Transparency
This package is a port of PHP Sentience Database
It was ported using AI agents mostly powered by:
- Orchestrator: Deepseek V4 Flash (occational GLM 5.2 or Qwen 3.6 35B A3B)
- Sub agents: Qwen 3.6 35B A3B (occational Gemma 4 E2B)
The original PHP is made almost entirely by hand (except for the ExpressionF parsing). The workflow went as follows:
- Copy sentience/database package to this directory
- Let Deepseek V4 Flash explore the codebase and write a simple SQLite compatible port, with only CRUD queries, plan in PLAN.md
- Let a new session with Deepseek V4 Flash as the orchestrator, and Qwen 3.6 35B A3B as subagent implement this first plan
- Add DDL queries
- Write Postgres implementation using the same setup
- Write MySQL implementation using the same setup
- Refine codebase
From a moral and environmental perspective, i've tried to use as much local AI as possible. The total token cost of this port is about $14 in Openrouter credits, most of which was used on GLM 5.2, even though Deepseek was the primary model used.
Coding agents work best if you give them a clear structure. In this case, having a human crafted package as an example, in a language with similar features, provied to be a great task for these models.
flowmaticdb — Python Database Abstraction
A multi-dialect database abstraction layer for Python, supporting PostgreSQL, SQLite, and MySQL. Ported from the PHP library sentience/database.
flowmaticdb gives you a fluent query builder API, driver-level adapters, dialect-aware SQL generation, and a unified result abstraction — all with strict type hints and zero magic strings.
Quick Start
pip install flowmaticdb
# Or with dev dependencies:
pip install "flowmaticdb[dev]"
from flowmaticdb.database import DB
# Connect to any supported database
db = DB.connect_sqlite(":memory:")
# db = DB.connect_postgresql("mydb", host="localhost", user="postgres")
# db = DB.connect_mysql("mydb", host="localhost", user="root")
# Fluent query building
result = (
db.select("users")
.columns(["id", "name", "email"])
.where_equals("active", True)
.where_greater_than("age", 18)
.order_by_asc("name")
.limit(10)
.execute()
)
# Fetch results
for row in result.fetch_dicts():
print(row["name"], row["email"])
first = result.fetch_dict() # Single row or None
count = result.scalar() # First column of first row
Supported Databases
| Database | Connection Method | Adapter | Dialect | Required Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQLite | DB.connect_sqlite() |
SQLiteAdapter |
SQLiteDialect |
Built-in (sqlite3) |
| PostgreSQL | DB.connect_postgresql() |
PsycopgAdapter |
PostgresqlDialect |
psycopg[binary]>=3.1 |
| MySQL | DB.connect_mysql() |
MySQLAdapter |
MySQLDialect |
mysql-connector-python |
Connecting to a Database
SQLite
from flowmaticdb.database import DB
# In-memory
db = DB.connect_sqlite(":memory:")
# File-based
db = DB.connect_sqlite("/path/to/database.sqlite")
# With options
db = DB.connect_sqlite("mydb.db", options={
"read_only": False,
"journal_mode": "WAL",
"foreign_keys": 1,
"busy_timeout": 5000,
"encoding": "UTF-8",
})
Connections are opened with sqlite3's same-thread check enabled — the
stock behaviour. Each thread gets its own connection, so nothing needs to cross
threads; handing a handle from get_connection() (or a Result reading from
one) to another thread raises sqlite3.ProgrammingError instead of corrupting
state silently. Pass options={"check_same_thread": False} to opt out.
A file-backed database gives every thread its own connection (see
Threads and Concurrency), so concurrent writers are
separate SQLite writers competing for the same file. Use
"journal_mode": "WAL" plus a "busy_timeout" so they wait on each other
instead of failing with database is locked.
An in-memory database is the exception: it lives inside the connection that opened it, so a second connection would be a second, empty database. Threads therefore share the single handle (with the same-thread check off, since sharing is the point), statements are serialized through a lock, and transaction state is process-wide rather than per thread. Use a file (WAL is enough to keep it fast) when threads need real isolation.
PostgreSQL
db = DB.connect_postgresql(
"mydb",
host="localhost",
port=5432,
user="postgres",
password="secret",
options={
"sslmode": "require",
"search_path": "public",
},
)
MySQL
db = DB.connect_mysql(
"mydb",
host="localhost",
port=3306,
user="root",
password="secret",
options={
"charset": "utf8mb4",
"connect_timeout": 10,
},
)
Reconnecting
A long-lived DB outlives its connection: servers close idle sessions, restart,
or drop the socket. Three methods cover that:
db.is_connected() # is the connection still usable?
db.reconnect_if_disconnected() # reconnect only if it is not; returns whether it did
db.reconnect() # unconditionally drop and reopen
A reconnect opens a completely fresh connection: the startup_queries and
options given at connect time are reapplied, and any open transaction is gone
(the savepoint bookkeeping is reset to match). All three act on the calling
thread's connection only — other threads keep theirs and reconnect on their
own when they find their own connection broken.
def handle_request(db):
db.reconnect_if_disconnected()
return db.select("users").execute().fetch_dicts()
is_connected() pings the server on PostgreSQL (psycopg) and MySQL, so an idle
connection whose backend died is detected before the next query rather than
after it fails. Two caveats:
- Reconnecting a SQLite
:memory:database opens an empty one — the old database only ever existed inside the dropped handle. - Inside an open transaction the PostgreSQL check falls back to the local connection status (no ping), so a transaction is never disturbed by it.
