Why can't I edit, copy, or delete data in phpMyAdmin?

Question

The buttons in phpMyAdmin for edit, copy, and delete are missing. Why can't I edit, copy, or delete data in phpMyAdmin? 

Answer

phpMyAdmin will remove the edit, copy, and delete buttons from the interface if the table is missing a unique key or primary key. There are two solutions:

Marking one or more columns as a primary key

1. When viewing the table, click on the Structure tab along the top. On the new page, click "Primary" in the Action column in the same row as the column name.

2. Click OK when prompted.

Creating a unique key

Typically, a unique key is created when the database is first populated with tables. If not, you can create a unique key by selecting the check boxes for the columns that are unique when together and clicking "Unique" under the table.

After completing either option, you should be able to further edit, copy, and delete data as usual.