★ NEWBIE ALERT ★ Writing to db in wordpress functions.php file

Hi, I'm new here so please take it easy on me with this first post :-)

What I need to do is to create a script that will reside in my theme's functions.php file that either automatically executes when the file is loaded or on a button click and updates the db as follows...

update wp_options set uploads_use_yearmonth_folders = 0;
update wp_options set permalink_structure = '/%postname%/';

Can someone help me with the script?

In classic asp, I would use something like this...

sql = update wp_options set uploads_use_yearmonth_folders = 0
sql2 = update wp_options set permalink_structure = '/%postname%/'
set rs = conn.execute(sql)
set rs2 = conn.execute(sql2)
rs.close
rs2.close

where "conn" is the open db connection

What is the PHP equivalent?

I'm working in wordpress 2.8.5 (also, do I have a connection object when in functions.php or do I need to create one?

You should probably check some Wordpress-specific forums for help on this as it seems to require inside information on how Wordpress works - beyond what is easily available in API docs, anyway.

You should probably check some Wordpress-specific forums for help on this as it seems to require inside information on how Wordpress works - beyond what is easily available in API docs, anyway.

Things are slow over there. I was hoping to get a quick answer here. Its just an MySQL database and I know the tables and values that need to be updated. How difficult can it be to execute an update statement on the db?

here's a better explanation of what I'm trying to do...

I've developed a theme system and I want it to do a double duty of setting up some default option values in the database.

So here's what I'm trying to do...

When the template is installed, I want the installer to also...

1) Set permalinks to /%postname%/
(I'm assuming its a simple update statement on the wp_options table)

2) Set "uploads_use_yearmonth_folders" to 0 (the default is true, I want it to be false)

3) Set privacy options (blog_public) to 1 (the default is false)

Any help much appreciated. Seems simple enough to update a few fields in the db, but I'm not sure how to create a connection and also if I can intercept the template build process to make these edits programmatically or if it will need to be a manual button click on the template's options screen (or perhaps even via a plug in)

When the template is installed, I want the installer to also...

That's the part that requires Wordpress-specific knowledge. The PHP/MySQL part is trivial and is widely available via the site search here or Google. If the Wordpress integration part is "simple", then you shouldn't have a problem making the standard PHP/MySQL tutorial code work for you.

In the end it was so simple, I'm almost embarrassed to post the solution...

<?php update_option( $option_name, $newvalue ); ?>

That's the beauty of a robust CMS. What you want to make more complex is already simplified. That's exactly how Drupal handles it, only they're called variables instead of options.