cordova-sqlite-evplus-legacy-free

Native interface to SQLite for PhoneGap/Cordova - premium enterprise version with legacy support for memory improvements and other enhancements


Keywords
sqlite, ecosystem:cordova, cordova-android, cordova-ios, cordova-windows
License
GPL-2.0+
Install
npm install cordova-sqlite-evplus-legacy-free@0.8.3

Documentation

Cordova/PhoneGap sqlite storage - premium enterprise version with legacy support for internal memory improvements and other enhancements

Native interface to sqlite in a Cordova/PhoneGap plugin for Android, iOS, and Windows 8.1(+)/Windows Phone 8.1(+) with API similar to HTML5/Web SQL API.

This version is available under GPL v3 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt) or premium commercial license.

TBD: no Circle CI or Travis CI working in this version branch.

NOTE: Commercial licenses for Cordova-sqlite-enterprise-free purchased before July 2016 are valid for this version. Commercial licenses for Cordova-sqlite-evcore versions are not valid for this version.

This version is in legacy maintenance status. Only security and extremely critical bug fixes will be considered.

BREAKING CHANGE: Database location parameter is now mandatory

The location or iosDatabaseLocation must be specified in the openDatabase and deleteDatabase calls, as documented below.

IMPORTANT: iCloud backup of SQLite database is NOT allowed

As documented in the "A User’s iCloud Storage Is Limited" section of iCloudFundamentals in Mac Developer Library iCloud Design Guide (near the beginning):

  • DO store the following in iCloud:
    • [other items omitted]
    • Change log files for a SQLite database (a SQLite database’s store file must never be stored in iCloud)
  • DO NOT store the following in iCloud:
    • [items omitted]
- iCloudFundamentals in Mac Developer Library iCloud Design Guide

How to disable iCloud backup

Use the location or iosDatabaseLocation option in sqlitePlugin.openDatabase() to store the database in a subdirectory that is NOT backed up to iCloud, as described in the section below.

NOTE: Changing BackupWebStorage in config.xml has no effect on a database created by this plugin. BackupWebStorage applies only to local storage and/or Web SQL storage created in the WebView (not using this plugin). For reference: phonegap/build#338 (comment)

Status

  • The iOS database location is now mandatory, as documented below.
  • Patches patches will NOT be accepted on this project due to potential licensing issues.
  • omitted from this version branch: WP(7/8)
  • Amazon Fire-OS is dropped due to lack of support by Cordova. Android version should be used to deploy to Fire-OS 5.0(+) devices ref: cordova/cordova-discuss#32 (comment)
  • Windows "Universal" for Windows 8.0/8.1(+) and Windows Phone 8.1(+) version is in an alpha state:
    • Issue with UNICODE \u0000 character (same as \0)
    • No background processing (for future consideration)
    • You may encounter issues with Cordova CLI due to CB-8866. Old workaround: you can install using litehelpers / cordova-windows-nufix and plugman as described below.
    • In addition, problems with the Windows "Universal" version have been reported in case of a Cordova project using a Visual Studio template/extension instead of Cordova/PhoneGap CLI or plugman
    • Not tested with a Windows 10 (or Windows Phone 10) target; Windows 10 build is not expected to work with Windows Phone
  • Status for the other target platforms:
  • Android is supported back to SDK 10 (a.k.a. Gingerbread, Android 2.3.3); support for older versions is available upon request.
  • API to open the database may be changed somewhat to be more streamlined. Transaction and single-statement query API will NOT be changed.

Announcements

  • More explicit openDatabase and deleteDatabase iosDatabaseLocation option
  • Pre-populated database support for Android, iOS, and Windows "Universal" (broken), usage described below
  • REGEXP is now supported for Android and iOS platforms.
  • This version has the following improvement(s):
    • iOS version can now handle all UNICODE characters, using URI encoding as a workaround for Cordova bug CB-9435.
    • Multi-part transactions API (described below)
    • Error result with proper Web SQL code member and sqliteCode as reported by the SQLite C library (Android/iOS)
    • flat JSON interface between Javascript and native parts
    • optional: transaction sql chunking, which can be enabled by changing the MAX_SQL_CHUNK value in SQLitePlugin.js
  • A version with support for web workers is available at: litehelpers / Cordova-sqlite-evplus-legacy-workers-free
  • All iOS operations are now using background processing (reported to resolve intermittent problems with cordova-ios@4.0.1)
  • Published brodybits / Cordova-quick-start-checklist and brodybits / Cordova-troubleshooting-guide
  • PhoneGap Build is now supported through the npm package: http://phonegap.com/blog/2015/05/26/npm-plugins-available/
  • MetaMemoryT / websql-promise now provides a Promises-based interface to both Web SQL and this plugin
  • iOS version is now fixed to override the correct pluginInitialize method and should work with recent versions of iOS
  • New openDatabase and deleteDatabase location option to select database location (iOS only) and disable iCloud backup
  • Fixes to work with PouchDB by @nolanlawson

