Database Backup Question

This is actually more a PHP question but since it refers to a MySQL
database I thought I would ask here.
I may not be looking in the right places but, I can't seem to find a way
to do a database backup through PHP (other than BACKUP TABLE, which I
don't want to use if possible)

What I mean is this:  I want to create a page that will allow me to
click one button to initiate a backup process.  That action will then
start a dump of a specified database to a text file that could then be
shown on a succeeding (success) page as a link for download (If there's
a way to zip prior to downloading, which would be even better).  I
intend on using this as a manual backup process, so I want it to work
like the mysqldump.exe or mysqlhotcopy.exe.  (All the tables are MyISAM)

The only way I see this working would be to write in PHP a long script
that will manually create that dump file itself by using SELECT and so
forth.  This seems a bit redundant and extravagant a way to go. 

Any help would be appreciated.

-- 
Loren McDonald
mysql-ml@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx




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