Threads and Concurrency
A DB is safe to share between threads. Build one at startup and use it from
every worker — a threaded server (FastAPI's def endpoints on its worker thread
pool, Gunicorn/Uvicorn threads, a ThreadPoolExecutor) needs nothing else:
db = DB.connect_postgresql("mydb", user="postgres") # module level
@app.get("/users")
def list_users(): # runs on a worker thread
return db.select("users").execute().fetch_dicts()
@app.on_event("shutdown")
def shutdown():
db.close()
Each thread gets its own driver connection, opened the first time that
thread runs a query and reused for the rest of its life. That is what makes
sharing safe: threads never interleave statements, cursors, or transaction state
on one handle, so a begin_transaction() on one worker cannot swallow another
worker's write.
db.adapter.connection_count() # live connections, across all threads
What follows from the model:
- Transactions, savepoints and
last_insert_id()are per thread. A transaction belongs to the thread that opened it; other threads are unaffected and see nothing of it until it commits. - Connection count tracks thread count. N worker threads means up to N server
connections, so keep the server's
max_connectionsabove your thread-pool size. Connections belonging to finished threads are closed automatically when a new thread opens one. close()is global, everything else is local.close()is the shutdown hook and closes every thread's connection;reconnect(),is_connected()and_disconnect()act on the caller's connection alone. A query afterclose()raisesAdapterErrorrather than quietly opening a new connection —reconnect()revives the adapter if you really want it back.- Results belong to their thread. A
ResultABCreads from a live cursor on the connection that ran the query. Consume it on the thread that created it and pass rows (orsnapshot_result(result)) to other threads, not the result itself. On SQLite that rule is enforced:sqlite3's same-thread check is on by default again, so a stray cross-thread fetch raises instead of misbehaving. - The query builders are per call and the dialect is immutable, so neither needs any care.
Two engine-specific notes: SQLite :memory: cannot give threads separate
connections and shares one instead (see SQLite above), and the
AsyncpgAdapter's private event loop is shared by all threads while its
connections are not — asyncpg cannot run two queries on one connection at once.
Debug Callback
All connection methods accept a debug_callback for query logging:
def debug(sql: str, duration: float, error: str | None):
print(f"[{duration:.4f}s] {sql}")
if error:
print(f" ERROR: {error}")
db = DB.connect_sqlite(":memory:", debug_callback=debug)
Query Building
All query builders return Self for seamless method chaining.
SELECT
# Basic select
db.select("users").execute()
# With columns
db.select("users").columns(["id", "name"]).execute()
# Alias the table
db.select_table("users", "u").columns(["u.id", "u.name"]).execute()
# Sub-query as source
sub = db.select("active_users").columns(["id"])
db.select_sub_query(sub, "a").execute()
# Change table (fluent)
q = db.select("users")
q.table("admins").execute()
# Count
count: int = db.select("users").where_equals("active", True).count()
INSERT
# Single row
db.insert("users").values({"name": "Alice", "age": 30}).execute()
# Multiple rows
db.insert("users").values(
{"name": "Bob", "age": 25},
{"name": "Charlie", "age": 35},
).execute()
# With RETURNING — native on PostgreSQL and SQLite >= 3.35, emulated elsewhere
result = db.insert("users").values({"name": "Dave"}).returning(["id"]).last_insert_id("id").execute()
new_id = result.scalar()
# ON CONFLICT — native on PostgreSQL, SQLite >= 3.24 and MySQL, emulated elsewhere
db.insert("users").values({"name": "Alice"}).on_conflict_do_nothing("name").execute()
db.insert("users").values({"name": "Alice", "age": 31}).on_conflict_do_update(
"name", {"age": 31}
).execute()
# Get last insert ID
db.insert("users").values({"name": "Eve"}).last_insert_id("id").execute()
last_id = db.last_insert_id()
Emulated RETURNING and ON CONFLICT
Both clauses work on every dialect. When the dialect cannot express one, the insert falls back to the equivalent sequence of statements by itself — writing a per-driver fallback is never necessary:
| Native | Emulated as | |
|---|---|---|
RETURNING |
PostgreSQL, SQLite ≥ 3.35, MariaDB ≥ 10.5 | INSERT, then SELECT the row by its primary key |
ON CONFLICT |
PostgreSQL, SQLite ≥ 3.24, MySQL, MariaDB | SELECT on the conflict columns, then INSERT or UPDATE |
Emulated RETURNING reads the inserted row back by primary key, so it needs to
know that column. Supply it with last_insert_id("id") (or emulate_returning("id"));
without it the insert raises QueryError rather than handing back an empty result:
db.insert("users").values({"name": "Dave"}).returning(["id"]).last_insert_id("id").execute()
emulate_returning("id") and emulate_on_conflict("id") are only needed to opt
into the emulation on a dialect that has the clause natively — for instance to
get identical statement sequences across environments. emulate_on_conflict()
also takes in_transaction=True to wrap its select-then-write in a transaction.
returning() on UPDATE and DELETE is not emulated: on a dialect without native
RETURNING the clause is dropped and the result holds no rows.