Highlights

  • Drop-in replacement for HTML5/Web SQL API: the only change should be to replace the static window.openDatabase() factory call with window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase(), with parameters as documented below. (NOTE: Some known deviations are described below).
  • Failure-safe nested transactions with batch processing optimizations (according to HTML5/Web SQL API)
  • FTS3, FTS4, and R-Tree support is tested working OK in this version
  • As described in this posting:
    • Keeps sqlite database in a user data location that is known; can be reconfigured (iOS version); may be synchronized to iCloud (iOS version).
    • No 5MB maximum, more information at: http://www.sqlite.org/limits.html
  • Pre-populated openDatabase option (usage described below)

Some apps using this plugin

TBD your app here

Some known deviations from the Web SQL database standard

  • The window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase static factory call takes a different set of parameters than the standard Web SQL window.openDatabase static factory call. In case you have to use existing Web SQL code with no modifications please see the Web SQL replacement tip below.
  • This plugin does not support the database creation callback or standard database versions. Please read the Database schema versions section below for tips on how to support database schema versioning.
  • This plugin does not support the synchronous Web SQL interfaces.
  • Error reporting is not 100% compliant, with some issues described below.
  • In case of a transaction with an sql statement error for which there is no error handler, the error handler does not return false, or the error handler throws an exception, the plugin will fire more sql statement callbacks before the transaction is aborted with ROLLBACK.
  • This plugin supports some non-standard features as described below.

Known issues

  • iOS version does not support certain rapidly repeated open-and-close or open-and-delete test scenarios due to how the implementation handles background processing
  • As described below, auto-vacuum is NOT enabled by default.
  • A stability issue was reported on the iOS version when in use together with SockJS client such as pusher-js at the same time (see litehelpers/Cordova-sqlite-storage#196). The workaround is to call sqlite functions and SockJS client functions in separate ticks (using setTimeout with 0 timeout).
  • If a sql statement fails for which there is no error handler or the error handler does not return false to signal transaction recovery, the plugin fires the remaining sql callbacks before aborting the transaction.
  • In case of an error, the error code member is bogus on Windows (fixed for Android in this version).
  • Possible crash on Android when using Unicode emoji characters due to Android bug 81341, which should be fixed in Android 6.x
  • In-memory database db=window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: ":memory:"}) is currently not supported.
  • Pre-populated database is known to be BROKEN on Windows in this version.
  • Close/delete database bugs described below.
  • When a database is opened and deleted without closing, the iOS version is known to leak resources.
  • It is NOT possible to open multiple databases with the same name but in different locations (iOS version).
  • Problems reported with PhoneGap Build in the past:

Other limitations

  • The db version, display name, and size parameter values are not supported and will be ignored.
  • Absolute and relative subdirectory path(s) are not tested or supported.
  • This plugin will not work before the callback for the 'deviceready' event has been fired, as described in Usage. (This is consistent with the other Cordova plugins.)
  • This version will not work within a web worker (not properly supported by the Cordova framework). Version with support for web workers, along with the memory and iOS Unicode character fixes from this project at: litehelpers / Cordova-sqlite-evplus-legacy-workers-free
  • REGEXP is missing for Windows (for future consideration) and has different regex implementations for Android and iOS.
  • In-memory database db=window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: ":memory:"}) is currently not supported.
  • The Android version cannot work with more than 100 open db files (due to the threading model used).
  • Blob type is currently not supported and known to be broken on multiple platforms.
  • UNICODE \u0000 (same as \0) character not working in Android or Windows/Windows Phone (8.1/XX)
  • Case-insensitive matching and other string manipulations on Unicode characters, which is provided by optional ICU integration in the sqlite source and working with recent versions of Android, is not supported for any target platforms.
  • iOS version uses a thread pool but with only one thread working at a time due to "synchronized" database access
  • Large query result can be slow, also due to JSON implementation
  • ATTACH another database file is not supported. Version with support for ATTACH, along with the memory and iOS Unicode character fixes from this project (Android error fix currently missing) at: litehelpers / Cordova-sqlite-evplus-legacy-ext-free
  • User-defined savepoints are not supported and not expected to be compatible with the transaction locking mechanism used by this plugin. In addition, the use of BEGIN/COMMIT/ROLLBACK statements is not supported.
  • Problems have been reported when using this plugin with Crosswalk (for Android). It may help to install Crosswalk as a plugin instead of using Crosswalk to create the project.
  • Does not work with axemclion / react-native-cordova-plugin since the window.sqlitePlugin object is not proprly exported (ES5 feature). It is recommended to use andpor / react-native-sqlite-storage for SQLite database access with React Native Android/iOS instead.

