Database Connection Problem

[eluser]macleodjb[/eluser]
all i know is that i have mysql administrator works fine. I have the same configuration locally in mysql administrator that i did within codeigniter. The only difference is codeigniter doesn't work with mysql on my local machine. I can connect code igniter to a local copy of mysql with no problem. My problem resides in the fact that i want to alter my files locally while using mysql via IP address. If i haven't been clear when i open my configuration in mysql administrator on my local machine it shows my IP address and port number with my user information. When i come to codeigniter and insert the exact same information whether it's with the port number or not it will not connect, it keeps telling me that it could not connect to the database.