UPDATE
db.update("users").updates({"age": 26}).where_equals("name", "Bob").execute()
# With RETURNING
result = (
db.update("users")
.updates({"age": 27})
.where_equals("name", "Bob")
.returning(["id", "age"])
.execute()
)
updated = result.fetch_dict()
DELETE
db.delete("users").where_equals("name", "Alice").execute()
# Change table
q = db.delete("users")
q.table("old_users").execute()
# With RETURNING
result = db.delete("users").where_less_than("age", 18).returning(["id"]).execute()
CREATE TABLE
# Using convenience methods
db.create_table("users").if_not_exists() \
.identity("id") \
.string("name", not_null=True) \
.integer("age") \
.boolean("active", default=True) \
.datetime("created_at") \
.json("preferences") \
.execute()
# Using raw column definitions
db.create_table("posts").if_not_exists() \
.column("id", TypeEnum.INT, not_null=True) \
.column("title", TypeEnum.STRING, not_null=True) \
.column("body", "TEXT") \
.primary_keys("id") \
.execute()
# With constraints
db.create_table("orders").if_not_exists() \
.identity("id") \
.integer("user_id") \
.string("status") \
.unique_constraint(["status", "user_id"], name="uq_orders_status_user") \
.foreign_key_constraint(
"user_id", "users", "id",
referential_actions=["ON DELETE CASCADE"],
) \
.execute()
ALTER TABLE
# Add columns
db.alter_table("users") \
.add_string("email", size=255) \
.add_int("score", not_null=True, default=0) \
.execute()
# Rename / drop columns
db.alter_table("users") \
.rename_column("name", "full_name") \
.drop_column("temp_field") \
.execute()
# Add constraints
db.alter_table("users") \
.add_unique_constraint(["email"], name="uq_users_email") \
.add_foreign_key_constraint("role_id", "roles", "id") \
.execute()
# Drop constraints
db.alter_table("users") \
.drop_constraint("uq_users_email") \
.execute()
# Raw alter
db.alter_table("users").alter("ALTER COLUMN age SET NOT NULL").execute()
DROP TABLE
db.drop_table("posts").execute()
db.drop_table("posts").if_exists().execute()
WHERE Conditions
Every condition method has four variants:
| Variant | Example |
|---|---|
where_* |
where_equals("name", "Alice") |
or_where_* |
or_where_equals("name", "Bob") |
where_not_* |
where_not_equals("status", "banned") |
or_where_not_* |
or_where_not_equals("role", "admin") |
Available Conditions
# Comparison
.where_equals("name", "Alice")
.where_not_equals("status", "banned")
.where_less_than("age", 18)
.where_less_than_or_equals("age", 65)
.where_greater_than("score", 100)
.where_greater_than_or_equals("score", 0)
# Null checks
.where_is_null("deleted_at")
.where_is_not_null("email")
# Pattern matching
.where_like("name", "Alice%") # SQL LIKE
.where_not_like("email", "%@spam.com")
.where_starts_with("username", "admin") # LIKE 'admin%'
.where_ends_with("filename", ".pdf") # LIKE '%.pdf'
.where_contains("bio", "engineer") # LIKE '%engineer%'
.where_not_contains("bio", "spam") # NOT LIKE '%spam%'
# File globbing (SQLite)
.where_glob("path", "*.txt")
.where_not_glob("path", "*.tmp")
# Set membership
.where_in("id", [1, 2, 3])
.where_not_in("role", ["guest", "anon"])
# Range
.where_between("age", 18, 65)
.where_not_between("age", 0, 17)
# Empty string
.where_empty("middle_name")
.where_not_empty("full_name")
# Regex
.where_regex("email", r"^[a-z]+@")
.where_not_regex("email", r"^test@")
# Subquery existence
sub = db.select("orders").columns(["user_id"])
.where_exists(sub)
.where_not_exists(sub)
# Grouped conditions
.where_group(lambda g: (
g.where_equals("plan", "premium")
.or_where_group(lambda g2: (
g2.where_equals("plan", "free")
.where_less_than("trial_days", 30)
))
))
.where_not_group(lambda g: g.where_equals("role", "internal"))
# Raw SQL conditions
.where_raw("EXTRACT(YEAR FROM created_at) = ?", [2026])
.or_where_raw("last_login IS NOT NULL")
# Custom operator
.where_operator("json_data", "@>", '{"vip": true}')
HAVING Conditions
Exactly the same methods as WHERE, prefixed with having_* / or_having_*:
db.select("users") \
.columns(["plan", "count(*)"]) \
.group_by(["plan"]) \
.having_greater_than("count(*)", 5) \
.having_between("avg(age)", 18, 65) \
.having_group(lambda g: g.where_equals("plan", "enterprise")) \
.execute()
JOINs
from flowmaticdb import raw, identifier
query = db.select("users").columns(["users.id", "posts.title"])
