Cordova/PhoneGap SQLitePlugin

Native interface to sqlite in a Cordova/PhoneGap plugin for Android/iOS/WP(8), with HTML5 Web SQL API

License for Android & WP(8) versions: MIT or Apache 2.0

License for iOS version: MIT only

Status

Available at PhoneGap build
Please use the Cordova-SQLitePlugin forum or raise a new issue for community support
SQLCipher integration is not supported by this project, will be supported in a separate project.

Announcements

New openDatabase and deleteDatabase location option to select database location (iOS only) and disable iCloud backup
Pre-populated databases support for Android & iOS is now integrated, usage described below
Fixes to work with PouchDB by @nolanlawson

Highlights

Works with Cordova 3.x tooling and Available at PhoneGap build
Drop-in replacement for HTML5 SQL API, the only change should be window.openDatabase() --> sqlitePlugin.openDatabase()
Failure-safe nested transactions with batch processing optimizations
As described in this posting:
- Keeps sqlite database in a user data location that is known, can be reconfigured, and iOS will be backed up by iCloud.
- No 5MB maximum, more information at: http://www.sqlite.org/limits.html
Android is supported back to SDK 10 (a.k.a. Gingerbread, Android 2.3.3); Support for older versions is available upon request.
Pre-populated database option (usage described below)

Some apps using Cordova/PhoneGap SQLitePlugin

Get It Done app by marcucio.com
KAAHE Health Encyclopedia: Official health app of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Larkwire (iOS version): Learn bird songs the fun way
Tangorin (Android) Japanese Dictionary at tangorin.com

Known issues

Issue reported with PhoneGap Build Hydration.
Using web workers is currently not supported and known to be broken on Android.
Triggers are only supported for iOS, known to be broken on Android.
INSERT statement that affects multiple rows (due to SELECT cause or using triggers, for example) does not report proper rowsAffected on Android.

Other limitations

The db version, display name, and size parameter values are not supported and will be ignored.
The sqlite plugin will not work before the callback for the "deviceready" event has been fired, as described in Usage.
The Android version cannot work with more than 100 open db files due to its threading model.

Limited support (testing needed)

Multi-page apps on WP(8)
DB Triggers (as described above - known to be broken for Android)

Other versions

Original version for iOS (with a different API): https://github.com/davibe/Phonegap-SQLitePlugin

Usage

The idea is to emulate the HTML5 SQL API as closely as possible. The only major change is to use window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase() (or sqlitePlugin.openDatabase()) instead of window.openDatabase(). If you see any other major change please report it, it is probably a bug.

Opening a database

There are two options to open a database:

Recommended: var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: "my.db", location: 1});
Classical: var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase("myDatabase.db", "1.0", "Demo", -1);

The new location option is used to select the database subdirectory location (iOS only) with the following choices:

0 (default): Documents - will be visible to iTunes and backed up by iCloud
1: Library - backed up by iCloud, NOT visible to iTunes
2: Library/LocalDatabase - NOT visible to iTunes and NOT backed up by iCloud

IMPORTANT: Please wait for the "deviceready" event, as in the following example:

// Wait for Cordova to load
document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);

// Cordova is ready
function onDeviceReady() {
  var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: "my.db"});
  // ...
}

NOTE: The database file name should include the extension, if desired.

Pre-populated database

For Android & iOS (only): put the database file in the www directory and open the database like:

  var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: "my.db", createFromLocation: 1});

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Put the pre-populated database file in the www subdirectory. This should work well with using the Cordova CLI to support both Android & iOS versions.
The pre-populated database file name must match exactly the file name given in openDatabase. The automatic extension has been completely eliminated.

Background processing

The threading model depends on which version is used:

For Android & WP(8), one background thread per db (always);
for iOS, background processing using a thread pool (always).

Sample with PRAGMA feature

This is a pretty strong test: first we create a table and add a single entry, then query the count to check if the item was inserted as expected. Note that a new transaction is created in the middle of the first callback.

