diff --git a/.example.starter.env b/.example.starter.env
deleted file mode 100644
index 751a4ce9..00000000
--- a/.example.starter.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-# These values will be used by the script bash/change-passwords.sh
-PHPMYADMIN_SUPER_USER_PW=
-PHPMYADMIN_CONTROL_PW=
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bash/.bash_aliases b/bash/.bash_aliases
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6e88b6ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bash/.bash_aliases
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# This file is sourced into ~/.bashrc
+# Add any alias you would like here
+
+# Updates all passwords related to phpmyadmin from values set in .starter.env
+# Requires .starter.env to have all phpmyadmin related keys set with values
+# Empty string value will break the script
+# See .starter.env.example for the required phpmyadmin keys
+alias update_pma_pws="bash $GITPOD_REPO_ROOT/bash/change-passwords.sh phpmyadmin"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bash/change-passwords.sh b/bash/change-passwords.sh
index 1dc77750..c0f8460f 100644
--- a/bash/change-passwords.sh
+++ b/bash/change-passwords.sh
@@ -8,18 +8,19 @@
 #
 # NOTE:
 # This script should be always run at least once by the user as an mandatory additional layer of security
-# This script requires the file .starter.env to exist along will all the key value pairs as set 
+# This script requires the file .starter.env to exist along will all the key value pairs as set
 # in example.starter.ini
 
 # Load spinner
 . bash/third-party/spinner.sh
 
-change_phpmyadmin_passwords() {
+phpmyadmin() {
   # Keep keys in sequence. Add new keys to the end of the array
   local keys=(PHPMYADMIN_SUPERUSER_PW PHPMYADMIN_CONTROLUSER_PW)
 
-  local name="change_phpmyadmin_passwords"
+  local name="change-passwords.sh phpmyadmin"
   local err="$name ERROR:"
+  local config_file="public/phpmyadmin/config.inc.php"
   local all_zeros='^0$|^0*0$'
   local exit_codes
   local values
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ change_phpmyadmin_passwords() {
     local code="$?"
     exit_codes+=$code
     # show error message of called function
-    [ $code != 0 ] && echo "$value\n"
+    [ $code != 0 ] && echo "$value"
   done
 
   if [[ ! $(echo ${exit_codes[@]} | tr -d '[:space:]') =~ $all_zeros ]]; then
@@ -45,14 +46,43 @@ change_phpmyadmin_passwords() {
       "${keys[0]}")
         msg="Changing password for phpmyadmin user 'pmasu' to the value found in .starter.env"
         start_spinner "$msg"
-        mysql -e "ALTER USER 'pmasu'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '${values[$i]}'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;"
+        mysql -e "ALTER USER 'pmasu'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY '${values[$i]}'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;"
         stop_spinner $?
         ;;
       "${keys[1]}")
         msg="Changing password for phpmyadmin user 'pma' to the value found in .starter.env"
         start_spinner "$msg"
         mysql -e "ALTER USER 'pma'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '${values[$i]}'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;"
-        stop_spinner $?
+        err_code=$?
+        stop_spinner $err_code
+        if [ $err_code == 0 ]; then
+          msg="Updating control user password in $config_file"
+          line="\$cfg['Servers'][\$i]['controlpass'] ="
+          _edit="\$cfg['Servers'][\$i]['controlpass'] = '${values[$i]}';"
+          start_spinner "$msg"
+          # Match the line where the password for the controluser is set
+          line_num=$(awk '/^\$cfg.*'controlpass'.*=.*;$/ {print FNR}' $config_file)
+          if [ -z $line_num ]; then
+            stop_spinner 1
+            echo "ERROR: No line found beginning with: $line \n\tin the file: $config_file"
+            echo "You will need to manually update the control user password in $config_file"
+          else
+            sed -i "$line_num c\\$_edit" $config_file
+            err_code=$?
+            stop_spinner $err_code
+            unset _edit
+            [ $err_code == 0 ] &&
+            echo -e "\e[38;5;171mPROCESS COMPLETE\e[0m" &&
+            echo -e "\e[1;33mCheck the console output for any possible failures.\e[0m" &&
+            echo -en "\e[1;36m" &&
+            echo "If you are logged into phpmyadmin, log out and log back in." &&
+            echo "For additional security you can delete .starter.env" &&
+            echo "Just make sure you remember your passwords from that file." &&
+            echo "If you ever loose your passwords you may always set them again" &&
+            echo "using this script and new values set in .starter.env" &&
+            echo -e "\e[0m"
+          fi
+        fi
         ;;
       *)
         echo "$err unidentified key $value"
@@ -62,6 +92,14 @@ change_phpmyadmin_passwords() {
   done
 }
 
