ANNOUNCE: tksql (program) & sdsql (Tcl/Tk package)

ANNOUNCE sdsql - Tcl/Tk packages

19.5.2001

I'm happy to announce the first public realease of sdsql package (tcl/tk
library) and tksql a program to edit tables of a postgreSQL database.

Introduction
------------

sdsql: provides editDb and popSqlQuery. The first is a proc to open a
TkTable to edit postgreSQL tables, the latter is a procedure to
interact dynamically w/ a database.

features: * one line command to allow editing of postgreSQL table
* easy way to trigger tcl procs as row/cell validation
* easy way to filter the database interactively
* two views: table view w/ TkTable or "mask" (Record in a Page)
editDb -tbl abc -mask
* capability to edit a join statement (limited to *the first*
table in the 'from' part of the query. Read Docs)
* possibility to define conditions to add to every reload of
the database, so as to limit the view of a table or to allow to
add join conditions
* easy possibility to change column represented and ordering
* possibility to define regexp to force constrain on some
fields or foreign-key-sort of constrain in the application
throught a table of attribute definition
* hooks for logging-capabilities (I do simple replication of
database throught that)

tksql: This program allows you to edit tables of databases. You can use it
from the shell prompt in any of these ways:
(myhost) $ tksql
(myhost) $ tksql -host sql.diade.it
(myhost) $ tksql -host localhost -db mydb -tbl tel
(myhost) $ tksql -db mydb -sql "select attr1,attr2 from table_a \
where attr3 = null"
in all these cases you will be able to edit the table. If your
select statement is a join tksql will work in read-only mode or will
let you edit only the first table.

Comparison to PgAccess: PgAccess is a more mature peace of software
and provides some capabilities (tools to create the database,
change the structure, create or change functions...) that tksql
does not have (nor it will in the future).

I consider tksql it is more flexible as an editing tool (filters,
motion in the table, completion of attributes where
applicable). Uses TkTable.

Release Notes
-------------

This is the first public release. The program has been used in a
production environment for several months.

License
------------

sdsql and tksql is released under the GNU General Public License.

### Home page ############

There's a home page for each project:
http://pcco2.mi.infn.it/sd/soft

### Mailing lists ############
I started a couple of mailing lists:

sdtcl(at)pcco2(dot)mi(dot)infn(dot)it: devoted to development of sdtcl and use of package
sdsql(at)pcco2(dot)mi(dot)infn(dot)it: devoted to development of sdsql and use of package

to subscribe you can visit the pages:
http://pcco2.mi.infn.it/mailman/listinfo/sdtcl
http://pcco2.mi.infn.it/mailman/listinfo/sdsql

I welcome any comments, suggestions, or bug reports that you might have.

sandro
*:-)

sandro dentella
sandro(dot)dentella(at)tin(dot)it