Further testing needed

  • Multi-page apps
  • Use within InAppBrowser
  • Use within an iframe (see litehelpers/Cordova-sqlite-storage#368 (comment))
  • Actual behavior when using SAVEPOINT(s)
  • R-Tree is not tested for all older releases of Android in case Android-sqlite-connector is disabled (using the androidDatabaseImplementation option in window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase)
  • UNICODE characters not fully tested
  • Use with TRIGGER(s), JOIN and ORDER BY RANDOM
  • TODO add some more REGEXP tests
  • UPDATE/DELETE with LIMIT or ORDER BY (newer Android/iOS versions)
  • Integration with JXCore for Cordova (must be built without sqlite(3) built-in)
  • Delete an open database inside a statement or transaction callback.

Some tips and tricks

  • If you run into problems and your code follows the asynchronous HTML5/Web SQL transaction API, you can try opening a test database using window.openDatabase and see if you get the same problems.
  • In case your database schema may change, it is recommended to keep a table with one row and one column to keep track of your own schema version number. It is possible to add it later. The recommended schema update procedure is described below.

Common pitfall(s)

  • It is NOT allowed to execute sql statements on a transaction following the HTML5/Web SQL API, as described below.
  • Not in this version branch: It is possible to make a Windows Phone 8.1 project using either the windows platform or the wp8 platform. The windows platform is highly recommended over wp8 whenever possible. Also, some plugins only support windows and some plugins support only wp8.
  • The plugin class name starts with "SQL" in capital letters, but in Javascript the sqlitePlugin object name starts with "sql" in small letters.
  • Attempting to open a database before receiving the 'deviceready' event callback.
  • Inserting STRING into ID field
  • Auto-vacuum is NOT enabled by default. It is recommended to periodically VACUUM the database.

Weird pitfall(s)

Angular/ngCordova/Ionic-related pitfalls

  • Angular/ngCordova/Ionic controller/factory/service callbacks may be triggered before the 'deviceready' event is fired
  • As discussed in litehelpers/Cordova-sqlite-storage#355, it may be necessary to install ionic-plugin-keyboard

Major TODOs

  • Integrate with IndexedDBShim and some other libraries such as Sequelize, Squel.js, WebSqlSync, Persistence.js, Knex, etc.

Alternatives

Other versions

Other SQLite adapter projects

Alternative solutions

Usage

General

The idea is to emulate the HTML5/Web SQL API as closely as possible. The only major change is to use window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase() (or sqlitePlugin.openDatabase()) with parameters as documented below instead of window.openDatabase(). If you see any other major change please report it, it is probably a bug.

NOTE: If a sqlite statement in a transaction fails with an error, the error handler must return false in order to recover the transaction. This is correct according to the HTML5/Web SQL API standard. This is different from the WebKit implementation of Web SQL in Android and iOS which recovers the transaction if a sql error hander returns a non-true value.

Opening a database

To open a database access handle object (in the new default location):

var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: 'my.db', location: 'default'}, successcb, errorcb);

WARNING: The new "default" location value is NOT the same as the old default location and would break an upgrade for an app that was using the old default value (0) on iOS.

To specify a different location (affects iOS only):

var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: 'my.db', iosDatabaseLocation: 'Library'}, successcb, errorcb);

where the iosDatabaseLocation option may be set to one of the following choices:

  • default: Library/LocalDatabase subdirectory - NOT visible to iTunes and NOT backed up by iCloud
  • Library: Library subdirectory - backed up by iCloud, NOT visible to iTunes
  • Documents: Documents subdirectory - visible to iTunes and backed up by iCloud

WARNING: Again, the new "default" iosDatabaseLocation value is NOT the same as the old default location and would break an upgrade for an app using the old default value (0) on iOS.

ALTERNATIVE (deprecated):

  • var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: "my.db", location: 1}, successcb, errorcb);

with the location option set to one the following choices (affects iOS only):

  • 0 (default): Documents - visible to iTunes and backed up by iCloud
  • 1: Library - backed up by iCloud, NOT visible to iTunes
  • 2: Library/LocalDatabase - NOT visible to iTunes and NOT backed up by iCloud (same as using "default")

No longer supported (see tip below to overwrite window.openDatabase): var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase("myDatabase.db", "1.0", "Demo", -1);

IMPORTANT: Please wait for the 'deviceready' event, as in the following example:

// Wait for Cordova to load
document.addEventListener('deviceready', onDeviceReady, false);

// Cordova is ready
function onDeviceReady() {
  var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: 'my.db', location: 'default'});
  // ...
}

The successcb and errorcb callback parameters are optional but can be extremely helpful in case anything goes wrong. For example:

window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: 'my.db', location: 'default'}, function(db) {
  db.transaction(function(tx) {
    // ...
  }, function(err) {
    console.log('Open database ERROR: ' + JSON.stringify(err));
  });
});

If any sql statements or transactions are attempted on a database object before the openDatabase result is known, they will be queued and will be aborted in case the database cannot be opened.

