NHXDB 1.2.4

A lightweight Database Module with a blend of SQL-like Language and ORM syntax

NHXDB

NHXDB is a lightweight Database which combines the SQL language with the ease of ORM syntax

Update v1.2.3

• Performance Improvements and bug fixes

Features currently supported

• Logging in/Creating of Database
• Deleting a Database
• Backing up of Database in its own archive format, .NHX
• Restoring the Database via the same .NHX file
• Creating a table with currently following supported features:
  • Null
  • Default
  • Index
  • Unique
  • Primary
• Modifying the table
• Truncating a table
• Deleting a whole table
• Inserting Data in the table with the following types of data supported:
  • Integers
  • Floating Numbers
  • Boolean
  • Strings
• Selecting data from the table
• Updating data from the table
• Deleting data from the table

Installation

NHXDB requires Python version 3 or above. Open up your Command Prompt or Terminal and type the following command to download NHXDB module.

$ pip install NHXDB

Make sure you have pip installed. You have now successfuly installed NHXDB module. Now to get started in your Python shell, write:

import NHXDB

Functions and Syntax

NHXDB syntax is made as closer as possible to the syntax of Python. Moreover, this is designed to be more developer friendly and so, instead of giving exceptions on any kind of error, this returns a pre-defined status code that a developer can use to analyze the error or so.

The main database object is called by the following syntax:

database = NHXDB.db(<verbose=False>)

If verbose functionality is required, use 1 or True as argument to enable verbosity (or otherwise verbose=True). This allows to return, instead of status code, an exception on screen (when occured). All the functions are then called on the database variable.

.isPermitted()

Checks whether the permissions to read/write is granted in the desired folder. Returns 200 if granted, 101 if denied.

.create(properties)

To create a new database, with properties as an argument. The properties is a dictionary with name, username, and password as key. "name" is the name of the database to be created. Returns a status code.

You are recommended to use more than 8 characters in both username and password to prevent any kind of brute-force attack, however there is no compulsion on that.

.login(properties)

To login in a database. The properties argument is the same as in create(). Returns a status code.

Notice: All functions other than create and restore REQUIRE to be logged in via this function first.

.drop()

To delete a database. Requires no argument. Returns a status code.

.backup(path)

To backup a database. Requires a path argument of full path to where the backup in .NHX format should be stored. Returns a status code.

.restore(properties)

To restore a database back from backup file. For additional security and preventing anyone from restoring a backup, a properties argument is given, which is a dictionary, with all same keys as that of login and requires additional key in the dictionary, named file which is the full path including the file name of the backup. Returns a status code. For example: "C:\path\to\file.NHX"

.create_table(structure)

To create a table. This requires a structure argument, which itself is a list. In it is a name key, which is the name of the table, and another key named fields, which is a list of dictionaries. These dictionaries represent how many field would be there in the table. Each dictionary require at least 2 keys, name and type. The "name" being the name of the field, and "type" being any of the type of field from following: int, float, bool and str. Returns a status code.

For example:

database = NHXDB.db()
database.login(your_credentials_here)
database.create_table({
    "name": "Students", 
    "fields": [{
        "name": "UserID",
        "type": "int",
        "length": 11,
        "attribute": "primary",
        "null": False,
        "ai": True,
    },
    {
        "name": Password,
        "type": "str"
    }]
})

The name and type decleration is mandatory, the rest are as follows:

Field	Description	Default Value
length	Maximum length of field	255 for int and float, 16384 for str
null	Field value can be Empty	False
ai	Auto Increment an int field by 1	False
default	The default value for a field	None (even if it is used and parallely ai is used, it defaults to None)
attribute	The default attribute (primary, unique or index)	None

Primary vs Unique vs Index will be differentiated later here.

.alter_table(properties)

This is used to make any kind of modifications in the structure of Table. Properties is a dictionary with keys, table_name, the name of the table, operation, one of operation from: "add" or "drop" field(s), and fields, a list. For "add" operation, the list contains dictionaries of fields to be added, whereas in "drop" operation, the list only contains the field names to drop. Returns a status code.

For Example:

# To add a field(s) to the table "Usernames"
database.alter_table({
    "table_name": "usernames",
    "operation": "add",
    fields = [{
        "name": "on_spotify",
        "type": "bool"
    }]
})
# To drop/delete a field(s) from the table "Usernames"
database.alter_table({
    "table_name": "usernames",
    "operation": "drop",
    fields = ["on_spotify", "userid"]
})

Notice, NHXDB is case insensitive so Username = username, better is to write all lower case letters.

