
<WRAP right box>
== See Also ==
[[v5:database:connection_matrix|The Connection Matrix]]
== Syntax ==
   bool connect(
         optional string $parameter1 = '',
         optional string $parameter2 = '',
         optional string $parameter3 = '',
         optional string $parameter4 = '',
         optional bool $forceNewConnection=false
         )

</WRAP>
===== Description =====

The essential function ''connect()'' establishes a connection to a database using the provided parameters. 

Since ADOdb 5.21,0, some database drivers support the use of [[v5:reference:connection:setconnectionparameter|setConnectionParameter()]], which should be called before connect() to pass extra, database-specific parameters to the connect statement.

The traditional description of the connection parameters is as follows:

^ Parameter 1  ^ Parameter 2  ^ Parameter 3  ^ Parameter 4  ^
|  $hostName   |  $userId     |  $password   |  $database   |

However the actual values of the parameters for some databases are such that the actual requirements can be confusing. See the [[v5:database:connection_matrix|Connection Matrix]] for assistance.

If the connection is made, $db becomes a database connection object that can be used until the script ends. 

=== Return value ===

The method returns //true// if the connection was successfully established, //false// otherwise. This should be checked before continuing with code execution.

To debug the connection, set the value '' $db->debug = true; '' before calling the '' $db->connect '' statement
------------------------------------------
===== Usage =====
<code php>
/*
 *  Example using MySQL 
 */
include 'adodb.inc.php';
/*
 * This is not a class below
 */
$db = newADOConnection('mysqli');

/*
 * Make a connection to a database on the local machine
 */
$db->connect('', 'user', 'password', 'employees');

</code>