OTHER NOTES:

  • The database file name should include the extension, if desired.
  • It is possible to open multiple database access handle objects for the same database.
  • The database handle access object can be closed as described below.

TIP:

To overwrite window.openDatabase:

window.openDatabase = function(dbname, ignored1, ignored2, ignored3) {
  return window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: dbname, location: 'default'});
};

Pre-populated database(s)

Put the database file in the www directory and open the database like (both database location and createFromLocation items are required):

var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: "my.db", location: 'default', createFromLocation: 1});

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • Put the pre-populated database file in the www subdirectory. (This should work well the Cordova CLI.)
  • The pre-populated database file name must match exactly the file name given in openDatabase. This plugin does not use an automatic extension.
  • The pre-populated database file is ignored if the database file with the same name already exists in your database file location.

TIP: If you don't see the data from the pre-populated database file, completely remove your app and try it again!

Alternative: You can also use an-rahulpandey / cordova-plugin-dbcopy to install a pre-populated database

Samples and tutorials:

SQL transactions

The following types of SQL transactions are supported by this version:

  • Single-statement transactions
  • Standard asynchronous transactions
  • Multi-part transactions

Single-statement transactions

Sample (with both success and error callbacks):

db.executeSql("SELECT LENGTH('tenletters') AS stringlength", [], function (res) {
  console.log('got stringlength: ' + res.rows.item(0).stringlength);
}, function(error) {
  console.log('SELECT error: ' + error.message);
});

Standard asynchronous transactions

Standard asynchronous transactions follow the HTML5/Web SQL API which is very well documented and uses BEGIN and COMMIT or ROLLBACK to keep the transactions failure-safe. Here is a very simple example from the test suite (with success and error callbacks):

db.transaction(function(tx) {
  tx.executeSql("SELECT UPPER('Some US-ASCII text') AS uppertext", [], function(tx, res) {
    console.log("res.rows.item(0).uppertext: " + res.rows.item(0).uppertext);
  }, function(tx, error) {
    console.log('SELECT error: ' + error.message);
  });
}, function(error) {
  console.log('transaction error: ' + error.message);
}, function() {
  console.log('transaction ok');
});

In case of a read-only transaction, it is possible to use readTransaction which will not use BEGIN, COMMIT, or ROLLBACK:

db.readTransaction(function(tx) {
  tx.executeSql("SELECT UPPER('Some US-ASCII text') AS uppertext", [], function(tx, res) {
    console.log("res.rows.item(0).uppertext: " + res.rows.item(0).uppertext);
  }, function(tx, error) {
    console.log('SELECT error: ' + error.message);
  });
}, function(error) {
  console.log('transaction error: ' + error.message);
}, function() {
  console.log('transaction ok');
});

NOTICE: The tx.executeSql success and error callbacks should take two parameters (first parameter for the transaction object). This is different from the single-statement success and error callbacks described above.

WARNING: It is NOT allowed to execute sql statements on a transaction after it has finished. Here is an example from my Populating Cordova SQLite storage with the JQuery API post:

  // BROKEN SAMPLE:
  db.executeSql("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS tt");
  db.executeSql("CREATE TABLE tt (data)");

  db.transaction(function(tx) {
    $.ajax({
      url: 'https://api.github.com/users/litehelpers/repos',
      dataType: 'json',
      success: function(res) {
        console.log('Got AJAX response: ' + JSON.stringify(res));
        $.each(res, function(i, item) {
          console.log('REPO NAME: ' + item.name);
          tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO tt values (?)", JSON.stringify(item.name));
        });
      }
    });
  }, function(e) {
    console.log('Transaction error: ' + e.message);
  }, function() {
    // Check results:
    db.executeSql('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM tt', [], function(res) {
      console.log('Check SELECT result: ' + JSON.stringify(res.rows.item(0)));
    });
  });

You can find more details and a step-by-step description how to do this right in the Populating Cordova SQLite storage with the JQuery API post:

