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[SQLite] C library embeddable DB .

Pekr
13-Feb-2006
[36x2]
hmm, but scheme for sqlite is still kind of cumbersome - non ability 
to open at certain path, no error if you open non existant db - it 
mistakenly automatically creates one, then of course your query fails 
.......
but I will somehow sort it out ....
Ashley
13-Feb-2006
[38]
The "create if not exists" is a feature of sqlite not the protcol. 
Think command line:

	sqlite3 new.db

The pathing thing is just an RTFM issue.
Pekr
13-Feb-2006
[39]
I tried to briefly look into API and not found path anywere mentioned 
... I will try looking better ;-)
Ashley
13-Feb-2006
[40]
A short-term workaround is to do something like:

	old-dir: what-dir
	change-dir new-dir
	open-db %my-db.db
	change-dir old-dir

;)
Pekr
13-Feb-2006
[41x3]
:-))
or maybe it is better to use sqlite.exe - after all who needs scheme 
for file access here, right?
ok, finally for lunch .... :-)
Pekr
14-Feb-2006
[44x4]
I decided to revert back to sqlite3 protocol, not the one Cal Dixon 
turned into scheme. The scheme simply does not fit here ...
I would be glad, if we would work from original sqlite3.r version, 
Ashley .... it is simplified wrapper, not messing with scheme code 
... first we can make this one better, then properly wrap scheme, 
although using scheme for local files is not of much use anyway ...
oh, I found the solution for the path problem. As I expected, the 
library needs path in filesystem friendly way. Just add to-local-files 
into sqlite-open function, so it should read as: sqlite3/open to-string 
to-local-file name tmp: make struct!
but with scheme the design is broken anyway, as scheme does not allow 
some chars, which are legitimate with filesystem, as "!", so ....
Ashley
14-Feb-2006
[48x2]
I prefer Cal's version as it adds one word to the global context:

	set-tracing

as opposed to:

	sqlite-close
	sqlite-error
	sqlite-exec
	sqlite-open
	sqlite3
	SQLITE_BLOB
	SQLITE_DONE
	SQLITE_FLOAT
	SQLITE_INTEGER
	SQLITE_NULL
	SQLITE_OK
	SQLITE_ROW
	SQLITE_TEXT


and tightens up some of the code; so I'll use it as the base to optimize 
from. One of the things I want to add is automatic type conversion 
so you can store and retrieve REBOL values without having to worry 
about the fact that they may be stored as TEXT in SQLite.
re:solution for the path problem. Was that for Cal's version? Problem 
occurs earlier than that in the 'open function with this line:

	port/locals/dbid: sqlite-open to-file port/target


asport/target contains only the file name regardless of what path 
you specify!
Anton
14-Feb-2006
[50]
probably needs   to-file join port/path port/target
Ashley
15-Feb-2006
[51x2]
Yep, wish I had read your message earler. ;)


The 'open func sets port/target to a string of the file name and 
port/path to a string of the path (empty if none). So you just need 
to replace the sqlite-open in the 'open func with:
 
	port/locals/dbid: sqlite-open to-file join port/path port/target

as Anton stated above.
Oops, that should be:


 port/locals/dbid: sqlite-open to-file either port/path [join port/path 
 port/target] [port/target]


as port/path contains none! when no path is provided. On that note, 
anyone know why port/path and port/target are set to string! not 
file! ?
sqlab
15-Feb-2006
[53]
I would add this too 

  if not integer? port/locals/dbid  ......     [make error! port/locals/dbid]
as you see the source of errors earlier.
Anton
15-Feb-2006
[54x3]
Ashley, don't know why, but they are string! for http and ftp schemes, 
and file! for file and directory schemes.
Actually, I do know why - I just read it today. The reason is that 
url paths don't necessarily map directly to the filesystem.
They can, and often they do, but doesn't have to be.
Pekr
15-Feb-2006
[57x3]
Ashley - ok, that is your choice, but imo strange one ... what is 
the point of having scheme access to apparently file-based database?
show me, how I can point sqlite to %/C/!mp3/mp3-list.db
the thing is, rebol's url parser fails on ! char imo ....
Anton
15-Feb-2006
[60]
The scheme probably does not have to use rebol's url parser.
Pekr
15-Feb-2006
[61x9]
and are you guys sure your join port/path will work? As in low-level 
you are calling a library, which will not understand rebol path anyway, 
unless converted using to-local-file ...
because - original aproach sounds much clearer - simply db: sqlite-open 
%/C/!mp3/my-mp3-list.db
instead of db: open sqlite://localhost//C/!mp3/my-mp3-list.db - looks 
terrible ...
and to have functions available globally, Ashley had to trick it 
using 'set anyway, so I actually wonder what is the advantage of 
using the scheme :-)
the only one good reason is to have unified aproach to all dbs .... 
that is a good reason, but it should not be limiting ...
I will wait for your version, Ashley ... currently there is way too 
much fixes floating here in the channel for me to not screw the whole 
thing up :-)
What I don'T like about sqlite is that 1) it uses binary storage 
and that 2) it uses all-in-one-file aproach. I know it is low level, 
but I prefer directory/one-file-per-db aproach of RebDB kind of cool 
... I can watch/backup small dbs on per file base, not on going into 
sql base, to find out what internally changed ...
but that is the detail I will have to live with probably .....
ah, now I know where my feelings for one-file-per-table, plain text, 
comes from - it is Netscape/Mozilla/Unix mail format. Each slot in 
your mail is one file, it is text ... in opposite to Outlook one 
binary file. If something screws up in your binary files (as we had 
some crashes of Outlook mailboxes), then you are ... well :-)
Alek_K
15-Feb-2006
[70]
AFAIK SQLite is one-file-per-db - did I miss something?
Pekr
15-Feb-2006
[71]
I want one file per table!
Alek_K
15-Feb-2006
[72]
ah :)
Pekr
15-Feb-2006
[73x3]
even mysql does so ...
it greatly simplifies working with db, simply by visual checking 
in filesystem, backup is easier, etc.
so, for me, sqlite is near ideal, I give it a big minus because of 
that, in my opinion, bad design decision .... well, although I can 
imagine that they need to control locking/transacitons on file level, 
so it is easier for them to work with one file only ....
Alek_K
15-Feb-2006
[76x2]
One file IMO is appreciated also in web programming - especially 
with small databases instead of flat-file. But - as You wrote - can 
be problematic at some level.
(one file = easy to transfer, easy to backup, easy to update)
Anton
15-Feb-2006
[78x2]
easy to fix.
(or easier...)
Pekr
15-Feb-2006
[80x5]
of course our povs may vary, I try to be open to other opinion, but 
my experience (of course based upon my usage patterns), varry ...
Antont - it can't be easier to fix, as it is a binary file .... I 
really like old unix mail format, which nowadays uses mozilla/netscape 
- plain text files - that is what I call easy to fix ...
even if some part of file gets corrupted, you might be able to fix 
it ... once binary file is corrupted, I bet sqlite.dll code contains 
some parser, which will simply fail :-)
but - that is the worst scenario case :-) I hope I am wrong, as sqlite 
is heavily used, so it hopefully does not happen ....
Alek - as for backups, one file per table is imo better, because 
imagine your all-tables-in-one-file containing blog, the db may easily 
exceed large size ....
Anton
15-Feb-2006
[85]
I'm not arguing with you in this case, Pekr.