Connecting to a MySQL database via C# .NET: MySQL, Microsoft, MySQL, .NET

Connecting to a MySQL database via C# .NET

I am trying to access a MySQL 5 database I have created on my machine with a C# program. I am running MySQL 5.0 (the freeware version) on my computer. I am doing this using C# in Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition. I have attached part of the code I am using.

I always get the following exception when I try to open the connection:

"ERROR [IM002] [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified"

The database is called myDB. As the comments to the code explain, I am not sure about the Driver bit, but the other parts are correct, at least as far as I know.

I would be very grateful for any advice.

public class DBConnectionType
    {
        public static OdbcConnection myOdbcConnection;
 
        static DBConnectionType()
        {
            //Constructor creates connection object, connection will persist until destructor is called
            string aConnectionString = "DRIVER={MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver};" +  // NO IDEA IF THIS IS RIGHT. I GOT IT FROM ANOTHER PROGRAM
                                       "SERVER =localhost" +
                                       ";DATABASE=myDB" +
                                       ";UID=root" +
                                       ";PASSWORD=mypassword";
            OdbcConnection aOdbcConnection = new OdbcConnection(aConnectionString);
            try
            {
                aOdbcConnection.Open();
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                string aTest = e.Message.ToString(); // I ALWAYS GET THIS EXCEPTION
            }
            myOdbcConnection = aOdbcConnection;
        }

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Connecting to a MySQL database via C# .NET

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MySQL, Microsoft

MySQL, .NET

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