DB::Pg – PostgreSQL access for Perl 6 ===================================== This is a reimplementation of Perl 6 bindings for PostgreSQL's [libpq](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/libpq.html). Basic usage ----------- ```perl6 my $pg = DB::Pg.new; # You can pass in connection information if you want. ``` Execute a query, and get a single value: ```perl6 say $pg.query('select 42').value; # 42 ``` Insert some values using placeholders: ```perl6 $pg.query('insert into foo (x,y) values ($1,$2)', 1, 'this'); ``` Note, placeholders use the `$1, $2, ...` syntax instead of `?` See [PREPARE](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/sql-prepare.html) for more information. Execute a query returning a row as an array or hash; ```perl6 say $pg.query('select * from foo where x = $1', 42).array; say $pg.query('select * from foo where x = $1', 42).hash; ``` Execute a query returning a bunch of rows as arrays or hashes: ```perl6 .say for $pg.query('select * from foo').arrays; .say for $pg.query('select * from foo').hashes; ``` If you have no placeholders/arguments and aren't retrieving information, you can use `execute`. It does not `PREPARE` the query. ```perl6 $pg.execute('insert into foo (x,y) values (1,2)'); ``` Connection Caching ------------------ Database connection handles are created on demand, and cached for reuse in a connection pool. Similarly, statement handles are prepared, cached and reused. When the first query is called, a new database connection will be created. After the results are read from the connection, the connection will be returned and cached in the pool. When a later query is performed, that cached connection will be reused. If multiple simultaneous queries occur, perhaps in different threads, each will get a new connection so they won't interfere with one another. For example, you can perform database actions while iterating through results from a query: ```perl6 for $pg.query('select * from foo').hashes -> %h { $pg.query('update bar set ... where x = $1...$2...', %h, %h); } ``` You can even do arbitrary queries in multiple threads without worrying about connections: ```perl6 say await do for ^10 { start $pg.query('select $1::int, pg_sleep($1::float/10)', $_).value } ``` Connection caching is a nice convenience, but it does require some care from the consumer. If you call `query` with an imperative statement (`insert`, `update`, `delete`) the connection will automatically be returned to the pool for re-use. For a query that returns results, such as `select`, in order to reliably return the connection to the pool for the next user, you must do one of two things: 1. Read all the results. Once the last returned row is read, the database connection handle will automatically get returned for reuse. 2. Explicitly call `.finish` on the results object to prematurely return it. Results ------- Calling `query` with a `select` or something that returns data, a `DB::Pg::Results` object will be returned. The query results can be consumed from that object with the following methods: * `.value` - a single scalar result * `.array` - a single array of results from one row * `.hash` - a single hash of results from one row * `.arrays` - a sequence of arrays of results from all rows * `.hashes` - a sequence of hashes of results from all rows You can also query for some information about the results on the object directly: * `.rows` - Total number of rows returned * `.columns` - List of column names returned * `.types` - List of Perl types of columns returned For example: ```perl6 my $results = $pg.query('select * from foo'); say $results.rows; say $results.columns; say $results.types; .say for $results.hashes; ``` Database -------- Though you can just call `.query()` on the main `DB::Pg` object, sometimes you want to explicitly manage the database connection. Use the `.db` method to get a `DB::Pg::Database` object, and call `.finish` explicitly on it to return it to the pool when you are finished with it. The database object also has `.query()` and `.execute()` methods, they just don't automatically `.finish` to return the handle to the pool. You must explicitly do that after use. These are equivalent: ```perl6 .say for $pg.query('select * from foo').arrays; ``` ```perl6 my $db = $pg.db; .say for $db.query('select * from foo').arrays; $db.finish; ``` The database object also has some extra methods for separately preparing and executing a query: ```perl6 my $db = $pg.db; my $sth = $db.prepare('insert into foo (x,y) values ($1,$2)'); $sth.execute(1, 'this'); $sth.execute(2, 'that'); $db.finish; ``` `.prepare()` returns a `DB::Pg::Statement` object. It can be more efficient to perform many actions in this way and avoid the overhead of returning the connection to the pool only to immediately get it back again. Transactions ------------ The database object can also manage transactions with the `.begin`, `.commit` and `.rollback` methods. ```perl6 my $db = $pg.db; my $sth = $db.prepare('insert into foo (x,y) values ($1,$2)'); $db.begin; $sth.execute(1, 'this'); $sth.execute(2, 'that'); $db.commit; $db.finish; ``` The `begin`/`commit` ensure that the statements between them happen atomically, either all or none. Transactions can also dramatically improve performance for some actions, such as performing thousands of inserts/deletes/updates since the indices for the affected table can be updated in bulk once for the entire transaction. If you `.finish` the database prior to a `.commit`, an uncommitted transaction will automatically be rolled back. As a convenience, `.commit` also returns the database object, so you can just `$db.commit.finish`. Cursors ------- When a query is performed, all the results from that query are immediately returned from the server to the client. For exceptionally