Sorry. I should have explained the connection part.
In the mysql_connect() your password goes in the third section:
mysql_connect("localhost", "login name", "password") or die(mysql_error());
In the section here you specify which database to use.
mysql_select_db("database name") or die(mysql_error());
As far as the dates and such, I'm not too sure. I've started learning php, but then I started learning flash. My best suggestion is to find a tutorials site, or even better go to a Barnes & Noble and find you a book for php & mysql, read through it and you should get your answer.