The eyedbodl tool

The eyedbodl tool can be used to:

• update a database from an ODL file:
  • create a schema
  • add methods, triggers, constraints, indexes to classes
  • remove methods, triggers, constraints, indexes to classes
  • add classes
  • remove classes
  • add attributes
  • rename attributes
  • remove attributes
  • remove classes
• generate C++ stubs from an ODL file or a database containing a schema
• generate Java stubs from an ODL file or a database containing a schema
• generate ODL from a database containing a schema
• display the differences between an ODL file and a database schema
• check an ODL file syntax

For instance, let schema.odl an ODL file and dbtest a database.

Updating a schema

To update a database from an ODL file:

eyedbodl -u -d dbtest schema.odl

or:

eyedbodl --update --database=dbtest schema.odl

Important notes:

• All classes defined in the ODL file will be added to the existing schema in the database
• The classes in the database and not in the ODL file will not be removed from the database
• To remove a class from a database, one must use the -rmcls=class option. Because of class dependancies, the removal of a class can fail because one needs to remove other classes, for instance collection classes of the class one want to remove.
  In this case, one must delete classes in the good order.
• To remove a entire schema from a database, on must use the -rmsch option
• The methods, triggers, constraint and indexes in the ODL file and not in the database will be added to the database
• The methods, triggers, constraint and indexes in the databae and not in the ODL file will not be removed from the database unless the -rmv-undex-attrcomp=yes option is given
• The common indexes (on same attributes) in the ODL file and in the database with a different implementation will not be updated unless the -update-index=yes is given
• A class C defined in the ODL and in the database with different attributes will have the following behavior:
  • an attribute a in a class C of the ODL, not in the class C of the database will be automatically added to the class C in the database
  • an attribute a in a class C in the database, not in the class C in ODL will be automatically removed from the class C in the database: This operation is not undoable
  • an attribute a in a class C in the database and in the class C in ODL with different types will lead to an update failure

Generates C++ code

To generate the C++ API from an ODL file:

eyedbodl --gencode=C++ schema.odl

To generate the C++ API from a database:

eyedbodl --gencode=C++ --package=schema -d dbtest

For a given package.odl ODL file, the generated files are as follows:

• package.h, package.cc: the generated C++ API to be used in a client program
• template_package.cc: an example of a client program using the generated API
• Makefile.package: an example of Makefile to compile package.cc and template_package.cc: make -f Makefile.package will compile and link the generated API and template files
• packagestubsfe.cc, packagestubsbe.cc: stubs for client and server methods
• packagemthfe-skel.cc, packagemthbe-skel.cc: skeletons for client and server methods

Generates Java code

To generate the Java API from an ODL file:

eyedbodl --gencode=Java schema.odl

To generate the Java API from a database:

eyedbodl --gencode=Java --package=schema -d dbtest

For a given package.odl ODL file, the package directory contains a Java file for each class defined in the ODL file plus a Java file for each collection template class used as an attribute in classes of the ODL file.

Generates ODL

To generate the ODL from a database:

eyedbodl --gencode=ODL -d dbtest # generates on the standard ouput
eyedbodl --gencode=ODL -d dbtest -o schema.odl

Display schema differences

To display the difference between a schema in an ODL file and a database schema:

eyedbodl --diff schema.odl -d dbtest

Checking the syntax of an ODL file

To check the syntax of an ODL file:

eyedbodl --checkfile schema.odl

Beside these major options, eyedbodl has a lot of extra options as described when running eyedbodl with the -help option.