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

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

  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;

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 = ?

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

PACKAGE->new( HASHREF )

Returns the library entry referenced by NAME:

$OBJ->retr( NAME )

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

$OBJ->set( NAME, VALUE )

Drops entry NAME form the library:

$OBJ->drop( NAME )

Returns a list of all entry names in the library:

$OBJ->elements

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

$OBJ->dump

Writes the library to the file named in "lib":

$OBJ->write

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

• Complete test suite

Doug Gorley [email protected]

Chris Vertonghen [email protected] (post-0.0.3)

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.