Database and SQLAlchemy

In this blog we will explore using programs with data, focused on Databases. We will use SQLite Database to learn more about using Programs with Data. Use Debugging through these examples to examine Objects created in Code.

  • College Board talks about ideas like

    • Program Usage. "iterative and interactive way when processing information"
    • Managing Data. "classifying data are part of the process in using programs", "data files in a Table"
    • Insight "insight and knowledge can be obtained from ... digitally represented information"
    • Filter systems. 'tools for finding information and recognizing patterns"
    • Application. "the preserve has two databases", "an employee wants to count the number of book"
  • PBL, Databases, Iterative/OOP

    • Iterative. Refers to a sequence of instructions or code being repeated until a specific end result is achieved
    • OOP. A computer programming model that organizes software design around data, or objects, rather than functions and logic
    • SQL. Structured Query Language, abbreviated as SQL, is a language used in programming, managing, and structuring data

Imports and Flask Objects

Defines and key object creations

  • Comment on where you have observed these working? Provide a defintion of purpose.
    1. Flask app object:Flask works when setting up flask object and access database. 2. SQLAlchemy db object: SQLAlchemy was used to define db and setting up sql alchemy object.
"""
These imports define the key objects
"""

from flask import Flask
from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy

"""
These object and definitions are used throughout the Jupyter Notebook.
"""

# Setup of key Flask object (app)
app = Flask(__name__)
# Setup SQLAlchemy object and properties for the database (db)
database = 'sqlite:///sqlite.db'  # path and filename of database
app.config['SQLALCHEMY_TRACK_MODIFICATIONS'] = False
app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = database
app.config['SECRET_KEY'] = 'SECRET_KEY'
db = SQLAlchemy()


# This belongs in place where it runs once per project
db.init_app(app)

Model Definition

Define columns, initialization, and CRUD methods for users table in sqlite.db

  • Comment on these items in the class, purpose and defintion.
    • class User:Classifie the User as class. Init - db.Model inheritance: Taking from db.model to use the function.
    • init method: Constructor in an object-oriented approach
    • @property, @<column>.setter
    • create, read, update, delete methods: Inside the user class, you are able to add user into the object with create. Same thing with read, same thing with delete.
""" database dependencies to support sqlite examples """
import datetime
from datetime import datetime
import json

from sqlalchemy.exc import IntegrityError
from werkzeug.security import generate_password_hash, check_password_hash


''' Tutorial: https://www.sqlalchemy.org/library.html#tutorials, try to get into a Python shell and follow along '''

# Define the User class to manage actions in the 'users' table
# -- Object Relational Mapping (ORM) is the key concept of SQLAlchemy
# -- a.) db.Model is like an inner layer of the onion in ORM
# -- b.) User represents data we want to store, something that is built on db.Model
# -- c.) SQLAlchemy ORM is layer on top of SQLAlchemy Core, then SQLAlchemy engine, SQL
class User(db.Model):
    __tablename__ = 'users'  # table name is plural, class name is singular

    # Define the User schema with "vars" from object
    id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True)
    _name = db.Column(db.String(255), unique=False, nullable=False)
    _uid = db.Column(db.String(255), unique=True, nullable=False)
    _password = db.Column(db.String(255), unique=False, nullable=False)
    _dob = db.Column(db.Date)

    # constructor of a User object, initializes the instance variables within object (self)
    def __init__(self, name, uid, password="123qwerty", dob=datetime.today()):
        self._name = name    # variables with self prefix become part of the object, 
        self._uid = uid
        self.set_password(password)
        if isinstance(dob, str):  # not a date type     
            dob = date=datetime.today()
        self._dob = dob

    # a name getter method, extracts name from object
    @property
    def name(self):
        return self._name
    
    # a setter function, allows name to be updated after initial object creation
    @name.setter
    def name(self, name):
        self._name = name
    
    # a getter method, extracts uid from object
    @property
    def uid(self):
        return self._uid
    
    # a setter function, allows uid to be updated after initial object creation
    @uid.setter
    def uid(self, uid):
        self._uid = uid
        
    # check if uid parameter matches user id in object, return boolean
    def is_uid(self, uid):
        return self._uid == uid
    
    @property
    def password(self):
        return self._password[0:10] + "..." # because of security only show 1st characters

    # update password, this is conventional method used for setter
    def set_password(self, password):
        """Create a hashed password."""
        self._password = generate_password_hash(password, method='sha256')

    # check password parameter against stored/encrypted password
    def is_password(self, password):
        """Check against hashed password."""
        result = check_password_hash(self._password, password)
        return result
    
    # dob property is returned as string, a string represents date outside object
    @property
    def dob(self):
        dob_string = self._dob.strftime('%m-%d-%Y')
        return dob_string
    
