NAME

       sqlite - A command line interface for SQLite

SYNOPSIS

       sqlite [options] filename [SQL]

   SUMMARY
       sqlite  is  a  terminal-based  front-end  to the SQLite library. It enables you to type in
       queries interactively, issue them to SQLite and see the results.  Alternatively,  you  can
       specify SQL code on the command-line. In addition it provides a number of meta-commands.

DESCRIPTION

       This  manual  page documents briefly the sqlite command.  This manual page was written for
       the Debian GNU/Linux distribution because the original program  does  not  have  a  manual
       page.

   GETTING STARTED
       To  start  the sqlite program, just type "sqlite" followed by the name the file that holds
       the SQLite database. If the file does not exist, a new one is created  automatically.  The
       sqlite  program will then prompt you to enter SQL. Type in SQL statements (terminated by a
       semicolon), press "Enter" and the SQL will be executed.

       For example, to create a new SQLite database named "ex1" with a single table named "tbl1",
       you might do this:

       $ sqlite ex1
       SQLite version 2.0.0
       Enter ".help" for instructions
       sqlite> create table tbl1(one varchar(10), two smallint);
       sqlite> insert into tbl1 values('hello!',10);
       sqlite> insert into tbl1 values('goodbye', 20);
       sqlite> select * from tbl1;
       hello!|10
       goodbye|20
       sqlite>

   SQLITE META-COMMANDS
       Most  of  the  time,  sqlite  just  reads  lines of input and passes them on to the SQLite
       library for execution. But if an input line begins with a dot ("."),  then  that  line  is
       intercepted  and  interpreted  by  the  sqlite  program  itself.  These "dot commands" are
       typically used to change the output format of queries, or to execute  certain  prepackaged
       query statements.

       For  a  listing  of  the  available  dot  commands, you can enter ".help" at any time. For
       example:

       sqlite> .help
       .dump ?TABLE? ...      Dump the database in an text format
       .echo ON|OFF           Turn command echo on or off
       .exit                  Exit this program
       .explain ON|OFF        Turn output mode suitable for EXPLAIN on or off.
                              "off" will revert to the output mode that was
                              previously in effect
       .header(s) ON|OFF      Turn display of headers on or off
       .help                  Show this message
       .indices TABLE         Show names of all indices on TABLE
       .mode MODE             Set mode to one of "line(s)", "column(s)",
                              "insert", "list", or "html"
       .mode insert TABLE     Generate SQL insert statements for TABLE
       .nullvalue STRING      Print STRING instead of nothing for NULL data
       .output FILENAME       Send output to FILENAME
       .output stdout         Send output to the screen
       .prompt MAIN CONTINUE  Replace the standard prompts
                              "sqlite > " and "   ...> "
                              with the strings MAIN and CONTINUE
                              CONTINUE is optional.
       .quit                  Exit this program
       .read FILENAME         Execute SQL in FILENAME
       .reindex ?TABLE?       Rebuild indices
       .schema ?TABLE?        Show the CREATE statements
       .separator STRING      Change separator string for "list" mode
       .show                  Show the current values for the following:
                              .echo
                              .explain
                              .mode
                              .nullvalue
                              .output
                              .separator
                              .width
       .tables ?PATTERN?      List names of tables matching a pattern
       .timeout MS            Try opening locked tables for MS milliseconds
       .width NUM NUM ...     Set column widths for "column" mode
       sqlite>

OPTIONS

       The program has the following options:

       -init file
              Read in and process 'file', which contains "dot commands".  You can use  this  file
              to initialize display settings.

       -html  Set output mode to HTML.

       -list  Set output mode to 'list'.

       -line  Set output mode to 'line'.

       -column
              Set output mode to 'column'.

       -separator separator
              Specify which output field separator for 'list' mode to use.  Default is '|'.

       -nullvalue string
              When a null is encountered, print 'string'. Default is no string.

       -[no]header
              Turn headers on or off. Default is off.

       -echo  Print commands before execution.

OUTPUT MODE

       The  SQLite  program  has  different  output  modes, which define the way the output (from
       queries) is formatted.

       In 'list' mode, which is the default, one record per line is output, each field  separated
       by the separator specified with the -separator option or .separator command.

       In  'line'  mode,  each  column  is output on its own line, records are separated by blank
       lines.

       In HTML mode, an XHTML table is generated.

       In 'column' mode, one record per line is output, aligned neatly in colums.

INIT FILE

       sqlite can be initialized using resource files. These can be combined  with  command  line
       arguments  to  set  up  sqlite  exactly  the  way you want it.  Initialization proceeds as
       follows:

       o The defaults of

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

       are established.

       o If a file .sqliterc can be found in the user's home directory, it is read and processed.
       It  should  only  contain  "dot  commands".   If  the file is not found or cannot be read,
       processing continues without notification.

       o If a file is specified on the command line with the -init option, it is processed in the
       same manner as .sqliterc

       o All other command line options are processed

       o The database is opened and you are now ready to begin.

SEE ALSO

       http://www.hwaci.com/sw/sqlite/
       The sqlite-doc package

AUTHOR

       This  manual  page  was originally written by Andreas Rottmann <rotty@debian.org>, for the
       Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).

                                     Mon Apr 15 23:49:17 2002                           SQLITE(1)