# INNER JOIN with ON conditions — the callback receives the Join,
# every join method returns the query so you can keep chaining
query.inner_join_table(
"posts",
lambda join: join
.on(["users", "id"], ["p", "user_id"]) # ON users.id = p.user_id
.or_on(["p", "status"], ["'published'"]), # OR p.status = 'published'
"p",
)
# LEFT JOIN
query.left_join_table("comments", lambda join: join.on(["p", "id"], ["c", "post_id"]), "c")
# CROSS JOIN (never takes ON conditions)
query.cross_join("sessions")
# LATERAL joins
query.left_join_lateral_sub_query(sub_query, "sq")
query.inner_join_lateral_sub_query(sub_query, "sq")
query.cross_join_lateral_sub_query(sub_query, "sq")
# Raw join SQL (e.g. for aggregates)
query.join(raw("LEFT JOIN (SELECT user_id, count(*) AS cnt FROM orders GROUP BY user_id) AS o ON o.user_id = users.id"))
Join ON Conditions
Join objects support all the same condition methods as WHERE:
query.inner_join(
"orders",
lambda join: join
.where_equals(["orders", "user_id"], ["users", "id"])
.where_greater_than("orders.total", 100),
)
DISTINCT, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, LIMIT, OFFSET
db.select("users") \
.distinct() # DISTINCT
.distinct(["category"]) # DISTINCT ON (PostgreSQL only)
.group_by(["plan", "status"]) \
.order_by_asc("name") \
.order_by_desc("created_at") # Multiple orderings
.limit(50) \
.offset(10) \
.execute()
UNION / UNION ALL
active = db.select("users").where_equals("active", True)
archived = db.select("archived_users")
db.select("users") \
.columns(["id", "name"]) \
.union(active) \
.union_all(archived) \
.execute()
Transactions
# Explicit transaction
db.begin_transaction()
try:
db.insert("users").values({"name": "Alice"}).execute()
db.insert("users").values({"name": "Bob"}).execute()
db.commit_transaction()
except Exception:
db.rollback_transaction()
# With context-manager-style callback
def work(database):
database.insert("users").values({"name": "Charlie"}).execute()
database.insert("users").values({"name": "Dave"}).execute()
db.transaction(work) # Auto commit/rollback
# Savepoints for nested transactions
db.begin_transaction()
db.begin_transaction("savepoint_1")
db.commit_transaction("savepoint_1")
db.rollback_transaction() # Rolls back main transaction
Working with Results
All execute() calls return a ResultABC object.
Fetching Data
result = db.select("users").execute()
# Single row
row: dict | None = result.fetch_dict()
# All rows
rows: list[dict] = result.fetch_dicts()
# First column of first row
val: Any = result.scalar()
val = result.scalar("name") # Named column
# Column metadata
cols: dict[str, str] = result.columns() # {"id": "integer", "name": "text", ...}
# Hydrate into objects
class User:
def __init__(self):
self.id = 0
self.name = ""
user = result.fetch_object(User) # Single
users = result.fetch_objects(User) # List
Snapshotting a Result
Freeze a live cursor result into an in-memory Result:
from flowmaticdb.result import snapshot_result
live_result = db.select("users").execute()
snapshot = snapshot_result(live_result) # Can be iterated repeatedly
Result Methods Summary
| Method | Returns | Description |
|---|---|---|
fetch_dict() |
dict | None |
Next row as dict, or None |
fetch_dicts() |
list[dict] |
All remaining rows |
scalar(column=None) |
Any |
First value of next row |
fetch_object(cls, args) |
object | None |
Hydrate next row into object |
fetch_objects(cls, args) |
list[object] |
Hydrate all rows into objects |
columns() |
dict[str, str] |
Column name → type mapping |
Table API
High-level table wrapper for common patterns:
from flowmaticdb.database import Table
# Create a table reference
table = Table(db, db.dialect, "users")
# Shortcuts
table.select() # SELECT *
table.select(["id", "name"]) # SELECT id, name
table.insert({"name": "Alice"}) # INSERT
table.update({"age": 30}) # UPDATE ... (add WHERE separately)
table.delete() # DELETE ... (add WHERE separately)
# Smart operations
table.select_or_insert(["name"], ["Alice"]) # SELECT first, INSERT if not found
table.insert_or_ignore(["name"], ["Bob"]) # INSERT ... ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING
table.insert_or_update(
["name"], ["Charlie"],
conflict="name",
updates={"age": 40},
) # INSERT ... ON CONFLICT DO UPDATE
# DDL
table.create(lambda q: q.identity("id").string("name"))
table.create_if_not_exists(...)
