NAME

SQL::Schema::View - A database view

SYNOPSIS

  my $view = SQL::Schema::View->new(%attr);

  my $sql = $view->create_statement;
  print $sql;

  print "$view";

DESCRIPTION

SQL::Schema::View is a class for objects representing a database view. The methods of an instanciated object do allow to access the information within a database's data dictionary and to represent them as SQL create statements and the like using the proper SQL dialect.

Constructors

  $view = SQL::Schema::View->new(%attr);

The new method instanciates a view object. The object is an in memory representation of a (possible) database view. The attributes are given as key value pairs by the hash %attr. Possible keys are:

  key              required?   value description

  view_name        yes         the name of the view (without a
                               preceeding schema name)

  aliases          no          a reference to a list of names
                               for the columns returned by the view

  subquery         yes         the SQL text of the subquery

  constraint_name  no          the name of the constraint for the
                               "with check option"; WARNING: The
                               subquery has to end with the text
                               'with check option ' to make this work
                               correctly

  $view = SQL::Schema::View->select($dbh,$name);

The select method fetches the attributes required by new from the database and returns the view object. (It calls new internally.)

If the view with the name $name could not be found within the database, the method returns undef.

The method's arguments are as follows:

$dbh: A database handle as defined by DBI(3).
$name: The name of the view without preceeding schema name.

Methods

The following attribute methods do return the current value of the attributes (as handed over to the new method):

  $name = $view->name;
  @aliases = $view->alisaes;
  $subquery = $view->subquery;
  $constraint_name = $view->constraint_name;

  $sql = $view->create_statement;
  $sql = "$view";

Returns a string containing an SQL statements for creation of this view. This method is overloaded with the string operator. So the two examples above are equivalent.

  $sql = $view->drop_statement;

Returns a string containing an SQL statement that would drop this view.

AUTHOR AND COPYRIGHT

  SQL::Schema::View is Copyright (C) 2000,
    Torsten Hentschel
    Windmuehlenweg 47
    44141 Dortmund
    Germany

    Email: todd@bayleys.ping.de

  All rights reserved.