.drop_table(table_name)

Drops/Deletes a table. Takes table_name as an argument, which is string, the name of the table to delete.

.truncate_table(table_name)

Same as drop table but just deletes the data inside the table, not the structure itself. Returns a status code.

.insert_data(table_name, data)

Inserts a data in the table_name specified. Takes a dictionary data as an argument, with field name as key(s) itself and it's value being the value to add. Returns a status code.

For Example:

# To insert 12 in UserId and "secret_password" in Password
database.insert_data("usernames", {
    "userid": 12,
    "password": "secret_password"
})

.select_data(table_name, criteria)

To select specific data in the table meeting the criteria. Criteria and table_name being str, criteria follows Python's rule of matching criteria. To return every record, use '*' only in criteria. Returns a list of each record containing of dictionaries with field name as the key and the data as their values.

For Example:

# To get every record in the table Usernames
database.select_data("usernames", "*") # Returns [{example: value} etc]
# To get records only with "secret_password" as its "Password" field data
database.select_data("usernames", "password == secret_password") # Returns list with dictionaries only matching the described criteria

.update_data(table_name, properties)

Updates the existing data in table_name with properties as a dictionary with key criteria, same as that for select_data(), and key fields, as a dictionary containing field name as key(s) for the dictionary and their value as the data to be updated. Returns a status code. If field(s) added, and data exists already for the table, the values defaulted for the field(s) is as follows:

Field Type	Default Data
int	0
str	" " (Empty String)
float	0.00
bool	False

For Example:

# To update every record's UserID and Password having UserID greater than 12
database.update_data("usernames", 
    fields: {
    "UserID": 21,
    "Password": "new_random_password"
    },
    "criteria": "UserID >= 12"
})

.delete_data(table_name, criteria)

Deletes records from table_name with matching criteria. Returns a status code.

Primary vs Unique vs Index

Starting from Bottom, what does each mean in NHXDB?

Index fields are those fields which are meant to be quickly accessible in contrast to the data in other fields. The fields are indexed in a file just like you may index a page in a book, to read it later or just quickly opening a specific page of the book. It works the same way.

Unique fields are also indexed, just like Index fields. The difference between Unique and Index is that unique fields value can only occur once in a table, another record with same value as before is not acceptable by the table.

Lastly, a Primary field is also a Unique field, the real differencewhich lies is that in a table, Index and Unique fields can be more than one in number, but the Primary field is single in the whole table and there cannot be any other primary field in a table. Consider it as your distinct identity card number. It works the same way.

Status Codes

Since this Database is designed to be as developer friendly as possible, we believe that we can make the module even more developer friendly by rather than giving back exceptions, giving them a status code so they can analyze the problem. Moreover, the annoying popups of exceptions does make a bit untidy, and for cleaner interfaces, the NHXDB uses a cleaner pre-defined status codes. The pre-defined status codes are defined in the following table:

Status Code	Meaning
100	Database System not Initialized Yet
101	Permissions Error
200	Success
300	Invalid Entry
301	Already Exists
302	Incomplete
303	Credentials error
304	Not Logged In
404	Not found
500	Data file for the current table exists
501	Cannot increment other type than int
502	Cannot have more than 1 Primary
503	Primary or Index field cannot be Null
504	Default cannot be Null if the field cannot be null
505	Attribute cannot be other than Primary, Index or Unique
506	Cannot create two fields with same name
507	Cannot have length more than 255 for int and more than 16384 for str
508	Cannot have bool type in an attributed field
509	Unsupported Operation
510	Invalid Default values for Field
600	Values for a non Null field is not specified
601	Values provided do not match their types
602	Values provided are longer than the size allocated
603	Unique and Primary values can not have previous values
604	Primary and Index fields cannot be empty
605	Cannot find a valid criteria
606	Cannot compare with int operands on non int fields
607	Cannot have the right operand as non int on int comparisons
608	Expected Left operand as A field Name, none found
609	Cannot find essential Operands
610	No criteria given
700	Unknown Internal Error

Key: 1xx is Database Setting Up, 200 is Success, 3xx is Database related error, 404 is not found error for any, 5xx is Table related Error, 6xx is data related error, and 700 is Internal error. (Approximately)

Found it useful? Go, install the module and get started!