# ext/compiler.py
# Copyright (C) 2005-2011 the SQLAlchemy authors and contributors <see AUTHORS file>
#
# This module is part of SQLAlchemy and is released under
# the MIT License: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
"""Provides an API for creation of custom ClauseElements and compilers.
Synopsis
========
Usage involves the creation of one or more :class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ClauseElement`
subclasses and one or more callables defining its compilation::
from sqlalchemy.ext.compiler import compiles
from sqlalchemy.sql.expression import ColumnClause
class MyColumn(ColumnClause):
pass
@compiles(MyColumn)
def compile_mycolumn(element, compiler, **kw):
return "[%s]" % element.name
Above, ``MyColumn`` extends :class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ColumnClause`,
the base expression element for named column objects. The ``compiles``
decorator registers itself with the ``MyColumn`` class so that it is invoked
when the object is compiled to a string::
from sqlalchemy import select
s = select([MyColumn('x'), MyColumn('y')])
print str(s)
Produces::
SELECT [x], [y]
Dialect-specific compilation rules
==================================
Compilers can also be made dialect-specific. The appropriate compiler will be
invoked for the dialect in use::
from sqlalchemy.schema import DDLElement
class AlterColumn(DDLElement):
def __init__(self, column, cmd):
self.column = column
self.cmd = cmd
@compiles(AlterColumn)
def visit_alter_column(element, compiler, **kw):
return "ALTER COLUMN %s ..." % element.column.name
@compiles(AlterColumn, 'postgresql')
def visit_alter_column(element, compiler, **kw):
return "ALTER TABLE %s ALTER COLUMN %s ..." % (element.table.name, element.column.name)
The second ``visit_alter_table`` will be invoked when any ``postgresql`` dialect is used.
Compiling sub-elements of a custom expression construct
=======================================================
The ``compiler`` argument is the :class:`~sqlalchemy.engine.base.Compiled`
object in use. This object can be inspected for any information about the
in-progress compilation, including ``compiler.dialect``,
``compiler.statement`` etc. The :class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.compiler.SQLCompiler`
and :class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.compiler.DDLCompiler` both include a ``process()``
method which can be used for compilation of embedded attributes::
from sqlalchemy.sql.expression import Executable, ClauseElement
class InsertFromSelect(Executable, ClauseElement):
def __init__(self, table, select):
self.table = table
self.select = select
@compiles(InsertFromSelect)
def visit_insert_from_select(element, compiler, **kw):
return "INSERT INTO %s (%s)" % (
compiler.process(element.table, asfrom=True),
compiler.process(element.select)
)
insert = InsertFromSelect(t1, select([t1]).where(t1.c.x>5))
print insert
Produces::
"INSERT INTO mytable (SELECT mytable.x, mytable.y, mytable.z FROM mytable WHERE mytable.x > :x_1)"
Cross Compiling between SQL and DDL compilers
---------------------------------------------
SQL and DDL constructs are each compiled using different base compilers - ``SQLCompiler``
and ``DDLCompiler``. A common need is to access the compilation rules of SQL expressions
from within a DDL expression. The ``DDLCompiler`` includes an accessor ``sql_compiler`` for this reason, such as below where we generate a CHECK
constraint that embeds a SQL expression::
@compiles(MyConstraint)
def compile_my_constraint(constraint, ddlcompiler, **kw):
return "CONSTRAINT %s CHECK (%s)" % (
constraint.name,
ddlcompiler.sql_compiler.process(constraint.expression)
)
Changing the default compilation of existing constructs
=======================================================
The compiler extension applies just as well to the existing constructs. When overriding
the compilation of a built in SQL construct, the @compiles decorator is invoked upon
the appropriate class (be sure to use the class, i.e. ``Insert`` or ``Select``, instead of the creation function such as ``insert()`` or ``select()``).
