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Plain SQL QueryParts

Applies to ✅ Open Source Edition   ✅ Express Edition   ✅ Professional Edition   ✅ Enterprise Edition

If you don't need the integration of rather complex QueryParts into jOOQ, then you might be safer using simple Plain SQL functionality, where you can provide jOOQ with a simple String representation of your embedded SQL. Plain SQL methods in jOOQ's API come in two flavours.

  • method(String, Object...): This is a method that accepts a SQL string and a list of bind values that are to be bound to the variables contained in the SQL string
  • method(String, QueryPart...): This is a method that accepts a SQL string and a list of QueryParts that are "injected" at the position of their respective placeholders in the SQL string

The above distinction is best explained using an example:

// Plain SQL using bind values. The value 5 is bound to the first variable, "Animal Farm" to the second variable:
create.selectFrom(BOOK).where(
    "BOOK.ID = ? AND TITLE = ?",     // The SQL string containing bind value placeholders ("?")
    5,                               // The bind value at index 1
    "Animal Farm"                    // The bind value at index 2
).fetch();

// Plain SQL using embeddable QueryPart placeholders (counting from zero).
// The QueryPart "index" is substituted for the placeholder {0}, the QueryPart "title" for {1}
Field<Integer> id   = val(5);
Field<String> title = val("Animal Farm");
create.selectFrom(BOOK).where(
    "BOOK.ID = {0} AND TITLE = {1}", // The SQL string containing QueryPart placeholders ("{N}")
    id,                              // The QueryPart at index 0
    title                            // The QueryPart at index 1
).fetch();

Note that for historic reasons the two API usages can also be mixed, although this is not recommended and the exact behaviour is unspecified.

Plain SQL templating specification

Templating with QueryPart placeholders (or bind value placeholders) requires a simple parsing logic to be applied to SQL strings. The jOOQ template parser behaves according to the following rules:

  • Single-line comments (starting with -- in all databases (or #) in MySQL) are rendered without modification. Any bind variable or QueryPart placeholders in such comments are ignored.
  • Multi-line comments (starting with /* and ending with */ in all databases) are rendered without modification. Any bind variable or QueryPart placeholders in such comments are ignored.
  • String literals (starting and ending with ' in all databases, where all databases support escaping of the quote character by duplication as such: '', or in MySQL by escaping as such: \' (if Settings.backslashEscaping is turned on)) are rendered without modification. Any bind variable or QueryPart placeholders in such comments are ignored.
  • Quoted names (starting and ending with " in most databases, with ` in MySQL, or with [ and ] in T-SQL databases) are rendered without modification. Any bind variable or QueryPart placeholders in such comments are ignored.
  • JDBC escape syntax ({fn ...}, {d ...}, {t ...}, {ts ...}) is rendered without modification. Any bind variable or QueryPart placeholders in such comments are ignored.
  • Bind variable placeholders (? or :name for named bind variables) are replaced by the matching bind value in case inlining is activated, e.g. through Settings.statementType == STATIC_STATEMENT.
  • QueryPart placeholders ({number}) are replaced by the matching QueryPart.
  • Keywords ({identifier}) are treated like keywords and rendered in the correct case according to Settings.renderKeywordStyle.

Tools for templating

A variety of API is provided to create template elements that are intended for use with the above templating mechanism. These tools can be found in org.jooq.impl.DSL

// Keywords (which are rendered according to Settings.renderKeywordStyle) can be specified as such:
public static Keyword keyword(String keyword) { ... }

// Identifiers / names (which are rendered according to Settings.renderNameStyle) can be specified as such:
public static Name name(String... qualifiedName) { ... }

// QueryPart lists (e.g. IN-lists for the IN predicate) can be generated via these methods:
public static QueryPart list(QueryPart... parts) { ... }
public static QueryPart list(Collection<? extends QueryPart> parts) { ... }

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