i built my own apache2 and installed it into my home directory. after changing th port to 8000 it worked and ich could see my pages. so i added a loadmodule entry in my apache config files for having php.
that worked too.
i've installed both php and php-mysql as ordinary package from the main debian etch servers but now php says that he cant find the mysql_connect() function. but there i NO php.ini file on my system which has no extension=mysql.so entry!
how can that be? php just HAS to read the php.ini files eiter /etc/php4/cgi/php.ini or my ~/.php.ini cause of the enviroment variable PHPRC="/home/test/.php.ini"
just where does my apache2 gets an php version without mysql? doesnt he use the php-cgi/php4-cgi program? could i change the program he uses?
if i type

there is the right page which is using mysql correctly.

can anyone help me?

The php function phpinfo() is pretty useful for figuring out how your php environment looks to apache. Create a tiny script called test.php and put the following lines in it:

<?php

phpinfo();

?>

It will tell you which php.ini file its using and which modules you're using.

As an aside, regarding the mysql_connect error message, it sounds like you may be using the mysqli module vs the older mysql module without knowing it. But perhaps someone else can correct me on this.....?

thanks for your reply, i never knew phpinfo says which php.ini file php is using. i'll try this. but i just cant understand why php is working WITH mysql when i install apache2 as debian package from the main package pool.
why does php do something other whn it is called by my self-compiled apache.
i've tried to use the mod-php.so file from my main apache, and the private server seems to use it (or could it be that i didnt knew apache is using a builtin php module?).