table.drop()
table.drop_if_exists()
table.truncate()
# Introspection
table.columns() # list[str] — column names
table.is_empty() # bool
Expressions
Import module-level factory functions:
from flowmaticdb import raw, identifier, alias, expression, sub_query, current_timestamp, now
Available Expressions
| Expression | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
raw(sql) |
Raw SQL snippet | raw("COUNT(*) AS cnt") |
identifier(name) |
Escaped identifier | identifier(["schema", "table"]) |
alias(expr, alias) |
expr AS alias |
alias("users", "u") |
expression(sql, params) |
SQL with positional params | expression("? + ?", [1, 2]) |
sub_query(query, alias) |
(SELECT ...) AS alias |
sub_query(select_q, "sq") |
current_timestamp() |
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP |
current_timestamp() |
now() |
datetime.now(UTC) |
now() |
PostgresArray(values) |
Bind a list as a PostgreSQL array instead of JSON | PostgresArray([1, 2, 3]) |
db.select(raw("COUNT(*) AS cnt")).table("users").execute()
# Schema-qualified table reference
db.select(identifier(["public", "users"])).execute()
# Alias in joins
join = query.inner_join(alias("users", "u"))
join.on(identifier(["u", "id"]), identifier(["posts", "user_id"]))
EXPLAIN Queries
plan = db.select("users").where_equals("name", "Alice").explain()
for row in plan:
print(row)
Raw Query Execution
For one-off SQL that doesn't need the query builder:
# DDL (no parameters)
db.exec("CREATE TABLE temp (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY)")
# DML with parameters
from flowmaticdb import QueryWithParams
qwp = QueryWithParams(query="SELECT * FROM users WHERE name = ?", params=["Alice"])
result = db.query_with_params(qwp)
rows = result.fetch_dicts()
# Prepared statement shortcut
result = db.prepared("SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > ? AND active = ?", [18, True])
QueryWithParams
The core data structure that travels from query builders through dialects to adapters:
from flowmaticdb import QueryWithParams
qwp = QueryWithParams(query="SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > ?", params=[18])
# Convert %s placeholders to ? positional
qwp2 = qwp.percent_s_to_question_marks()
# Interpolate values into SQL string (for debugging / emulation)
sql = qwp.to_sql(dialect)
# Returns: SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > 18
Exception Hierarchy
DatabaseError
├── AdapterError — Adapter-level issues (connection, configuration)
├── DriverError — Driver/connection errors
├── QueryError — Query building errors (e.g., unsupported SQL feature)
└── QueryWithParamsError — Parameterized query errors
from flowmaticdb import DatabaseError, QueryError
try:
db.select("users").execute()
except QueryError as e:
print(f"Query error: {e}")
except DatabaseError as e:
print(f"Database error: {e}")
Datetime, JSON and Boolean Values
datetime objects, JSON documents and booleans are serialized on the way into the database and deserialized on the way back out, on every adapter.
from datetime import datetime, timezone
db.create_table("events").if_not_exists() \
.identity("id") \
.datetime("happened_at") \
.json("payload") \
.execute()
db.insert("events").values({
"happened_at": datetime.now(timezone.utc),
"payload": {"kind": "signup", "tags": ["a", "b"]},
}).execute()
row = db.select("events").execute().fetch_dict()
row["happened_at"] # datetime
row["payload"] # dict
TypeEnum.JSON (the .json() column builder) maps to the best type the server has: JSONB on PostgreSQL ≥ 9.4, JSON on PostgreSQL ≥ 9.2, MySQL ≥ 5.7.8, MariaDB ≥ 10.2.7 and SQLite, and TEXT on anything older. TypeEnum.DATETIME maps to TIMESTAMPTZ, DATETIME(6) and DATETIME respectively.
Nested values json does not know are rendered rather than raising: datetime, date and time become ISO-8601 strings, Decimal becomes a string (a float would lose precision). A JSON column holding text that is not valid JSON is handed back as that text instead of failing the fetch.
How each driver is wired up:
| Driver | Datetime | JSON |
|---|---|---|
| psycopg | Native, both directions | Serialized on the way in; psycopg decodes json/jsonb on the way out |
| asyncpg | Bound natively, reconciled against the placeholder's declared type | json/jsonb codecs registered on connect, both directions |
| mysql.connector | Native, both directions | Serialized on the way in; MySQLResult decodes columns the server reports as json |
| sqlite3 | DATETIME/TIMESTAMP/DATE adapters and converters registered by SQLiteAdapter |
JSON/JSONB adapters and converters |
SQLite stores only primitives, so SQLiteAdapter registers custom datatypes with the sqlite3 module and opens its connections with detect_types=sqlite3.PARSE_DECLTYPES. Conversion is keyed off the column's declared type, so a DATETIME, JSON or BOOLEAN table column is converted while an expression (count(*), a computed alias) has no declared type and is returned as-is. Datetimes are written as full ISO-8601, so microseconds and UTC offsets survive the round trip.