-echo "$(change_phpmyadmin_passwords)"
-
+# Call functions from this script gracefully
+if declare -f "$1" > /dev/null
+then
+  # call arguments verbatim
+  "$@"
+else
+  echo "utils.sh: '$1' is not a known function name." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
 
+#echo -e "$(change_phpmyadmin_passwords)"
diff --git a/bash/helpers.sh b/bash/helpers.sh
index 3f70b459..df354727 100644
--- a/bash/helpers.sh
+++ b/bash/helpers.sh
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 #
 
 version () {
-  echo "helpers.sh version 0.0.4"
+  echo "helpers.sh version 0.0.5"
 }
 
 # start_server
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ show_first_run_summary() {
 #
 # Usage (output will either be the value of the key or an error message):
 # value="$(get_starter_env_value PHPMYADMIN_CONTROL_PW)"
-# echo $value 
+# echo $value
 get_starter_env_val() {
   local err='get_starter_env_val ERROR:'
   local file='.starter.env'
@@ -138,19 +138,19 @@ get_starter_env_val() {
     '0')
       echo $value
       ;;
-    
+
     '3')
       echo "$err no file: $file"
       exit 1
       ;;
 
     '4')
-      echo -e "$err no var '$1' in file $file"
+      echo -e "$err no var '$1' found in file $file"
       exit 1
       ;;
 
     '5')
-      echo "$err no value for var: '$1' in file $file"
+      echo "$err no value found for '$1' found in file $file"
       exit 1
       ;;
 
@@ -226,11 +226,11 @@ get_installs() {
 # parses starter.ini for installation information
 # Echos 1 if any install key in list (see installs varaible in get_install function) in starter.ini
 # has a value of 1.
-# Echos 0 if no keys in the list have a value of 1 
+# Echos 0 if no keys in the list have a value of 1
 has_installs() {
   local result=$(echo $(get_installs) | grep -oP '\d' | tr -d '[:space:]')
   local pattern='.*[1-9].*'
-  if [[ $result =~ $pattern ]]; then 
+  if [[ $result =~ $pattern ]]; then
     echo 1
   else
     echo 0
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ has_only_phpmyadmin_install() {
   local result=$(echo $(get_installs) | grep -oP '\d' | tr -d '[:space:]')
   local all_zeros='^0$|^0*0$'
   # if the string starts with a 1 phpmyadmin is installed
-  if [[ $result =~ ^1 ]]; then 
+  if [[ $result =~ ^1 ]]; then
     # trim the first character from the string
     local installs="${result:1}"
     # if the trimmed string is all zeros
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ has_only_frontend_scaffolding_install() {
   local result=$(echo $(get_installs) | grep -oP '\d' | tr -d '[:space:]')
   local all_zeros='^0$|^0*0$'
   # if the string starts with a 0 phpmyadmin is not installed
-  if [[ $result =~ ^0 ]]; then 
+  if [[ $result =~ ^0 ]]; then
     # trim the first character from the string
     local installs="${result:1}"
      # Trim the next three characters in the string (there are only three possible front end scaffolding)
diff --git a/starter.env.example b/starter.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c8624f6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/starter.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# These values will be used by the script bash/change-passwords.sh
+# All varaiable mus be present in .starter.env
+# All varaibles must have a value set
+PHPMYADMIN_SUPERUSER_PW=
+PHPMYADMIN_CONTROLUSER_PW=
\ No newline at end of file