large queries, this can be problematic, both waiting the time for the whole query to execute, and the memory for all the results. [Cursors](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/plpgsql-cursors.html) provide a better way. ```perl6 for $pg.cursor('select * from foo where x = $1', 27) -> @row { say @row; } ``` The `cursor` method will fetch *N* rows at a time from the server (can be controlled with the `:fetch` parameter, defaults to 1,000). The `:hash` parameter can be used to retrieve hashes for the rows instead of arrays. ```perl6 for $pg.cursor('select * from foo', fetch => 500, :hash) -> %r { say %r; } ``` Bulk Copy In ------------ PostgreSQL has a [COPY](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/sql-copy.html) facility for bulk copy in and out of the database. This is accessed with the `DB::Pg::Database` methods `.copy-data` and `.copy-end`. Pass blocks of data in with `.copy-data`, and call `.copy-end` when complete. ```perl6 my $db = $pg.db; $db.query('copy foo from stdin (format csv)'); # Any valid COPY command $db.copy-data("1,2\n4,5\n6,12\n") $db.copy-end; $db.finish; ``` As a convenience, these methods return the database object, so they can easily be chained (though you will probably loop the `copy-data` call.) ```perl6 $pg.db.execute('copy foo from stdin').copy-data("1 2\n12 34234\n").copy-end.finish; ``` Bulk Copy Out ------------- Bulk copy out can performed too, a COPY command will return a sequence from an iterator which will return each line: ```perl6 for $pg.query('copy foo to stdout (format csv)') -> $line { print $line; } ``` Listen/Notify ------------- PostgreSQL also supports an asynchronous [LISTEN](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/sql-listen.html) command that you can use to receive notifications from the database. The `.listen()` method returns a supply that can be used within a `react` block. You can listen to multiple channels, and all listens will share the same database connection. ```perl6 react { whenever $pg.listen('foo') -> $msg { say $msg; } whenever $pg.listen('bar') -> $msg { say $msg; } } ``` Use `.unlisten` to stop listening to a specific channel. When the last listened supply is unlistened, the react block will exit. ```perl6 $pg.unlisten('foo') ``` PostgreSQL notifications can be sent with the `.notify` method: ```perl6 $pg.notify('foo', 'a message'); ``` Type Conversions ---------------- The `DB::Pg::Converter` object is used to convert between PostgreSQL types and Perl types. It has two maps, one from [oid](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/datatype-oid.html) types to PostgreSQL type names, and one from the type names to Perl types. For example, the oid `23` maps to the PostgreSQL type `int` which maps to the Perl type `Int`. `DB::Pg::Converter` has a multiple dispatch method `convert()` that is used to convert types. Extra roles can be mixed in to the default converter to enable it to convert to and from other types. The `converter()` method on the main `DB::Pg` object will return the current converter, then `does` can be used to add a role with extra conversion methods. Here is a short example that causes the PostgreSQL 'json' and 'jsonb' types to be converted automatically. ```perl6 use DB::Pg; use JSON::Fast; my $pg = DB::Pg.new; my class JSON {} # Just a fake type, since JSON uses native Perl arrays/hashes $pg.converter does role JSONConverter { submethod BUILD { self.add-type(json => JSON, jsonb => JSON) } multi method convert(JSON:U, Str:D $value) { from-json($value) } multi method convert(Mu:D $value, JSON:U) { to-json($value) } } ``` There are three parts to this conversion. First the `BUILD` adds the type mappings, then there are two methods, the first converts from a string (`Str:D`) to a `JSON:U` type. The second will be used when a parameter requires a JSON object. If the object already has a `Str` method that results in a suitable string for PostgreSQL (often the case), the second method can be omitted. (Or if you are only reading a type from the database, and never passing it to the server.) Several Converters are bundled with this module, and by default they are added to the Converter automatically: * DateTime (date, timestamp, timestamptz -> Date, DateTime) * JSON (json, jsonb) * UUID (uuid -> UUID via LibUUID) * Geometric (point, line, lseg, box, path, polygon, circle) The Geometric types are available in `DB::Pg::GeometricTypes`. If you *don't* want any of those converters, just pass in an empty `converters` array, or with just the ones you want: ```perl6 my $pg = DB::Pg.new(converters => ) ``` If you want a different type of conversion than those canned types, just exclude the default one and install your own as above. Note: I'm looking for better ways to arrange this -- comments (file an issue) welcome! Arrays ------ Most types of arrays are handled by default. When selecting, they will be converted to Perl Array objects. Likewise, to pass arrays to the server, just pass a Perl Array object. Exceptions ---------- All database errors, including broken SQL queries, are thrown as exceptions. NOTE ---- For now, I've got the async pub/stuff using epoll, which is Linux specific, so this is tied to Linux. Patches welcome! Acknowledgements ---------------- Inspiration taken from the existing Perl6 [DBIish](https://github.com/perl6/DBIish) module as well as the Perl 5 [Mojo::Pg](http://mojolicious.org/perldoc/Mojo/Pg) from the Mojolicious project. License ------- See [NASA Open Source Agreement](../master/NASA_Open_Source_Agreement_1.3%20GSC-18031.pdf) for more details. Copyright --------- Copyright © 2017 United States Government as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. No copyright is claimed in the United States under Title 17, U.S.Code. All Other Rights Reserved.