sequel 5.83.1 → 5.84.0

data/doc/virtual_rows.rdoc

@@ -1,265 +0,0 @@
-= Virtual Row Blocks
-
-Dataset methods where, order, and select all take blocks that are referred to as
-virtual row blocks.  Many other dataset methods pass the blocks
-they are given into one of those three methods, so there are actually
-many Sequel::Dataset methods that take virtual row blocks.
-
-== Why Virtual Rows
-
-Virtual rows offer a less verbose way to express many queries.  For example,
-by default if you want to express an inequality filter in Sequel, you can do:
-
-  dataset.where(Sequel[:a] > Sequel.function(:b, :c))
-  # WHERE (a > b(c))
-
-With virtual rows, you can use the less verbose:
-
-  dataset.where{a > b(c)}
-  # WHERE (a > b(c))
-
-== Regular Procs vs Instance Evaled Procs
-
-Virtual row blocks behave differently depending on whether the block accepts
-an argument.  If the block accepts an argument, it is called with an instance
-of Sequel::SQL::VirtualRow.  If it does not accept an argument, it is
-evaluated in the <em> context of an instance </em> of Sequel::SQL::VirtualRow.
-
-  ds = DB[:items]
-  # Regular block
-  ds.where{|o| o.column > 1}
-  # WHERE (column > 1)
-  
-  # Instance-evaled block
-  ds.where{column > 1}
-  # WHERE (column > 1)
-  
-If you aren't familiar with the difference between regular blocks and instance
-evaled blocks, inside regular blocks methods called without an explicit receiver call
-the method on the receiver in the surrounding scope, while instance
-evaled blocks call the method on the receiver of the instance_eval call (the
-Sequel::SQL::VirtualRow instance in this case).
-
-in both cases, local variables available in the surrounding scope will be available
-inside the block.  However, instance variables in the surrounding scope will not
-be available inside the block if using an instance evaled block, and methods called
-without an explicit receiver inside an instance evaled block will not call
-methods in the surrounding scope. For example:
-
-  def self.a
-    42
-  end
-  b = 32
-  @d = 100
-  
-  # Regular block
-  ds.where{|o| o.c > a - b + @d}
-  # WHERE (c > 110)
-  
-  # Instance-evaled block
-  ds.where{c > a - b + @d}
-  # WHERE (c > ((a - 32) + NULL))
-  
-There are three related differences here:
-
-* Regular blocks use +o.c+ instead of just +c+
-* +a+ results in 42 in the regular block, but creates an expression object in the instance evaled block
-* @d results in 100 in the regular block, but nil in the instance evaled block
-
-In the regular block, you need to call +c+ with an explicit receiver (the virtual
-row block argument), while in the instance evaled block +c+ can be called directly,
-as the default receiver has changed inside the block.
-
-For +a+, note how ruby calls the method on
-the receiver of the surrounding scope in the regular block, which returns an integer,
-and does the subtraction before Sequel gets access to it.  In the instance evaled
-block, calling +a+ without a receiver calls the a method on the VirtualRow instance.
-For @d, note that in a regular block, the value hasn't changed, but in the instance evaled
-block, instance variable access returns nil.
-For +b+, note that it operates the same in both cases, as it is a local variable.
-
-The choice for whether to use a regular block or an instance evaled block is
-up to you.  The same things can be accomplished with both.
-Instance evaled block tend to produce shorter code, but by modifying the scope
-can be more difficult to understand.
-
-If you are not sure which to use, use instance evaled blocks unless you need to
-call methods or access instance variables of the surrounding scope inside the block.
-
-== Local Variables vs Method Calls
-
-If you have a method that accepts 0 arguments and has the same name as a local
-variable, you can call it with () to differentiate the method call from the
-local variable access.  This is mostly useful in instance evaled blocks:
-
-  b = 32
-  ds.where{b() > b}
-  # WHERE b > 32
-
-It's also possible to use an explicit self receiver in instance evaled blocks:
-
-  b = 32
-  ds.where{self.b > b}
-  # WHERE b > 32
-
-
-== VirtualRow Methods
-
-VirtualRow is a class that returns SQL::Identifiers or SQL::Functions depending
-on how it is called.