// Wait for Cordova to load
document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);

// Cordova is ready
function onDeviceReady() {
  var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase({name: "my.db"});

  db.transaction(function(tx) {
    tx.executeSql('DROP TABLE IF EXISTS test_table');
    tx.executeSql('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS test_table (id integer primary key, data text, data_num integer)');

    // demonstrate PRAGMA:
    db.executeSql("pragma table_info (test_table);", [], function(res) {
      console.log("PRAGMA res: " + JSON.stringify(res));
    });

    tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO test_table (data, data_num) VALUES (?,?)", ["test", 100], function(tx, res) {
      console.log("insertId: " + res.insertId + " -- probably 1");
      console.log("rowsAffected: " + res.rowsAffected + " -- should be 1");

      db.transaction(function(tx) {
        tx.executeSql("select count(id) as cnt from test_table;", [], function(tx, res) {
          console.log("res.rows.length: " + res.rows.length + " -- should be 1");
          console.log("res.rows.item(0).cnt: " + res.rows.item(0).cnt + " -- should be 1");
        });
      });

    }, function(e) {
      console.log("ERROR: " + e.message);
    });
  });
}

Sample with transaction-level nesting

In this case, the same transaction in the first executeSql() callback is being reused to run executeSql() again.

// Wait for Cordova to load
document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);

// Cordova is ready
function onDeviceReady() {
  var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase("Database", "1.0", "Demo", -1);

  db.transaction(function(tx) {
    tx.executeSql('DROP TABLE IF EXISTS test_table');
    tx.executeSql('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS test_table (id integer primary key, data text, data_num integer)');

    tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO test_table (data, data_num) VALUES (?,?)", ["test", 100], function(tx, res) {
      console.log("insertId: " + res.insertId + " -- probably 1");
      console.log("rowsAffected: " + res.rowsAffected + " -- should be 1");

      tx.executeSql("select count(id) as cnt from test_table;", [], function(tx, res) {
        console.log("res.rows.length: " + res.rows.length + " -- should be 1");
        console.log("res.rows.item(0).cnt: " + res.rows.item(0).cnt + " -- should be 1");
      });

    }, function(e) {
      console.log("ERROR: " + e.message);
    });
  });
}

This case will also works with Safari (WebKit), assuming you replace window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase with window.openDatabase.

Delete a database

window.sqlitePlugin.deleteDatabase({name: "my.db", location: 1}, successcb, errorcb);

location as described above for openDatabase (iOS only)

Installing

NOTE: This plugin is now prepared to be installed using the cordova tool.

Easy install with cordova tool

npm install -g cordova # if you don't have cordova
cordova create MyProjectFolder com.my.project MyProject && cd MyProjectFolder # if you are just starting
cordova plugin add https://github.com/brodysoft/Cordova-SQLitePlugin

You can find more details at this writeup.

IMPORTANT: sometimes you have to update the version for a platform before you can build, like: cordova prepare ios

NOTE: If you cannot build for a platform after cordova prepare, you may have to remove the platform and add it again, such as:

cordova platform rm ios
cordova platform add ios

Source tree

SQLitePlugin.coffee.md: platform-independent (Literate coffee-script, can be read by recent coffee-script compiler)
www: SQLitePlugin.js now platform-independent
src: Java plugin code for Android; Objective-C plugin code for iOS; C-sharp code & DLLs for WP(8)
test-www: simple testing in index.html using qunit 1.5.0
Lawnchair-adapter: Lawnchair adaptor, based on the version from the Lawnchair repository, with the basic Lawnchair test suite in test-www subdirectory

Manual installation - Android version

These installation instructions are based on the Android example project from Cordova/PhoneGap 2.7.0. For your first time please unzip the PhoneGap 2.7 zipball and use the lib/android/example subdirectory.

Install www/SQLitePlugin.js from this repository into assets/www subdirectory
Install src/android/org/pgsqlite/SQLitePlugin.java from this repository into src/org/pgsqlite subdirectory
Add the plugin element <plugin name="SQLitePlugin" value="org.pgsqlite.SQLitePlugin"/> to res/xml/config.xml

Sample change to res/xml/config.xml for Cordova/PhoneGap 2.x:

--- config.xml.orig	2013-07-23 13:48:09.000000000 +0200
+++ res/xml/config.xml	2013-07-23 13:48:26.000000000 +0200
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     <preference name="useBrowserHistory" value="true" />
     <preference name="exit-on-suspend" value="false" />
 <plugins>
+    <plugin name="SQLitePlugin" value="org.pgsqlite.SQLitePlugin"/>
     <plugin name="App" value="org.apache.cordova.App"/>
     <plugin name="Geolocation" value="org.apache.cordova.GeoBroker"/>
     <plugin name="Device" value="org.apache.cordova.Device"/>

Before building for the first time, you have to update the project with the desired version of the Android SDK with a command like:

android update project --path $(pwd) --target android-17

(assume Android SDK 17, use the correct desired Android SDK number here)

NOTE: using this plugin on Cordova pre-3.0 requires the following change to SQLitePlugin.java:

--- src/android/org/pgsqlite/SQLitePlugin.java	2013-09-10 21:36:20.000000000 +0200
+++ SQLitePlugin.java.old	2013-09-10 21:35:14.000000000 +0200
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@
 
 import java.util.HashMap;
 
-import org.apache.cordova.CordovaPlugin;
-import org.apache.cordova.CallbackContext;
+import org.apache.cordova.api.CordovaPlugin;
+import org.apache.cordova.api.CallbackContext;
 
 import android.database.Cursor;

Manual installation - iOS version

SQLite library

In the Project "Build Phases" tab, select the first "Link Binary with Libraries" dropdown menu and add the library libsqlite3.dylib or libsqlite3.0.dylib.

NOTE: In the "Build Phases" there can be multiple "Link Binary with Libraries" dropdown menus. Please select the first one otherwise it will not work.

SQLite Plugin

Drag .h and .m files into your project's Plugins folder (in xcode) -- I always just have "Create references" as the option selected.

Take the precompiled javascript file from build/, or compile the coffeescript file in src/ to javascript WITH the top-level function wrapper option (default).

Use the resulting javascript file in your HTML.

Enable the SQLitePlugin in config.xml (Cordova/PhoneGap 2.x):

--- config.xml.old	2013-05-17 13:18:39.000000000 +0200
+++ config.xml	2013-05-17 13:18:49.000000000 +0200
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
     <content src="index.html" />
 
     <plugins>
+        <plugin name="SQLitePlugin" value="SQLitePlugin" />
         <plugin name="Device" value="CDVDevice" />
         <plugin name="Logger" value="CDVLogger" />
         <plugin name="Compass" value="CDVLocation" />

Manual installation - WP(8) version

TODO

Quick installation test

Make a change like this to index.html (or use the sample code) verify proper installation:

--- index.html.old	2012-08-04 14:40:07.000000000 +0200
+++ assets/www/index.html	2012-08-04 14:36:05.000000000 +0200
@@ -24,7 +24,35 @@
     <title>PhoneGap</title>
       <link rel="stylesheet" href="master.css" type="text/css" media="screen" title="no title">
       <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="cordova-2.0.0.js"></script>
-      <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="main.js"></script>
+      <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="SQLitePlugin.js"></script>
+
+
+      <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
+      document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);
+      function onDeviceReady() {
+        var db = window.sqlitePlugin.openDatabase("Database", "1.0", "Demo", -1);
+
+        db.transaction(function(tx) {
+          tx.executeSql('DROP TABLE IF EXISTS test_table');
+          tx.executeSql('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS test_table (id integer primary key, data text, data_num integer)');
+
+          tx.executeSql("INSERT INTO test_table (data, data_num) VALUES (?,?)", ["test", 100], function(tx, res) {
+          console.log("insertId: " + res.insertId + " -- probably 1"); // check #18/#38 is fixed
+          alert("insertId: " + res.insertId + " -- should be valid");
+
+            db.transaction(function(tx) {
+              tx.executeSql("SELECT data_num from test_table;", [], function(tx, res) {
+                console.log("res.rows.length: " + res.rows.length + " -- should be 1");
+                alert("res.rows.item(0).data_num: " + res.rows.item(0).data_num + " -- should be 100");
+              });
+            });
+
+          }, function(e) {
+            console.log("ERROR: " + e.message);
+          });
+        });
+      }
+      </script>
 
   </head>
   <body onload="init();" id="stage" class="theme">

Common traps & pitfalls

The plugin class name starts with "SQL" in capital letters, but in Javascript the sqlitePlugin object name starts with "sql" in small letters.
Attempting to open a database before receiving the "deviceready" event callback.