Within the new compilation function, to get at the "original" compilation routine,
use the appropriate visit_XXX method - this because compiler.process() will call upon the
overriding routine and cause an endless loop. Such as, to add "prefix" to all insert statements::
from sqlalchemy.sql.expression import Insert
@compiles(Insert)
def prefix_inserts(insert, compiler, **kw):
return compiler.visit_insert(insert.prefix_with("some prefix"), **kw)
The above compiler will prefix all INSERT statements with "some prefix" when compiled.
.. _type_compilation_extension:
Changing Compilation of Types
=============================
``compiler`` works for types, too, such as below where we implement the MS-SQL specific 'max' keyword for ``String``/``VARCHAR``::
@compiles(String, 'mssql')
@compiles(VARCHAR, 'mssql')
def compile_varchar(element, compiler, **kw):
if element.length == 'max':
return "VARCHAR('max')"
else:
return compiler.visit_VARCHAR(element, **kw)
foo = Table('foo', metadata,
Column('data', VARCHAR('max'))
)
Subclassing Guidelines
======================
A big part of using the compiler extension is subclassing SQLAlchemy expression constructs. To make this easier, the expression and schema packages feature a set of "bases" intended for common tasks. A synopsis is as follows:
* :class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ClauseElement` - This is the root
expression class. Any SQL expression can be derived from this base, and is
probably the best choice for longer constructs such as specialized INSERT
statements.
* :class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ColumnElement` - The root of all
"column-like" elements. Anything that you'd place in the "columns" clause of
a SELECT statement (as well as order by and group by) can derive from this -
the object will automatically have Python "comparison" behavior.
:class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ColumnElement` classes want to have a
``type`` member which is expression's return type. This can be established
at the instance level in the constructor, or at the class level if its
generally constant::
class timestamp(ColumnElement):
type = TIMESTAMP()
* :class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.expression.FunctionElement` - This is a hybrid of a
``ColumnElement`` and a "from clause" like object, and represents a SQL
function or stored procedure type of call. Since most databases support
statements along the line of "SELECT FROM <some function>"
``FunctionElement`` adds in the ability to be used in the FROM clause of a
``select()`` construct::
from sqlalchemy.sql.expression import FunctionElement
class coalesce(FunctionElement):
name = 'coalesce'
@compiles(coalesce)
def compile(element, compiler, **kw):
return "coalesce(%s)" % compiler.process(element.clauses)
@compiles(coalesce, 'oracle')
def compile(element, compiler, **kw):
if len(element.clauses) > 2:
raise TypeError("coalesce only supports two arguments on Oracle")
return "nvl(%s)" % compiler.process(element.clauses)
* :class:`~sqlalchemy.schema.DDLElement` - The root of all DDL expressions,
like CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, etc. Compilation of ``DDLElement``
subclasses is issued by a ``DDLCompiler`` instead of a ``SQLCompiler``.
``DDLElement`` also features ``Table`` and ``MetaData`` event hooks via the
``execute_at()`` method, allowing the construct to be invoked during CREATE
TABLE and DROP TABLE sequences.
* :class:`~sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Executable` - This is a mixin which should be
used with any expression class that represents a "standalone" SQL statement that
can be passed directly to an ``execute()`` method. It is already implicit
within ``DDLElement`` and ``FunctionElement``.
"""
def compiles(class_, *specs):
def decorate(fn):
existing = class_.__dict__.get('_compiler_dispatcher', None)
existing_dispatch = class_.__dict__.get('_compiler_dispatch')
if not existing:
existing = _dispatcher()
if existing_dispatch:
existing.specs['default'] = existing_dispatch
# TODO: why is the lambda needed ?
setattr(class_, '_compiler_dispatch', lambda *arg, **kw: existing(*arg, **kw))
setattr(class_, '_compiler_dispatcher', existing)
if specs:
for s in specs:
existing.specs[s] = fn
else:
existing.specs['default'] = fn
return fn
return decorate
class _dispatcher(object):
def __init__(self):
self.specs = {}
def __call__(self, element, compiler, **kw):
# TODO: yes, this could also switch off of DBAPI in use.
fn = self.specs.get(compiler.dialect.name, None)
if not fn:
fn = self.specs['default']
return fn(element, compiler, **kw)