    # dob setter, verifies date type before it is set or default to today
    @dob.setter
    def dob(self, dob):
        if isinstance(dob, str):  # not a date type     
            dob = date=datetime.today()
        self._dob = dob
    
    # age is calculated field, age is returned according to date of birth
    @property
    def age(self):
        today = datetime.today()
        return today.year - self._dob.year - ((today.month, today.day) < (self._dob.month, self._dob.day))
    
    # output content using str(object) is in human readable form
    # output content using json dumps, this is ready for API response
    def __str__(self):
        return json.dumps(self.read())

    # CRUD create/add a new record to the table
    # returns self or None on error
    def create(self):
        try:
            # creates a person object from User(db.Model) class, passes initializers
            db.session.add(self)  # add prepares to persist person object to Users table
            db.session.commit()  # SqlAlchemy "unit of work pattern" requires a manual commit
            return self
        except IntegrityError:
            db.session.remove()
            return None

    # CRUD read converts self to dictionary
    # returns dictionary
    def read(self):
        return {
            "id": self.id,
            "name": self.name,
            "uid": self.uid,
            "dob": self.dob,
            "age": self.age,
        }

    # CRUD update: updates user name, password, phone
    # returns self
    def update(self, name="", uid="", password=""):
        """only updates values with length"""
        if len(name) > 0:
            self.name = name
        if len(uid) > 0:
            self.uid = uid
        if len(password) > 0:
            self.set_password(password)
        db.session.add(self)
        db.session.commit()
        return self

    # CRUD delete: remove self
    # None
    def delete(self):
        db.session.delete(self)
        db.session.commit()
        return None
    

Initial Data

Uses SQLALchemy db.create_all() to initialize rows into sqlite.db

  • Comment on how these work?
    1. Create All Tables from db Object:Create table with columns. 2. User Object Constructors: Construct the user table.
    2. Try / Except: test the error of a code.
"""Database Creation and Testing """


# Builds working data for testing
def initUsers():
    with app.app_context():
        """Create database and tables"""
        db.create_all()
        """Tester data for table"""
        u1 = User(name='Thomas Edison', uid='toby', password='123toby', dob=datetime(1847, 2, 11))
        u2 = User(name='Nikola Tesla', uid='niko', password='123niko')
        u3 = User(name='Alexander Graham Bell', uid='lex', password='123lex')
        u4 = User(name='Eli Whitney', uid='whit', password='123whit')
        u5 = User(name='Indiana Jones', uid='indi', dob=datetime(1920, 10, 21))
        u6 = User(name='Marion Ravenwood', uid='raven', dob=datetime(1921, 10, 21))


        users = [u1, u2, u3, u4, u5, u6]

        """Builds sample user/note(s) data"""
        for user in users:
            try:
                '''add user to table'''
                object = user.create()
                print(f"Created new uid {object.uid}")
            except:  # error raised if object nit created
                '''fails with bad or duplicate data'''
                print(f"Records exist uid {user.uid}, or error.")
                
initUsers()
Records exist uid toby, or error.
Records exist uid niko, or error.
Records exist uid lex, or error.
Records exist uid whit, or error.
Records exist uid indi, or error.
Records exist uid raven, or error.

Check for given Credentials in users table in sqlite.db

Use of ORM Query object and custom methods to identify user to credentials uid and password

  • Comment on purpose of following
    1. User.query.filter_by:This filter and lines of data in the database 2. user.password: This is used to check the password in the database and give true or false.
def find_by_uid(uid):
    with app.app_context():
        user = User.query.filter_by(_uid=uid).first()
    return user # returns user object

# Check credentials by finding user and verify password
def check_credentials(uid, password):
    # query email and return user record
    user = find_by_uid(uid)
    if user == None:
        return False
    if (user.is_password(password)):
        return True
    return False
        
#check_credentials("indi", "123qwerty")

Create a new User in table in Sqlite.db

Uses SQLALchemy and custom user.create() method to add row.

  • Comment on purpose of following
    1. user.find_by_uid() and try/except:try and except runs a function similar as if and else. This find the uid by comparing the data in the database. 2. user = User(...): This define user with a class called User.
    2. user.dob and try/except: Initialize date of birth
    3. user.create() and try/except: Initialize create user and run the function.
def create():
    # optimize user time to see if uid exists
    uid = input("Enter your user id:")
    user = find_by_uid(uid)
    try:
        print("Found\n", user.read())
        return
    except:
        pass # keep going
    
    # request value that ensure creating valid object
    name = input("Enter your name:")
    password = input("Enter your password")
    
    # Initialize User object before date
    user = User(name=name, 
                uid=uid, 
                password=password
                )
    
