SQLite3: preventing new file creation

[Roger Binns]

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Gnarlodious wrote:
> Every time I say something like:
> 
> connection=sqlite3.connect(file)
> 
> sqlite creates a new database file. Can this behavior be suppressed
> through SQLite? Or am I forced to check for the file existing first?

This is due to the API that pysqlite uses to talk to SQLite.  (There is a
more recent API but pysqlite remains backwards compatible with older SQLite
versions).

Note that although SQLite will create the file, it will be zero length (*)
until you do a command that causes a database change.

Also as a guideline be careful with SQLite files.  In particular not only is
there a database file, but there may also be a journal file.  If the journal
is removed then the main database file can be corrupted.  (The journal
contains data in order to rollback back incomplete transactions from the
database.)

(*) On Mac due to an operating system bug the file will actually be created
as one byte in length containing the upper case letter 'S'.

There is a dedicated mailing list for Python and SQLite:

  http://groups.google.com/group/python-sqlite

You can use the newer SQLite database open API as well as many other SQLite
APIs not supported by pysqlite by using APSW.  (Disclaimer: I am the author
of APSW.)

Roger
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