Multi-part transactions

Sample (with success and error callbacks):

var tx = db.beginTransaction();
tx.executeSql("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS mytable");
tx.executeSql("CREATE TABLE mytable (myfield)");

tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO mytable values(?)", ['test value']);
tx.executeSql("SELECT * from mytable", [], function(tx, res) {
  console.log("Got value: " + res.rows.item(0).myfield);
}, function(tx, e) {
  console.log("Ignore unexpected error callback with message: " + e.message);
  return false;
});

tx.end(function() {
  console.log('Optional success callback fired');
}, function(e) {
  console.log("Optional error callback fired with message: " + e.message);
});

Sample with abort:

var tx = db.beginTransaction();
tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO mytable values(?)", ['wrong data']);
tx.abort(function() {
  console.log('Optional callback');
});

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • In case a tx.executeSql call results in an error and it does not have an error callback or the error callback does NOT return false, the transaction will be aborted immediately with a ROLLBACK upon the tx.end call.
  • BUG: If a tx.executeSql call results in an error for which there is no error callback, the error callback does NOT return false, or the error callback throws an exception, the transaction is silently aborted and no tx.end callbacks will be fired.
  • When a multi-part transaction is started by the db.beginTransaction call, all other transactions are blocked until the multi-part transaction is either completed successfully or aborted (with a ROLLBACK).

Background processing

The threading model depends on which version is used:

  • For Android, one background thread per db;
  • for iOS, background processing using a very limited thread pool (only one thread working at a time);
  • for Windows "Universal" (8.1), no background processing (for future consideration).

Sample with PRAGMA feature

First we create a table and add a single entry, then query the count to check if the item was inserted as expected. Note that a new transaction is created in the middle of the first callback.

// Wait for Cordova to load
document.addEventListener('deviceready', onDeviceReady, false);

// Cordova is ready
function onDeviceReady() {
  var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: "my.db"});

  db.transaction(function(tx) {
    tx.executeSql('DROP TABLE IF EXISTS test_table');
    tx.executeSql('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS test_table (id integer primary key, data text, data_num integer)');

    // demonstrate PRAGMA:
    db.executeSql("pragma table_info (test_table);", [], function(res) {
      console.log("PRAGMA res: " + JSON.stringify(res));
    });

    tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO test_table (data, data_num) VALUES (?,?)", ["test", 100], function(tx, res) {
      console.log("insertId: " + res.insertId + " -- probably 1");
      console.log("rowsAffected: " + res.rowsAffected + " -- should be 1");

      db.transaction(function(tx) {
        tx.executeSql("select count(id) as cnt from test_table;", [], function(tx, res) {
          console.log("res.rows.length: " + res.rows.length + " -- should be 1");
          console.log("res.rows.item(0).cnt: " + res.rows.item(0).cnt + " -- should be 1");
        });
      });

    }, function(e) {
      console.log("ERROR: " + e.message);
    });
  });
}

NOTE: PRAGMA statements must be executed in executeSql() on the database object (i.e. db.executeSql()) and NOT within a transaction.

Sample with transaction-level nesting

In this case, the same transaction in the first executeSql() callback is being reused to run executeSql() again.

// Wait for Cordova to load
document.addEventListener('deviceready', onDeviceReady, false);

// Cordova is ready
function onDeviceReady() {
  var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase("Database", "1.0", "Demo", -1);

  db.transaction(function(tx) {
    tx.executeSql('DROP TABLE IF EXISTS test_table');
    tx.executeSql('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS test_table (id integer primary key, data text, data_num integer)');

    tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO test_table (data, data_num) VALUES (?,?)", ["test", 100], function(tx, res) {
      console.log("insertId: " + res.insertId + " -- probably 1");
      console.log("rowsAffected: " + res.rowsAffected + " -- should be 1");

      tx.executeSql("select count(id) as cnt from test_table;", [], function(tx, res) {
        console.log("res.rows.length: " + res.rows.length + " -- should be 1");
        console.log("res.rows.item(0).cnt: " + res.rows.item(0).cnt + " -- should be 1");
      });

    }, function(e) {
      console.log("ERROR: " + e.message);
    });
  });
}

This case will also works with Safari (WebKit), assuming you replace window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase with window.openDatabase.

Close a database object

db.close(successcb, errorcb);

It is OK to close the database within a transaction callback but NOT within a statement callback. The following example is OK:

db.transaction(function(tx) {
  tx.executeSql("SELECT LENGTH('tenletters') AS stringlength", [], function(tx, res) {
    console.log('got stringlength: ' + res.rows.item(0).stringlength);
  });
}, function(error) {
  // OK to close here:
  console.log('transaction error: ' + error.message);
  db.close();
}, function() {
  // OK to close here:
  console.log('transaction ok');
  db.close(function() {
    console.log('database is closed ok');
  });
});

The following example is NOT OK:

