MySQL command line color prompt

Don't listen to people who say you can't. Here:

$ alias colormysql=$(echo -e 'mysql --prompt="\x1B[31m\\u\x1B[34m@\x1B[32m\\h\x1B[0m:\x1B[36m\\d>\x1B[0m "')

Then:

$ colormysql -hHOSTNAME -uUSERNAME -pPASSWORD ...

Walkthrough on setting up colorized mysql prompt.

Step 1. Understand how to login normally with a set prompt:

eric@dev ~ $ mysql --host=yourhost.com -u username --prompt="foobar> " -p
Enter password:
Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 711
Server version: 5.6.19 MySQL Community Server (GPL)

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input statement.

foobar> 

Step 2. Understand how you can pipe an interpreted expression through echo to 'alias':

Which does exactly the same as step 1 above:

eric@dev ~ $ alias penguins=$(echo -e 'mysql --host=yourhost.com -u dev --prompt="foobar> " -p')
eric@dev ~ $ penguins
Enter password:
Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 713
Server version: 5.6.19 MySQL Community Server (GPL)

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input statement.

foobar> exit
Bye
eric@dev ~ $

Step 3. Understand how echo -e evaluates the colorized expression:

This colors the "foobar>" prompt red:

alias penguins=$(echo -e 'mysql --host=yourhost.com -u dev --prompt="\x1B[31mfoobar>\x1B[0m " -p')
penguins

Like this:

Step 4. If you are confused as to what is going on here:

Look at the expression: \x1B[31mfoobar>\x1B[0m

It has three parts:

code               what it means:

\x1B[31m           Start colorizing, 31m is red.
foobar>            prompt text
\x1B[0m            Stop colorizing.

Step 4. Advanced, Lets make the prompt real nice:

eric@dev ~ $ alias penguins=$(echo -e 'mysql --host=yourhost.com -u dev --prompt="\x1B[31m\\u\x1B[34m@\x1B[32m\\v\x1B[0m:\x1B[36m\\d>\x1B[0m " -p')
eric@dev ~ $ penguins

If you are confused as to what this massive code does:

\x1B[31m\\u\x1B[34m@\x1B[32m\\v\x1B[0m:\x1B[36m\\d>\x1B[0m

Explanation:

Code         Note
\x1B[31m     Start colorizing red
\\u          escape the backslash for passage through echo, and print username
\x1B[34m     Start colorizing dark blue
@            literal at sign
\x1B[32m     Start colorizing green
\\v          escape the backslash for passage through echo, print server version
\x1B[0m      Stop colorizing
:            literal colon
\x1B[36m     Start colorizing cyan
\\d>         Backslash for passage through echo, print default db and >
\x1B[0m      Stop colorizing.

So wow. Much codes.