Ubuntu Manpage: sqlite3 - A command line interface for SQLite version 3

Provided by: sqlite3_3.45.1-1ubuntu2_amd64

NAME

       sqlite3 - A command line interface for SQLite version 3

SYNOPSIS

       sqlite3 [options] [databasefile] [SQL]

SUMMARY

       sqlite3  is  a  terminal-based  front-end  to the SQLite library that can evaluate queries
       interactively and display the results in multiple  formats.   sqlite3  can  also  be  used
       within shell scripts and other applications to provide batch processing features.

DESCRIPTION

To start a sqlite3 interactive session, invoke the sqlite3 command and optionally provide
the name of a database file. If the database file does not exist, it will be created. If
the database file does exist, it will be opened.

For example, to create a new database file named "mydata.db", create a table named "memos"
and insert a couple of records into that table:

$ sqlite3 mydata.db
SQLite version 3.43.0 2023-08-11 17:45:23
Enter ".help" for usage hints.
sqlite> create table memos(text, priority INTEGER);
sqlite> insert into memos values('deliver project description', 10);
sqlite> insert into memos values('lunch with Christine', 100);
sqlite> select * from memos;
deliver project description|10
lunch with Christine|100
sqlite>

If no database name is supplied, the ATTACH sql command can be used to attach to existing
or create new database files. ATTACH can also be used to attach to multiple databases
within the same interactive session. This is useful for migrating data between databases,
possibly changing the schema along the way.

Optionally, a SQL statement or set of SQL statements can be supplied as a single argument.
Multiple statements should be separated by semi-colons.

For example:

$ sqlite3 -line mydata.db 'select * from memos where priority > 20;'
text = lunch with Christine
priority = 100

SQLITE META-COMMANDS
The interactive interpreter offers a set of meta-commands that can be used to control the
output format, examine the currently attached database files, or perform administrative
operations upon the attached databases (such as rebuilding indices). Meta-commands are
always prefixed with a dot (.).

A list of available meta-commands can be viewed at any time by issuing the '.help'
command. For example:

sqlite> .help

The available commands differ by version and build options, so they are not listed here.
Please refer to your local copy for all available options.

INIT FILE

       sqlite3  reads  an  initialization  file  to  set  the  configuration  of  the interactive
       environment.   Throughout  initialization,  any  previously  specified  setting   can   be
       overridden.  The sequence of initialization is as follows:

       o The default configuration is established as follows:

       mode            = LIST
       separator       = "|"
       main prompt     = "sqlite> "
       continue prompt = "   ...> "

       o  If  the  file  ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/sqlite3/sqliterc  or ~/.sqliterc exists, the first of
       those to be found is processed during startup.  It should  generally  only  contain  meta-
       commands.

       o If the -init option is present, the specified file is processed.

       o All other command line options are processed.

AUTHOR