Booleans
Only PostgreSQL has a boolean type. SQLite stores 0/1 under a declared BOOLEAN column and MySQL stores a TINYINT, and both are read back as a real bool:
db.create_table("flags").if_not_exists().identity("id").boolean("active").execute()
db.insert("flags").values({"active": True}).execute()
db.select("flags").execute().scalar("active") # True, not 1
The two emulating dialects reach that differently, which is worth knowing when reading a table this library did not create:
- SQLite is exact — the converter fires on the column's declared
BOOLEAN/BOOLtype, and nothing else is touched. - MySQL reports
BOOLandTINYINTas the same wire type and drops the display width, so everyTINYINTcolumn reads back as abool.TypeEnum.INTnever maps toTINYINT(it isINTEGER/BIGINT), so a schema this library created is unaffected; a foreign table storing small numbers in aTINYINTis. Select such a column asCAST(col AS SIGNED)— or let a pydantic model coerce at the edge — if you need the number.
PostgreSQL arrays — PostgresArray
A bare list is a JSON document on every dialect, PostgreSQL included. PostgreSQL also has a real array type, but nothing in the value itself says which of the two is meant, so the array reading is opt-in — wrap the value in PostgresArray:
from flowmaticdb import PostgresArray
db.insert("rows").values({
"id": 1,
"actual_json_column": [1, 2, 3, 4],
"postgres_array_column": PostgresArray([5, 6, 7, 8]),
}).execute()
# Also works anywhere else a value is bound, e.g. the array containment operators
db.select("rows").where_operator("tags", "@>", PostgresArray(["a", "b"])).execute()
Both PostgreSQL drivers behave identically here: a bare list aimed at an array column is sent as JSON and rejected, rather than quietly being taken as an array. Element types are left to the driver, so PostgresArray([datetime(...)]) binds as timestamptz[], not text[].
Dialects with no array type unwrap PostgresArray back to JSON, so a query written for PostgreSQL still runs against SQLite and MySQL.
Reading is unaffected — an array column always comes back as a plain list.
Dialect-Specific Behavior
PostgreSQL
| Feature | Support | Details |
|---|---|---|
DISTINCT ON |
✅ | distinct(["col1", "col2"]) |
ON CONFLICT |
✅ | Native (≥ 9.5) |
RETURNING |
✅ | Native (≥ 8.2) |
ILIKE |
✅ | Case-insensitive LIKE |
LATERAL |
✅ | (≥ 9.3) |
| Regex | ✅ | regexp_like() (≥ 15) or ~/!~ operators |
GENERATED BY DEFAULT AS IDENTITY |
✅ | (≥ 17, or falls back to SERIAL) |
| Native boolean | ✅ | BOOLEAN type |
| Datetime | ✅ | Microsecond precision: %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S.%f; TypeEnum.DATETIME → TIMESTAMPTZ |
| JSON | ✅ | TypeEnum.JSON → JSONB (≥ 9.4) or JSON (≥ 9.2); a bare list/dict is a document |
| Arrays | ✅ | Opt-in via PostgresArray([...]) — see PostgreSQL arrays |
SQLite
| Feature | Support | Details |
|---|---|---|
ON CONFLICT |
✅ | (≥ 3.24.0) |
RETURNING |
✅ | (≥ 3.35.0) |
GLOB |
✅ | Native file globbing |
REGEXP |
✅ | Via regexp_like() or REGEXP operator |
ALTER COLUMN |
❌ | Raises QueryError |
DROP COLUMN |
❌ | Raises QueryError (pre-3.35.0; newer versions support it — check dialect option) |
| Named constraints | ❌ | Names stripped from constraints |
| Auto-increment | ✅ | INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT |
| Case-insensitive LIKE | ✅ | Default SQLite behavior |
| Datetime | ✅ | Custom DATETIME/TIMESTAMP/DATE datatype via sqlite3 adapters and converters |
| JSON | ✅ | Custom JSON/JSONB datatype via sqlite3 adapters and converters |
| Native boolean | ❌ | TypeEnum.BOOL → BOOLEAN, stored as 0/1 and converted back to bool on read |
MySQL
| Feature | Support | Details |
|---|---|---|
ON DUPLICATE KEY |
✅ | Via on_conflict_do_update() |
RETURNING |
⚠️ | Not supported by the server (MariaDB ≥ 10.5 excepted); INSERT emulates it, UPDATE/DELETE drop the clause |
| Auto-increment | ✅ | AUTO_INCREMENT |
| Placeholders | ✅ | ? → %s conversion for connector |
| Datetime | ✅ | TypeEnum.DATETIME → DATETIME(size), fsp clamped to 6 |
| JSON | ✅ | TypeEnum.JSON → JSON (MySQL ≥ 5.7.8, MariaDB ≥ 10.2.7), else TEXT |
| Native boolean | ❌ | TypeEnum.BOOL → TINYINT; every TINYINT column reads back as bool |
General ANSI (SQLDialect base)
LIMIT/OFFSET— Standard ANSI syntaxLIMIT ? OFFSET ?— Parameterized- No native