Support

Reporting issues

If you have an issue with the plugin please check the following first:

You are using the latest version of the Plugin Javascript & platform-specific Java or Objective-C source from this repository.
You have installed the Javascript & platform-specific Java or Objective-C correctly.
You have included the correct version of the cordova Javascript and SQLitePlugin.js and got the path right.
You have registered the plugin properly in config.xml.

If you still cannot get something to work:

Make the simplest test program you can to demonstrate the issue, including the following characteristics:
- it completely self-contained, i.e. it is using no extra libraries beyond cordova & SQLitePlugin.js;
- if the issue is with adding data to a table, that the test program includes the statements you used to open the database and create the table;
- if the issue is with retrieving data from a table, that the test program includes the statements you used to open the database, create the table, and enter the data you are trying to retrieve.

Then you can post the issue to the Cordova-SQLitePlugin forum or raise a new issue.

Community forum

If you have any questions about the plugin please post it to the Cordova-SQLitePlugin forum.

Support priorities

High priority:

Stability is first: immediate resolution or workaround for stability issues (crashing) is the goal.
Correctness: any issue with correctness should result in a new testcase together with the bug fix.

Low priority: issues with the API or application integration will be given lower priority until the Cordova CLI integration is finished for Windows (8+). Pull requests are very welcome for these kinds of issues.

Unit tests

Unit testing is done in test-www/.

running tests from shell

To run the tests from *nix shell, simply do either:

./bin/test.sh ios

or for Android:

./bin/test.sh android

To run then from a windows powershell do either

.\bin\test.ps1 android

or for Windows Phone 8:

.\bin\test.ps1 wp8

Adapters

Lawnchair Adapter

Common adapter

Please look at the Lawnchair-adapter tree that contains a common adapter, which should also work with the Android version, along with a test-www directory.

Included files

Include the following js files in your html:

lawnchair.js (you provide)
SQLitePlugin.js
Lawnchair-sqlitePlugin.js (must come after SQLitePlugin.js)

Sample

The name option will determine the sqlite filename. Optionally, you can change it using the db option.

In this example, you would be using/creating the database at: Documents/kvstore.sqlite3 (all db's in SQLitePlugin are in the Documents folder)

kvstore = new Lawnchair { name: "kvstore" }, () ->
  # do stuff

Using the db option you can create multiple stores in one sqlite file. (There will be one table per store.)

recipes = new Lawnchair {db: "cookbook", name: "recipes", ...}
ingredients = new Lawnchair {db: "cookbook", name: "ingredients", ...}

It also supports bgType argument:

users = new Lawnchair {name: "users", bgType: 1, ...}

PouchDB

The adapter is now part of PouchDB thanks to @nolanlawson, see PouchDB FAQ.

Contributing

WARNING: Please do NOT propose changes from your master branch. In general changes will be rebased using git rebase or git cherry-pick and not merged.

Testimonials of apps that are using this plugin would be especially helpful.
Reporting issues at brodysoft / Cordova-SQLitePlugin / issues or to the Cordova-SQLitePlugin forum can help improve the quality of this plugin.
Patches with bug fixes are helpful, especially when submitted with test code.
Other enhancements welcome for consideration, when submitted with test code and will work for all supported platforms. Increase of complexity should be avoided.
All contributions may be reused by @brodybits (Chris Brody) under another license in the future. Efforts will be taken to give credit for major contributions but it will not be guaranteed.
Project restructuring, i.e. moving files and/or directories around, should be avoided if possible. If you see a need for restructuring, it is best to ask first on the Cordova-SQLitePlugin forum where alternatives can be discussed before reaching a conclusion. If you want to propose a change to the project structure:
- Make a special branch within your fork from which you can send the proposed restructuring;
- Always use git mv to move files & directories;
- Never mix a move/rename operation and any other changes in the same commit.

Major branches

common-src - source for Android & iOS versions
master-src - source for Android, iOS, & WP(8) versions
master-rc - pre-release version, including source for CSharp-SQLite library classes
master - version for release, will be included in PhoneGap build.