Interface Overview - Mastering phpMyAdmin 3.1 for Effective MySQL Management - page 37

Interface Overview
Before delving into task-oriented chapters, such as searching and the like, it's
appropriate to have a look at the general organization of phpMyAdmin's interface.
We'll also see configuration parameters and settings that influence the interface
as a whole.
Panels and windows
The phpMyAdmin interface is composed of various panels and windows, each one
having a specific function. We will first provide a quick overview of each panel, and
then take a detailed look later in this chapter.
Login panels
The login panel that appears depends on the authentication type chosen. For the
http type, it will take the form of our browser's HTTP authentication pop up screen.
For the cookie type, the phpMyAdmin-specific login panel will be displayed. (This
is covered in Chapter 2.) For the external authentication ( signon ), the login panel is
handled by the external application itself. By default, a Server choice dialog and a
Language selector are present on this panel.
However, if we are using the config authentication type, no login panel is
displayed, and the first displayed interface contains the left and the right panels.
Left and right panels
These panels go together and are displayed during most of our working session
with phpMyAdmin. The left panel is our navigation guide through the databases
and tables. The right panel is the main working area where the data is managed and
results appear. Its exact layout depends on the choices made from the left panel and
the sequence of operations performed. For right-to-left languages like Hebrew, the
navigation panel is located on the right side and the main panel is on the left.