ON CONFLICT,RETURNING,DISTINCT ON, orLATERAL— INSERT emulates the first two - No
GLOBsupport - Regex raises
QueryError
Architecture
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ User Code │
│ DB.connect_*() → Database → Query Builders │
└──────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌────────┴────────┐
▼ ▼
┌──────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ Dialects │ │ Adapters │
│ ──────── │ │ ────────── │
│ SQL gen │ │ Connection │
│ + types │ │ + execution │
└────┬─────┘ └──────┬───────┘
│ │
▼ ▼
┌──────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ Query │ │ Result │
│ Builders │ │ ────────── │
│ ──────── │ │ fetch_dict() │
│ Fluent │ │ fetch_dicts()│
│ chaining │ │ scalar() │
└──────────┘ └──────────────┘
Four Pillars
-
Dialects — Database-specific SQL generation
DialectABC— Abstract baseSQLDialect— ANSI SQL (~713 lines; overridable in subclasses)PostgresqlDialect— PostgreSQL overridesSQLiteDialect— SQLite overridesMySQLDialect— MySQL overrides
-
Adapters — Connection wrappers
AdapterABC— Abstract baseSQLiteAdapter— Wrapssqlite3.ConnectionPsycopgAdapter— Wrapspsycopg.ConnectionMySQLAdapter— Wrapsmysql.connector.Connection
-
Query Builders — Fluent SQL construction
SelectQuery— SELECT with WHERE/HAVING/JOINs/GROUP BY/ORDER BY/LIMIT/OFFSET/UNIONInsertQuery— INSERT with ON CONFLICT/RETURNINGUpdateQuery— UPDATE with WHERE/RETURNINGDeleteQuery— DELETE with WHERE/RETURNINGCreateTableQuery— CREATE TABLE with columns, keys, constraintsAlterTableQuery— ALTER TABLE (add/rename/drop columns, constraints)DropTableQuery— DROP TABLE
-
Results — Unified result set
ResultABC— Abstract baseResult— In-memory result (snapshot)SQLite3Result— Wrapssqlite3.CursorPsycopgResult— Wraps psycopg cursorMySQLResult— Wrapsmysql.connector.cursor
Mixin Architecture
Query builders use Python multiple inheritance for composable behavior:
| Mixin | Used By | Methods |
|---|---|---|
WhereMixin |
Select, Update, Delete | where_*, or_where_* (40+ methods) |
HavingMixin |
Select | having_*, or_having_* (40+ methods) |
JoinsMixin |
Select | left_join(), inner_join(), cross_join(), etc. |
ColumnsMixin |
Select | columns() |
DistinctMixin |
Select | distinct() |
GroupByMixin |
Select | group_by() |
OrderByMixin |
Select | order_by_asc(), order_by_desc() |
LimitMixin |
Select | limit() |
OffsetMixin |
Select | offset() |
UnionMixin |
Select | union(), union_all() |
ValuesMixin |
Insert | values() |
UpdatesMixin |
Update | updates() |
ReturningMixin |
Insert, Update, Delete | returning() |
OnConflictMixin |
Insert | on_conflict_do_nothing(), on_conflict_do_update() |
LastInsertIdMixin |
Insert | last_insert_id() |
ColumnsDefinitionMixin |
CreateTable | column(), integer(), string(), boolean(), etc. |
AltersMixin |
AlterTable | add_column(), rename_column(), drop_column(), etc. |
ConstraintsMixin |
CreateTable | unique_constraint(), foreign_key_constraint() |
PrimaryKeysMixin |
CreateTable | primary_keys() |
IfNotExistsMixin |
CreateTable | if_not_exists() |
IfExistsMixin |
DropTable | if_exists() |
Enums Reference
from flowmaticdb.query.enums import ConditionEnum
# =, <>, <, <=, >, >=, BETWEEN, NOT BETWEEN, LIKE, NOT LIKE,
# GLOB, NOT GLOB, IN, NOT IN, REGEX, NOT REGEX, EXISTS, NOT EXISTS, RAW
from flowmaticdb.query.enums import ChainEnum
# AND, OR
from flowmaticdb.query.enums import JoinEnum
# LEFT JOIN, LEFT JOIN LATERAL, INNER JOIN, INNER JOIN LATERAL,
# CROSS JOIN, CROSS JOIN LATERAL
from flowmaticdb.query.enums import OrderByDirectionEnum
# ASC, DESC
from flowmaticdb.query.enums import UnionEnum
# UNION, UNION ALL
from flowmaticdb.query.enums import TypeEnum
# BOOL, INT, FLOAT, STRING, DATETIME, JSON
from flowmaticdb.query.enums import ReferentialActionEnum
# ON_UPDATE_NO_ACTION, ON_UPDATE_SET_NULL, ON_UPDATE_CASCADE,
# ON_DELETE_NO_ACTION, ON_DELETE_SET_NULL, ON_DELETE_CASCADE
Import Notes
A leading underscore on a module name marks it as a private implementation detail — never import from it directly. Each package's public API is exactly its __init__.py __all__; import from the package instead. This holds without exception, including the exception classes and helper functions, which live in _exceptions.py and _helpers.py and are re-exported from flowmaticdb.