// BROKEN:
db.transaction(function(tx) {
  tx.executeSql("SELECT LENGTH('tenletters') AS stringlength", [], function(tx, res) {
    console.log('got stringlength: ' + res.rows.item(0).stringlength);
    // BROKEN - this will trigger the error callback:
    db.close(function() {
      console.log('database is closed ok');
    }, function(error) {
      console.log('ERROR closing database');
    });
  });
});

BUG 1: It is currently NOT possible to close a database in a db.executeSql callback. For example:

// BROKEN DUE TO BUG:
db.executeSql("SELECT LENGTH('tenletters') AS stringlength", [], function (res) {
  var stringlength = res.rows.item(0).stringlength;
  console.log('got stringlength: ' + res.rows.item(0).stringlength);

  // BROKEN - this will trigger the error callback DUE TO BUG:
  db.close(function() {
    console.log('database is closed ok');
  }, function(error) {
    console.log('ERROR closing database');
  });
});

BUG 2: If multiple database access objects are opened for the same database and one database access object is closed, the database is no longer available for the other database access objects. Possible workarounds:

  • It is still possible to open one or more new database access objects on a database that has been closed.
  • It should be OK not to explicitly close a database handle since database transactions are ACID compliant and the app's memory resources are cleaned up by the system upon termination.

Delete a database

window.sqlitePlugin.deleteDatabase({name: "my.db", location: 1}, successcb, errorcb);

location as described above for openDatabase (iOS only)

Schema versions

The transactional nature of the API makes it relatively straightforward to manage a database schema that may be upgraded over time (adding new columns or new tables, for example). Here is the recommended procedure to follow upon app startup:

  • Check your database schema version number (you can use db.executeSql since it should be a very simple query)
  • If your database needs to be upgraded, do the following within a single transaction to be failure-safe:

IMPORTANT: Since we cannot be certain when the users will actually update their apps, old schema versions will have to be supported for a very long time.

Use with Ionic/ngCordova/Angular

It is recommended to follow the tutorial at: https://blog.nraboy.com/2014/11/use-sqlite-instead-local-storage-ionic-framework/

Documentation at: http://ngcordova.com/docs/plugins/sqlite/

Installing

Windows "Universal" target platform

IMPORTANT: There are issues supporing certain Windows target platforms due to CB-8866:

  • When using Visual Studio, the default target ("Mixed Platforms") will not work
  • Problems have been with the Windows "Universal" version case of a Cordova project using a Visual Studio template/extension instead of Cordova/PhoneGap CLI or plugman

Old workaround: As an alternative, which will support the ("Mixed Platforms") target, you can use plugman instead with litehelpers / cordova-windows-nufix, as described here.

Old workaround - Using plugman to support "Mixed Platforms"

  • make sure you have the latest version of plugman installed: npm install -g plugman
  • Download the cordova-windows-nufix 3.9.0-nufixpre-01 zipball (or you can clone litehelpers / cordova-windows-nufix instead)
  • Create your Windows "Universal" (8.1) project using litehelpers / cordova-windows-nufix:
    • path.to.cordova-windows-nufix/bin/create.bat your_app_path your.app.id YourAppName
  • cd your_app_path and install plugin using plugman:
    • plugman install --platform windows --project . --plugin https://github.com/litehelpers/Cordova-sqlite-evplus-legacy-free
  • Put your sql program in your project www (don't forget to reference it from www\index.html and wait for deviceready event)

Then your project in CordovaApp.sln should work with "Mixed Platforms" on both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1.

Easy install with Cordova CLI tool

npm install -g cordova # if you don't have cordova
cordova create MyProjectFolder com.my.project MyProject && cd MyProjectFolder # if you are just starting
cordova plugin add https://github.com/litehelpers/Cordova-sqlite-evplus-legacy-free

You can find more details at this writeup.

WARNING: for Windows target platform please read the section below.

IMPORTANT: sometimes you have to update the version for a platform before you can build, like: cordova prepare ios

NOTE: If you cannot build for a platform after cordova prepare, you may have to remove the platform and add it again, such as:

cordova platform rm ios
cordova platform add ios

Easy install with plugman tool

plugman install --platform MYPLATFORM --project path.to.my.project.folder --plugin https://github.com/litehelpers/Cordova-sqlite-evplus-legacy-free

where MYPLATFORM is android, ios, or windows.

A posting how to get started developing on Windows host without the Cordova CLI tool (for Android target only) is available here.