    # create user.dob, fail with today as dob
    dob = input("Enter your date of birth 'YYYY-MM-DD'")
    try:
        user.dob = datetime.strptime(dob, '%Y-%m-%d').date()
    except ValueError:
        user.dob = datetime.today()
        print(f"Invalid date {dob} require YYYY-mm-dd, date defaulted to {user.dob}")
           
    # write object to database
    with app.app_context():
        try:
            object = user.create()
            print("Created\n", object.read())
        except:  # error raised if object not created
            print("Unknown error uid {uid}")
        
create()
Found
 {'id': 10, 'name': 'antony', 'uid': '1324', 'dob': '03-20-2023', 'age': 0}

Reading users table in sqlite.db

Uses SQLALchemy query.all method to read data

  • Comment on purpose of following
    1. User.query.all:Data entered into a computer by an end user of a Search Engine 2. json_ready assignment, google List Comprehension: Setup data structure by json.
# SQLAlchemy extracts all users from database, turns each user into JSON
def read():
    with app.app_context():
        table = User.query.all()
    json_ready = [user.read() for user in table] # "List Comprehensions", for each user add user.read() to list
    return json_ready

read()
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RuntimeError                              Traceback (most recent call last)
/tmp/ipykernel_246/1192047501.py in <module>
      6     return json_ready
      7 
----> 8 read()

/tmp/ipykernel_246/1192047501.py in read()
      2 def read():
      3     with app.app_context():
----> 4         table = User.query.all()
      5     json_ready = [user.read() for user in table] # "List Comprehensions", for each user add user.read() to list
      6     return json_ready

~/anaconda3/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sqlalchemy/orm/query.py in all(self)
   2695             :meth:`_engine.Result.scalars` - v2 comparable method.
   2696         """
-> 2697         return self._iter().all()  # type: ignore
   2698 
   2699     @_generative

~/anaconda3/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sqlalchemy/orm/query.py in _iter(self)
   2853 
   2854         statement = self._statement_20()
-> 2855         result: Union[ScalarResult[_T], Result[_T]] = self.session.execute(
   2856             statement,
   2857             params,

~/anaconda3/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sqlalchemy/orm/session.py in execute(self, statement, params, execution_options, bind_arguments, _parent_execute_state, _add_event)
   2227 
   2228         """
-> 2229         return self._execute_internal(
   2230             statement,
   2231             params,

~/anaconda3/lib/python3.9/site-packages/sqlalchemy/orm/session.py in _execute_internal(self, statement, params, execution_options, bind_arguments, _parent_execute_state, _add_event, _scalar_result)
   2110             )
   2111 
-> 2112         bind = self.get_bind(**bind_arguments)
   2113 
   2114         conn = self._connection_for_bind(bind)

~/anaconda3/lib/python3.9/site-packages/flask_sqlalchemy/session.py in get_bind(self, mapper, clause, bind, **kwargs)
     51             return bind
     52 
---> 53         engines = self._db.engines
     54 
     55         if mapper is not None:

~/anaconda3/lib/python3.9/site-packages/flask_sqlalchemy/extension.py in engines(self)
    637 
    638         if app not in self._app_engines:
--> 639             raise RuntimeError(
    640                 "The current Flask app is not registered with this 'SQLAlchemy'"
    641                 " instance. Did you forget to call 'init_app', or did you create"

RuntimeError: The current Flask app is not registered with this 'SQLAlchemy' instance. Did you forget to call 'init_app', or did you create multiple 'SQLAlchemy' instances?

Hacks

  • Add this Blog to you own Blogging site. In the Blog add notes and observations on each code cell.
  • Change blog to your own database.
  • Add additional CRUD
    • Add Update functionality to this blog.
    • Add Delete functionality to this blog.

Update

import sqlite3
database = 'instance/sqlite.db'
def update():
    uid = input("Enter your uid")
    password = input("Enter the new password")
    
    conn = sqlite3.connect(database)
    c = conn.cursor()
    
    message = "updated"
    c.execute("UPDATE users SET _password = ? WHERE _uid = ?", (password, uid))
    if c.rowcount == 0:
        print(f"No uid {uid} was not found in the table")
    else:
        print(f"The row with user id {uid} the password has been {message} to {password}")
        conn.commit()
        
    c.close()
    conn.close()
    
update()
The row with user id 1324 the password has been updated to 1234

Delete

import sqlite3

def delete():
    uid = input("Enter user id to delete")

    conn = sqlite3.connect(database)
    c = conn.cursor()
    
    c.execute("DELETE FROM users WHERE _uid = ?", (uid,))
    if c.rowcount == 0:
        print(f"No uid {uid} found")
    else:
        print(f"User {uid} deleted")
    conn.commit()

    c.close()
    conn.close()
    
delete()
User 1324 deleted