-
-== SQL::Identifiers - Regular columns
-
-SQL::Identifiers can be thought of as regular column references in SQL,
-not qualified by any table. You get an SQL::Identifier if the method is called
-without arguments:
-
-  ds.where{|o| o.column > 1}
-  ds.where{column > 1}
-  # WHERE (column > 1)
-  
-== SQL::QualifiedIdentifiers - Qualified columns
-
-You can qualified identifiers by calling #[] on an identifier:
-
-  ds.where{|o| o.table[:column] > 1}
-  ds.where{table[:column] > 1}
-  # WHERE table.column > 1
-
-== SQL::Functions - SQL function calls
-
-SQL::Functions can be thought of as function calls in SQL.  You get a simple
-function call if you call a method with arguments:
-
-  ds.where{|o| o.function(1) > 1}
-  ds.where{function(1) > 1}
-  # WHERE function(1) > 1
-  
-To call a SQL function with multiple arguments, just use those arguments in
-your function call:
-  
-  ds.where{|o| o.function(1, o.a) > 1}
-  ds.where{function(1, a) > 1}
-  # WHERE function(1, a) > 1
-
-If the SQL function does not accept any arguments, create an identifier, then
-call the function method on it to produce a function:
-
-  ds.select{|o| o.version.function}
-  ds.select{version.function}
-  # SELECT version()
-  
-To use the SQL wildcard (*) as the sole argument in a function call, create a
-function without arguments, then call the * method on the function:
-  
-  ds.select{|o| o.count.function.*}
-  ds.select{count.function.*}
-  # SELECT count(*)
-
-To append the DISTINCT keyword before the method arguments, just call the
-distinct method on the returned Function:
-
-  ds.select{|o| o.count(o.col1).distinct}
-  ds.select{count(col1).distinct}
-  # SELECT count(DISTINCT col1)
-  
-  ds.select{|o| o.count(o.col1, o.col2).distinct}
-  ds.select{count(col1, col2).distinct}
-  # SELECT count(DISTINCT col1, col2)
-  
-== SQL::Functions with windows - SQL window function calls
-
-To create a window function call, just call the over method on the Function
-object returned, with the options for the window:
-
-  ds.select{|o| o.rank.function.over}
-  ds.select{rank.function.over}
-  # SELECT rank() OVER ()
-  
-  ds.select{|o| o.count.function.*.over}
-  ds.select{count.function.*.over}
-  # SELECT count(*) OVER ()
-  
-  ds.select{|o| o.sum(o.col1).over(partition: o.col2, order: o.col3)}
-  ds.select{sum(col1).over(partition: col2, order: col3)}
-  # SELECT sum(col1) OVER (PARTITION BY col2 ORDER BY col3)
-
-== Operators
-
-VirtualRows use method_missing to handle almost all method calls.  Since the
-objects given by method_missing are SQL::Identifiers or SQL::Functions, you can use all operators that they provide (see
-DatasetFiltering[http://sequel.jeremyevans.net/rdoc/files/doc/dataset_filtering_rdoc.html#label-Filtering+using+expressions]):
-
-  ds.select{|o| o.price - 100}
-  ds.select{price - 100}
-  # SELECT (price - 100)
-
-  ds.where{|o| (o.price < 200) & (o.tax * 100 >= 23)}
-  ds.where{(price < 200) & (tax * 100 >= 0.23)}
-  # WHERE ((price < 200) AND ((tax * 100) >= 0.23))
-
-However, VirtualRows have special handling of some operator methods to make
-certain things easier.  The operators all use a prefix form.
-
-=== Math Operators
-
-The standard +, -, *, and / mathematical operators are defined:
-
-  ds.select{|o| o.-(1, o.a).as(b)}
-  ds.select{self.-(1, a).as(b)}
-  # SELECT (1 - a) AS b
-
-=== Boolean Operators
-
-The & and | methods are defined to use AND and OR:
-
-  ds.where{|o| o.&({a: :b}, :c)}
-  ds.where{self.&({a: :b}, :c)}
-  # WHERE ((a = b) AND c)
-
-The ~ method is defined to do inversion:
-
-  ds.where{|o| o.~({a: 1, b: 2})}
-  ds.where{self.~({a: 1, b: 2})}
-  # WHERE ((a != 1) OR (b != 2))
-
-=== Inequality Operators
-
-The standard >, <, >=, and <= inequality operators are defined:
-
-  ds.where{|o| o.>(1, :c)}
-  ds.where{self.>(1, :c)}
-  # WHERE (1 > c)
-
-== Returning multiple values
-
-It's common when using select and order virtual row blocks to want to
-return multiple values.  If you want to do that, you just need to return an 
-array:
-
-  ds.select{|o| [o.column1, o.sum(o.column2).as(o.sum)]}
-  ds.select{[column1, sum(column2).as(sum)]}
-  # SELECT column1, sum(column2) AS sum
-  
-Note that if you forget the array brackets, you'll end up with a syntax error:
-
-  # Invalid ruby syntax
-  ds.select{|o| o.column1, o.sum(o.column2).as(o.sum)}
-  ds.select{column1, sum(column2).as(sum)}
- 
-== Split symbols
-
-Note that if you turn on symbol splitting for backwards compatibility,
-Sequel will split virtual row methods with double underscores and
-return them as qualified identifiers:
-
-  Sequel.split_symbols = true
-  ds.where{|o| o.table__column}
-  ds.where{table__column}
-  WHERE table.column
-
-It's not recommended that you rely on this, it's better to convert the calls
-to the recommended form:
-
-  ds.where{|o| o.table[:column]}
-  ds.where{table[:column]}