Source tree

  • SQLitePlugin.coffee.md: platform-independent (Literate coffee-script, can be read by recent coffee-script compiler)
  • www: SQLitePlugin.js platform-independent Javascript as generated from SQLitePlugin.coffee.md (and checked in!)
  • src: platform-specific source code:
    • external - placeholder for external dependencies - not needed in this version branch
    • common - common dependencies: sqlite3.[hc] (needed to build iOS and Windows versions)
    • android - Java plugin code for Android
    • ios - Objective-C plugin code for iOS;
    • windows - Javascript proxy code and SQLite3-WinRT project for Windows "Universal" (8.1);
  • spec: test suite using Jasmine (2.2.0), ported from QUnit test-www test suite, working on all platforms
  • tests: very simple Jasmine test suite that is run on Circle CI (Android version) and Travis CI (iOS version)
  • Lawnchair-adapter: Lawnchair adaptor, based on the version from the Lawnchair repository, with the basic Lawnchair test suite in test-www subdirectory

Manual installation - Android version

These installation instructions are based on the Android example project from Cordova/PhoneGap 2.7.0, using the lib/android/example subdirectory from the PhoneGap 2.7 zipball.

  • Install SQLitePlugin.js from www into assets/www
  • Install SQLitePlugin.java from src/android/io/liteglue into src/io/liteglue subdirectory
  • Install the libs subtree from common with sqlite-connector.jar and sqlite-native-driver.jar into your Android project
  • Add the plugin element <plugin name="SQLitePlugin" value="io.liteglue.SQLitePlugin"/> to res/xml/config.xml

Sample change to res/xml/config.xml for Cordova/PhoneGap 2.x:

--- config.xml.orig	2015-04-14 14:03:05.000000000 +0200
+++ res/xml/config.xml	2015-04-14 14:08:08.000000000 +0200
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     <preference name="useBrowserHistory" value="true" />
     <preference name="exit-on-suspend" value="false" />
 <plugins>
+    <plugin name="SQLitePlugin" value="io.liteglue.SQLitePlugin"/>
     <plugin name="App" value="org.apache.cordova.App"/>
     <plugin name="Geolocation" value="org.apache.cordova.GeoBroker"/>
     <plugin name="Device" value="org.apache.cordova.Device"/>

Before building for the first time, you have to update the project with the desired version of the Android SDK with a command like:

android update project --path $(pwd) --target android-19

(assuming Android SDK 19, use the correct desired Android SDK number here)

NOTE: using this plugin on Cordova pre-3.0 requires the following changes to SQLitePlugin.java:

diff -u Cordova-sqlite-storage/src/android/io/liteglue/SQLitePlugin.java src/io/liteglue/SQLitePlugin.java
--- Cordova-sqlite-storage/src/android/io/liteglue/SQLitePlugin.java	2015-04-14 14:05:01.000000000 +0200
+++ src/io/liteglue/SQLitePlugin.java	2015-04-14 14:10:44.000000000 +0200
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@
 import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
-import org.apache.cordova.CallbackContext;
-import org.apache.cordova.CordovaPlugin;
+import org.apache.cordova.api.CallbackContext;
+import org.apache.cordova.api.CordovaPlugin;
 
 import org.json.JSONArray;
 import org.json.JSONException;

Manual installation - iOS version

SQLite library

In the Project "Build Phases" tab, select the first "Link Binary with Libraries" dropdown menu and add the library libsqlite3.dylib or libsqlite3.0.dylib.

NOTE: In the "Build Phases" there can be multiple "Link Binary with Libraries" dropdown menus. Please select the first one otherwise it will not work.

SQLite Plugin

  • Copy SQLitePlugin.[hm] from src/ios into your project Plugins folder and add them in XCode (I always just have "Create references" as the option selected).
  • Copy SQLitePlugin.js from www into your project www folder
  • Enable the SQLitePlugin in config.xml

Sample change to config.xml for Cordova/PhoneGap 2.x:

--- config.xml.old	2013-05-17 13:18:39.000000000 +0200
+++ config.xml	2013-05-17 13:18:49.000000000 +0200
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
     <content src="index.html" />
 
     <plugins>
+        <plugin name="SQLitePlugin" value="SQLitePlugin" />
         <plugin name="Device" value="CDVDevice" />
         <plugin name="Logger" value="CDVLogger" />
         <plugin name="Compass" value="CDVLocation" />

Manual installation - Windows "Universal" (8.1) version

Described above.