PsycopgAdapter,MySQLAdapter— Import fromflowmaticdb.adapters, NOT a submodulePostgresArray— Re-exported from the top-level package:from flowmaticdb import PostgresArray(it also lives inflowmaticdb.query.expressions)PsycopgResult,MySQLResult— Import fromflowmaticdb.result, NOT a submoduleraw(),identifier(),alias(),expression(),sub_query(),current_timestamp(),now()— Module-level functions, imported fromflowmaticdbsnapshot_result()— Import fromflowmaticdb.result
from flowmaticdb.adapters import PsycopgAdapter, MySQLAdapter
from flowmaticdb.result import PsycopgResult, MySQLResult, snapshot_result
from flowmaticdb import raw, identifier, alias, expression, sub_query, current_timestamp, now
Qualified Column References
Use two-element lists for schema-qualified or table-qualified column names:
# Correct: table-qualified
.where_equals(["users", "name"], "Alice")
# Correct: schema-qualified
.where_equals(["public", "users", "name"], "Alice")
# Correct: using identifier()
.where_equals(identifier(["users", "name"]), "Alice")
# WRONG: "users.name" is treated as a single identifier
# and escaped as "users.name" (non-existent column)
The same lists work in columns(), group_by() and returning() — every
identifier is escaped segment by segment, however deeply the list nests:
db.select("users").columns([["users", "email"], "name"]).execute()
# SELECT "users"."email", "name" FROM "users"
# With an alias, pass the qualified column as the dict value
db.select("users").columns({"mail": ["users", "email"]}).execute()
# SELECT "users"."email" AS "mail" FROM "users"
For raw JOIN clauses and aggregate expressions, use raw():
query.join(raw("LEFT JOIN orders o ON o.user_id = users.id"))
Schema-qualified table references work with plain lists:
db.insert(["public", "users"]).values({"name": "Alice"}).execute()
db.delete(["schema", "table"]).where_equals("id", 1).execute()
db.update(["schema", "table"]).updates({"name": "Bob"}).execute()
db.create_table(["schema", "table"]).identity("id").string("name").execute()
Database-Specific Notes
Placeholder Conversion
All dialects emit ? as the placeholder. Each adapter converts to its driver's native format:
- PostgreSQL:
?→%sviaquestion_marks_to_percent_s()(psycopg expects%s) - MySQL:
?→%sviaquestion_marks_to_percent_s()(mysql-connector expects%s) - SQLite:
%s→?viapercent_s_to_question_marks()(SQLite uses?natively; handles user-provided%s)
Both conversion methods use REGEX_PATTERN to skip placeholders inside quoted strings and comments.
DDL vs DML
- DDL (CREATE, ALTER, DROP, BEGIN, COMMIT): Use
adapter.exec(sql)— no parameter binding - DML (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE): Use
adapter.query_with_params(dialect, qwp)— uses parameterized queries
Development
Setup
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
Running Tests
# All 191 tests
python3 -m pytest
# Unit tests only (no database needed)
python3 -m pytest tests/test_dialect_sql.py
python3 -m pytest tests/test_select_query.py
# SQLite integration (in-memory, no setup)
python3 -m pytest tests/test_integration_sqlite.py
# PostgreSQL integration (requires Docker)
docker compose up -d postgres
python3 -m pytest tests/test_integration_postgres.py
# MySQL integration (requires Docker)
docker compose up -d mysql
python3 -m pytest tests/test_integration_mysql.py
# Single test
python3 -m pytest tests/test_dialect_sql.py -k "test_select"
# Type checking
python3 -m mypy src/flowmaticdb
# Linting
python3 -m ruff check src/flowmaticdb/ tests/
Run Demo
python3 main.py
Connects to MySQL by default. Edit main.py to switch to SQLite or PostgreSQL.
Requirements
- Python ≥ 3.11
psycopg[binary]>=3.1(PostgreSQL adapter — optional)mysql-connector-python(MySQL adapter — optional)- SQLite uses the standard library (
sqlite3)
License
MIT
Release files for flowmaticdb 2.11.0
For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.
Source distribution (sdist)
| File | Size | Uploaded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| flowmaticdb-2.11.0.tar.gz | 144.2 kB | Details |
Built distribution (wheel)
| File | Interpreter | ABI | Platform | Reset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| flowmaticdb-2.11.0-py3-none-any.whl | Python 3 | none | any | Details |
Total release size: 235.8 kB
Release files / flowmaticdb-2.11.0.tar.gz
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|---|---|
| Size | 144.2 kB |
| Tags | Source |
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