NAME

SQL::Library - A module for managing simple SQL libraries stored in INI-like files.

VERSION

This document refers to version 0.0.5 of SQL::Library.

SYNOPSIS

use SQL::Library;
  
my $sql = new SQL::Library { lib => 'sql.lib' };
                      # or { lib => [ <FH> ] };
                      # or { lib => [ $string ] };

## Ask for a library entry by name...
my $query = $sql->retr( 'some_sql_query' );

## Add or update an entry...
$sql->set( 'yet_another_query', <<'END' );
SELECT foo
FROM   bar
WHERE  zoot = 1
END

## Remove an entry from the library...
$sql->drop( 'one_more_query' );

## List the entries in the library...
print join( ' : ', $sql->elements ), "\n";

## Dump the contents of the library to a string...
my $lib_str = $sql->dump;

## Write the library to disk...
$sql->write;

LIBRARY FILE FORMAT

The format for the library files looks a little like an INI file. However, unlike an INI file, it does not handle key=value pairs which are divided into sections. Library entry names are on a line by themselves, enclosed in square brackets. Whatever occurs until the next title tag is the value of the library entry. Blank lines, pound signs (#) and C++ style comments (//) are all discarded.

A sample library file might look like this:

## A sample library file

[get_survey_questions]
select   question_no,
         question_text
from     question
where    survey_id = ?
order by question_no

[get_survey_info]
select title,
       date_format( open_date, '%Y%m%d' ) as open_date, 
       date_format( close_date, '%Y%m%d' ) as close_date, 
       template_file
from   survey
where  survey_id = ?

OBJECT METHODS

PACKAGE->new( HASHREF )

Create a new library handle. Currently, the only argument supported in the hashref is lib, which refers to the file containing the SQL library.

$OBJ->retr( NAME )

Returns the library entry referenced by NAME.

$OBJ->set( NAME, VALUE )

Sets the library entry NAME to VALUE. This is used both to create new library entries and to update existing ones.

$OBJ->drop( NAME )

Drops entry NAME form the library.

$OBJ->elements

Returns a list of all entry names in the library.

$OBJ->dump

Returns a string containing the library contents in the same INI format that the module reads from.

$OBJ->write

Writes the library to the file named in lib.

BUGS

• write() should write to a string, if it was so called.

TO-DO

• Complete test suite

AUTHOR

Doug Gorley <douggorley@shaw.ca>

CO-MAINTAINER

Chris Vertonghen <chrisv@cpan.org> (post-0.0.3)

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE

Copyright (C) 2004 by Doug Gorley.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself, either Perl version 5.8.2 or, at your option, any later version of Perl 5 you may have available.