While many PHP applications have started offering MySQLi connectivity, strangely enough, WordPress does not seem to have MySQLi support enabled out of the box.
A quick googling led me to Angry Slipper’s blog. It appears that to make MySQLi work is even faster and easier than installing a WordPress plug-in!
Here’s a really quick guide:
Step 1: Download MySQLi Patch for WordPress v2.2 from http://www.angryslipper.com/mysqli-support-in-wordpress-22/ (This patch for WP 2.2 works for WP 2.3.3 as well)
Step 2: Untar and place db.php into wp-content/
Step 3: Verify that your installation is working
If your blog spills tons of errors, just delete wp-content/db.php and you’re back to square one.
MySQLi (MySQL Improved) is a rather old PHP extension that have existed for years already but it has yet to see widespread adoption. It is supposed to be the successor of the dinosaur age PHP MySQL extension by offering superior performance and being light weight.
On a heavily loaded server (like this server which hosts a number of blogs), MySQLi does seem to offer some performance improvement by decreasing database calling time by a few milliseconds.
Note: To use MySQLi, your PHP must be compiled with this command: –with-mysqli , in addition to –with-mysql