Quick installation test

Assuming your app has a recent template as used by the Cordova create script, add the following code to the onDeviceReady function, after app.receivedEvent('deviceready');:

  window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({ name: 'hello-world.db' }, function (db) {
    db.executeSql("select length('tenletters') as stringlength", [], function (res) {
      var stringlength = res.rows.item(0).stringlength;
      console.log('got stringlength: ' + stringlength);
      document.getElementById('deviceready').querySelector('.received').innerHTML = 'stringlength: ' + stringlength;
   });
  });

Old installation test

Make a change like this to index.html (or use the sample code) verify proper installation:

--- index.html.old	2012-08-04 14:40:07.000000000 +0200
+++ assets/www/index.html	2012-08-04 14:36:05.000000000 +0200
@@ -24,7 +24,35 @@
     <title>PhoneGap</title>
       <link rel="stylesheet" href="master.css" type="text/css" media="screen" title="no title">
       <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="cordova-2.0.0.js"></script>
-      <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="main.js"></script>
+      <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="SQLitePlugin.js"></script>
+
+
+      <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
+      document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);
+      function onDeviceReady() {
+        var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase("Database", "1.0", "Demo", -1);
+
+        db.transaction(function(tx) {
+          tx.executeSql('DROP TABLE IF EXISTS test_table');
+          tx.executeSql('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS test_table (id integer primary key, data text, data_num integer)');
+
+          tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO test_table (data, data_num) VALUES (?,?)", ["test", 100], function(tx, res) {
+          console.log("insertId: " + res.insertId + " -- probably 1"); // check #18/#38 is fixed
+          alert("insertId: " + res.insertId + " -- should be valid");
+
+            db.transaction(function(tx) {
+              tx.executeSql("SELECT data_num from test_table;", [], function(tx, res) {
+                console.log("res.rows.length: " + res.rows.length + " -- should be 1");
+                alert("res.rows.item(0).data_num: " + res.rows.item(0).data_num + " -- should be 100");
+              });
+            });
+
+          }, function(e) {
+            console.log("ERROR: " + e.message);
+          });
+        });
+      }
+      </script>
 
   </head>
   <body onload="init();" id="stage" class="theme">

Support

Reporting issues

If you have an issue with the plugin please check the following first:

  • You are using the latest version of the Plugin Javascript & platform-specific Java or Objective-C source from this repository.
  • You have installed the Javascript & platform-specific Java or Objective-C correctly.
  • You have included the correct version of the cordova Javascript and SQLitePlugin.js and got the path right.
  • You have registered the plugin properly in config.xml.

If you still cannot get something to work, please create a fresh, clean Cordova project, add this plugin according to the instructions above, and try a simple test program.

If you continue to see the issue in a new, clean Cordova project:

  • Make the simplest test program you can to demonstrate the issue, including the following characteristics:
    • it completely self-contained, i.e. it is using no extra libraries beyond cordova & SQLitePlugin.js;
    • if the issue is with adding data to a table, that the test program includes the statements you used to open the database and create the table;
    • if the issue is with retrieving data from a table, that the test program includes the statements you used to open the database, create the table, and enter the data you are trying to retrieve.

Then you can raise the new issue.

Commercial support

You may contact info@litehelpers.net

Unit tests

Unit testing is done in spec.

running tests from shell

To run the tests from *nix shell, simply do either:

./bin/test.sh ios

or for Android:

./bin/test.sh android

To run from a windows powershell (here is a sample for android target):

.\bin\test.ps1 android

Adapters

Lawnchair Adapter

BROKEN: The Lawnchair adapter does not support the openDatabase options such as location or iosDatabaseLocation options and is therefore not expected to work with this plugin.

Common adapter

Please look at the Lawnchair-adapter tree that contains a common adapter, which should also work with the Android version, along with a test-www directory.

Included files

Include the following Javascript files in your HTML:

  • cordova.js (don't forget!)
  • lawnchair.js (you provide)
  • SQLitePlugin.js (in case of Cordova pre-3.0)
  • Lawnchair-sqlitePlugin.js (must come after SQLitePlugin.js in case of Cordova pre-3.0)

Sample

The name option determines the sqlite database filename, with no extension automatically added. Optionally, you can change the db filename using the db option.

In this example, you would be using/creating a database with filename kvstore:

kvstore = new Lawnchair({name: "kvstore"}, function() {
  // do stuff
);

Using the db option you can specify the filename with the desired extension and be able to create multiple stores in the same database file. (There will be one table per store.)

recipes = new Lawnchair({db: "cookbook", name: "recipes", ...}, myCallback());
ingredients = new Lawnchair({db: "cookbook", name: "ingredients", ...}, myCallback());

KNOWN ISSUE: the new db options are not supported by the Lawnchair adapter. The workaround is to first open the database file using sqlitePlugin.openDatabase().

PouchDB

The adapter is now part of PouchDB thanks to @nolanlawson, see PouchDB FAQ.

NOTE: The PouchDB adapter has not been tested with the Android version which is using the new Android-sqlite-connector.

Contributing

Community

NOTE: As stated above, patches will NOT be accepted on this project due to potential licensing issues. Issues with reproduction scenarios will help maintain and improve the quality of this plugin for future users. (It is also helpful if you have a pointer to the code that is causing the issue.)

External sources

Contact

info@litehelpers.net