# `sqlgen::Dynamic` `sqlgen::Dynamic` lets you define custom SQL types that aren't natively supported by sqlgen. It works by returning a `sqlgen::dynamic::types::Dynamic` with a database type name string that the transpiler passes directly to the target database. ## Usage ### Parser specialization for boost::uuids::uuid In this example, we demonstrate how you can use boost::uuids::uuid to automatically generate primary keys. This is not officially supported by the sqlgen library, but it is very easy to build something like this using `sqlgen::Dynamic`. The first step is to specialize the `sqlgen::parsing::Parser` for `boost::uuids::uuid` and implement `read`, `write`, and `to_type`: ```cpp #include #include #include #include #include namespace sqlgen::parsing { template <> struct Parser { using Type = boost::uuids::uuid; static Result read( const std::optional& _str) { if (!_str) { return error("boost::uuids::uuid cannot be NULL."); } return boost::lexical_cast(*_str); } static std::optional write( const boost::uuids::uuid& _u) { return boost::uuids::to_string(_u); } static dynamic::Type to_type() noexcept { return sqlgen::dynamic::types::Dynamic{"UUID"}; } }; } // namespace sqlgen::parsing ``` The second step is to specialize `sqlgen::transpilation::ToValue` for `boost::uuids::uuid` and implement `operator()`: ```cpp #include #include #include #include #include namespace sqlgen::transpilation { template <> struct ToValue { dynamic::Value operator()(const boost::uuids::uuid& _u) const { return dynamic::Value{dynamic::String{.val = boost::uuids::to_string(_u)}}; } }; } // namespace sqlgen::transpilation ``` This second step is necessary to ensure you can use your type in `where(...)` statements and other conditions. The return type must always be `sqlgen::dynamic::Value`. `dynamic::Value` can contain `dynamic::String` (as in this example), `dynamic::Float` or `dynamic::Integer`. ### Using `boost::uuids::uuid` in structs You can then automatically generate random UUIDs: ```cpp #include #include struct Person { sqlgen::PrimaryKey id = boost::uuids::uuid(boost::uuids::random_generator()()); std::string first_name; std::string last_name; int age; }; ``` This generates SQL schema with the custom UUID type name: ```sql CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS "Person"( "id" UUID NOT NULL, "first_name" TEXT NOT NULL, "last_name" TEXT NOT NULL, "age" INTEGER NOT NULL, PRIMARY KEY("id") ); ``` ### Working with UUIDs Note that you do not have to assign the UUIDs - this is done automatically: ```cpp // Create and insert records std::vector people = { Person{.first_name = "Homer", .last_name = "Simpson", .age = 45}, Person{.first_name = "Marge", .last_name = "Simpson", .age = 42}, Person{.first_name = "Bart", .last_name = "Simpson", .age = 10}, Person{.first_name = "Lisa", .last_name = "Simpson", .age = 8}, Person{.first_name = "Maggie", .last_name = "Simpson", .age = 0} }; // Create table and write auto res = conn.and_then(sqlgen::create_table | sqlgen::if_not_exists) .and_then(sqlgen::insert(std::ref(people))); // Read back ordered by age using namespace sqlgen::literals; const auto people2 = res.and_then(sqlgen::read> | sqlgen::order_by("age"_c.desc())) .value(); // Filtering by UUID const auto target = boost::lexical_cast( "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"); const auto query = sqlgen::read> | sqlgen::where("id"_c == target); ``` ## Per-database type name for UUID You may want to map `boost::uuids::uuid` to different database type names per dialect. Implement `to_type()` accordingly. The tests demonstrate these mappings: - SQLite: ```cpp static dynamic::Type to_type() noexcept { return sqlgen::dynamic::types::Dynamic{"TEXT"}; } ``` - PostgreSQL: ```cpp static dynamic::Type to_type() noexcept { return sqlgen::dynamic::types::Dynamic{"UUID"}; } ``` - MySQL: ```cpp static dynamic::Type to_type() noexcept { return sqlgen::dynamic::types::Dynamic{"VARCHAR(36)"}; } ``` ## Parser specialization requirements Specializing `sqlgen::parsing::Parser` requires three methods. These guidelines help ensure correctness and portability: 1) read ```cpp static Result read(const std::optional& dbValue); ``` - Responsibility: Convert from DB string (or null) to `T`. - Null handling: If your field cannot be null, return `error("... cannot be NULL.")` when `dbValue` is `std::nullopt`. - Validation: Parse and validate strictly. Return a descriptive error for malformed input. - Normalization: If your string form can vary (case, hyphens), normalize consistently so `write(read(x))` is stable. 2) write ```cpp static std::optional write(const T& value); ``` - Responsibility: Convert `T` to the string the DB expects. - Nulls: Return `std::nullopt` only if you intend to write SQL NULL. - Round-trip: Aim for `read(write(v)) == v` (modulo normalization). 3) to_type ```cpp static dynamic::Type to_type() noexcept; ``` - Responsibility: Provide the DB type name via `sqlgen::dynamic::types::Dynamic{"TYPE_NAME"}`. - Dialect mapping: Choose a valid name for your target DB (e.g., `UUID` on PostgreSQL, `VARCHAR(36)` on MySQL, `TEXT` on SQLite for UUIDs). - Column properties: Constraints like primary key, unique, and nullability are typically controlled by field wrappers (`sqlgen::PrimaryKey`, `sqlgen::Unique`, `std::optional`). If you are building fully dynamic schemas, you may also set properties on `Dynamic`. Additional best practices: - Error messages: Keep them clear and specific to aid debugging. - Performance: Prefer lightweight conversions in `read`/`write`; avoid expensive allocations inside hot loops. - Testing: Add round-trip tests (insert/read/compare) like the provided UUID tests across dialects. - Consistency: Ensure the chosen DB type name matches any indexes, constraints, and length limits you rely on. ## Notes - `sqlgen::dynamic::types::Dynamic` has: - `type_name`: SQL type name string - `properties`: column properties (nullable, unique, primary, auto_incr, foreign_key_reference) - Works with all operations: `create_table`, `insert`, `select`, `update`, `delete` - The type name is passed directly to the database; ensure it is valid for the target dialect - Keep specializations in the `sqlgen::parsing` namespace