DBI::Shell - Interactive command shell for the DBI
perl -MDBI::Shell -e shell [<DBI data source> [<user> [<password>]]]
or
dbish [<DBI data source> [<user> [<password>]]]
The DBI::Shell module (and dbish command, if installed) provide a simple but effective command line interface for the Perl DBI module.
DBI::Shell is very new, very experimental and very subject to change. Your milage will vary. Interfaces will change with each release.
Proper docs - but not yet, too much is changing.
"/source file" command to read command file. Allow to nest via stack of command file handles. Add command log facility to create batch files.
Commands: load (query?) from file save (query?) to file
Use Data::ShowTable if available.
Define DBI::Shell plug-in semantics. Implement import/export as plug-in module
Clarify meaning of batch mode
Completion hooks
Set/Get DBI handle attributes
Portability
Emulate popular command shell modes (Oracle, Ingres etc)?
Many commands - few documented, yet!
/help
/chistory (display history of all commands entered) /chistory | YourPager (display history with paging)
/clear (Clears the current command buffer)
/commit (commit changes to the database)
/connect (pick from available drivers and sources) /connect dbi:Oracle (pick source from based on driver) /connect dbi:YourDriver:YourSource i.e. dbi:Oracle:mysid
Use this option to change userid or password.
/current (Display current statement in the buffer)
/do (execute the current (non-select) statement) dbish> create table foo ( mykey integer ) dbish> /do dbish> truncate table OldTable /do (Oracle truncate)
/drivers (Display available DBI drivers)
/edit (Edit current statement in an external editor)
Editor is defined using the enviroment variable $VISUAL or $EDITOR or default is vi. Use /option editor=new editor to change in the current session.
To read a file from the operating system invoke the editor (/edit) and read the file into the editor buffer.
/exit (Exits the shell)
/get (Retrieve a previous command to the current buffer)
/go (Execute the current statement)
Run (execute) the statement in the current buffer. This is the default action if the statement ends with /
dbish> select * from user_views/ dbish> select table_name from user_tables dbish> where table_name like 'DSP%' dbish> / dbish> select table_name from all_tables/ | more
/history (Display combined command and result history) /history | more
/option [option1[=value]] [option2 ...] /option (Displays the current options) /option MyOption (Displays the value, if exists, of MyOption) /option MyOption=4 (defines and/or sets value for MyOption)
/perl (Evaluate the current statement as perl code)
/quit (Leaves shell. Same as exit)
/redo (Re-execute the previously executed statement)
/rhistory (Display result history)
/rollback (rollback changes to the database)
For this to be useful, turn the autocommit off. /option autocommit=0
/table_info (display all tables that exist in current database) /table_info | more (for paging)
/trace (set DBI trace level for current database)
Adjust the trace level for DBI 0 - 4. 0 off. 4 is lots of information. Useful for determining what is really happening in DBI. See DBI.
/type_info (display data types supported by current server)
The DBI::Shell has a long lineage.
It started life around 1994-1997 as the pmsql script written by Andreas König. Jochen Wiedmann picked it up and ran with it (adding much along the way) as dbimon, bundled with his DBD::mSQL driver modules. In 1998, around the time I wanted to bundle a shell with the DBI, Adam Marks was working on a dbish modeled after the Sybase sqsh utility.
Wanting to start from a cleaner slate than the feature-full but complex dbimon, I worked with Adam to create a fairly open modular and very configurable DBI::Shell module. Along the way Tom Lowery chipped in ideas and patches. As we go further along more useful code and concepts from Jochen's dbimon is bound to find it's way back in.
The DBI::Shell module is Copyright (c) 1998 Tim Bunce. England. All rights reserved. Portions are Copyright by Jochen Wiedmann, Adam Marks and Tom Lowery.
You may distribute under the terms of either the GNU General Public License or the Artistic License, as specified in the Perl README file.
1 POD Error
The following errors were encountered while parsing the POD:
Non-ASCII character seen before =encoding in 'König.'. Assuming CP1252
To install DBI, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm
cpanm DBI
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell install DBI
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.