Where to obtain cql (for -R database files)?

30 views

Skip to first unread message

Martijn Dekker

unread,

Jul 9, 2020, 3:04:45 PM7/9/20

to Korn Shell

The ksh -R option is not documented in (k)sh.1 (although it is mentioned
in the synopsis), but 'ksh --man' documents it as follows:

| -R file Do not execute the script, but create a cross reference
| database in file that can be used a separate shell
script
| browser. The -R option requires a script to be
specified as
| the first operand.

I did some Googling to figure out what this "separate shell script
browser" could be, and ended up here:

https://comp.unix.shell.narkive.com/dpQsfiWq/ksh-syntax-tree-and-script-call-analysis

which says these files should be usable with a tool called cql, "C Query
Language", or cdb, a tool to display files in this language:

http://web.archive.org/web/20080820144630/http://public.research.att.com/~gsf/cql/cql.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20100811174618/http://www2.research.att.com/~gsf/man/man1/cdb.html

Does anyone know where cql and/or cdb are currently available? It can't
be downloaded from those links. Without these, the ksh -R feature
appears to be of no use.

Thanks,

- Martijn

--
|| modernish -- harness the shell
|| https://github.com/modernish/modernish
||
|| KornShell lives!
|| https://github.com/ksh93/ksh

Marc Wilson

unread,

Jul 9, 2020, 3:21:13 PM7/9/20

to Korn Shell

Some documentation, at least, for cql appears to be on gsf's page.

http://gsf.cococlyde.org/files

Marc Wilson

unread,

Jul 9, 2020, 3:31:50 PM7/9/20

to Korn Shell

And at some point it was part of ast, because if you google around for cql.c, you can find more than one PDF abstract that mentions it and at least one person who was trying to build ast under cygwin with a patch file that mentions it.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.33.6765&rep=rep1&type=pdf

https://sourceware.org/legacy-ml/cygwin/2002-07/msg02439.html

Marc Wilson

unread,

Jul 9, 2020, 6:42:17 PM7/9/20

to Korn Shell

I found a binary here (Windows.): http://academy.delmar.edu/Courses/ITSC1405/Downloads/AT&T_Unix-for-Windows/

C:\root\usr\bin>.\cql --man

NAME

cql - C query language

SYNOPSIS

cql [ options ] [ data ]

DESCRIPTION

cql applies C style expressions to flat database files. It fills the gap between awk(1) and full blown relational

database management programs. A flat database is a sequence of newline terminated records of delimiter separated

fields.

Files are processed as follows. cql first evaluates the begin expression if defined, then sequentially applies the

select expression to all records. The action expression is evaluated for each record that select evaluates to non-0.

After all records have been checked the done expression is evaluated if defined, and cql exits. The default select

expression is 1 (all records are selected) and the default action expression prints the record on the standard

output.

Depending on the input file declarations, cql may generate index files for quick record access. Indexes are used to

filter out records for which select would evaluate to 0. Index files are placed in the current directory and each is

named by changing the suffix to .hix or by adding a .hix suffix.

OPTIONS

-a, --active Run in active mode by reading declarations and expressions from the standard input. The special

sequence %% separates the declarations from the expressions. %% after an expression applies that

expression to the input files. EOF terminates the active session. Active mode error message lines

are prefixed with %% cql:.

-c, --compile=file

If file matches *.c then the cql expression are converted to C and placed in file, and cql exits.

file may then be compiled with cc(1). Otherwise file is assumed to be a dll (compiled and linked

from a .c file previously generated by clq) and is loaded into the current process.

-e|d, --expression=expr

expression defines the database schemas and the labelled expressions that control database

traversal. Multiple --expression expressions are parsed in order from left to right.

-f, --file=file Equivalent to -e "#include 'file'".

-l, --local By default index files are only generated in the directory containing the data files; --local causes

index files to be generated in the current directory.

-n, --index Enable index file generation. If index files must be (re)generated and --noindex is on then cql

exits with a diagnostic. On by default; -n means --noindex.

-r, --replace Replace the top level database view with an updated view if there were updates.

-R, --regenerate

If index files are required then --regenerate forces them to be regenerated even if the otherwise

seem up-to-date.

-u, --update Only output updated records. By default all selected records are output.

-w, --warn Disable malformed data warning messages. With --nowarn malformed records are silently repaired or

discarded. On by default; -w means --nowarn.

-I, --include=dir

Add dir to the list of directories searched for include and library files. The default ../lib/cql

directories on $PATH are added to this list.

-D, --debug=level

Set the debug trace level to level. Higher levels produce more output.

-T, --test=mask Inclusive-or mask into the implementation defined test mask. Occasionally a particular mask may be

used as a temporary bug workaround. Otherwise use at your own risk.

-g, --g2 (obsolete) Enable g2 output mode.

SCHEMAS

A schema is similar to a C struct declaration with the struct keyword omitted. A schema specifies names and types

for the fields in a database record. The types are:

char* A null-terminated C string.

date_t

A C unsigned long variable whose string representation is a date.

elapsed_t

A C long variable whose string representation is elapsed time in 1/100 seconds.

float A C double variable.

hex A C unsigned long variable whose string representation is hexadecimal.

int A C long variable.

string

Equivalent to a null-terminated C char*.

unsigned

A C unsigned long variable.

Schemas are themselves types. schema field; declares a subfield within a record and schema* field; declares a field

that indexes another schema. In this case the field value is a string key that is used to match the first field in

the referenced schema. The register prefix denotes fields that should be indexed; references to other schemas are

always indexed.

The first declared schema becomes the main schema (the schema of the data to be scanned.) The main schema may also

be set by schema=schema;. schema.delimiter="delimiter"; sets the delimiter for schema and schema.input="file"; sets

the input to file. The default delimiter is ";". The main schema input is the data command line argument if

specified. Otherwise schema input file names are determined by the schema name with an optional .db suffix. Multiple

schemas may be placed in a single file using the pax(1) vdb archive format.

EXPRESSIONS

A labelled expression is defined by one of:

label : statement-list

type label() { statement-list }

Supported expression labels are:

action

Evaluated for each record in which select returns non-zero. The default action lists each selected record as

it appears in the databse.

begin Evaluated once before the traversal begins. The return value is ignored.

end Evaluated once after the traversal ends. The return value is ignored.

select

Evaluated once for each record. If the return value is non-zero then action is evaluated. The default select

return value is always non-zero.

closure

TBD

loop TBD

select is assumed when label: or type label() is omitted. statement-list is composed of expr(3) C style expressions,

including int variable, ... and float variable, ... declarations, (int) and (float) casts, if - else conditionals,

for and while loops, and { ... } blocks. The trailing ; in any expression is optional. In the absense of a return

statement the expression value is the value of the last evaluated expression in statement-list. Numbers and comments

follow C syntax. String operands must be quoted with either "..." or '...'. String comparisons (== and !=) treat the

right hand operand as a ksh(1) file match pattern.

The expressions operate on the fields in the current input record. The begin and end expressions operate on a null

valued current record. If a date_t type field is an operand to a binary operator then the other operand may be a

string that is interpreted as a date(1) date expression; there is similar treatment for other types with alternate

string representations.

There is also a predefined readonly schema with the following elements:

elapsed_t clock

The elapsed time in 1/100 seconds since this cql started.

date_t date

The date when this cql started.

int errors

The current soft error count. cql continues after a soft error but exits with a non-zero exit status when

complete.

int line

The current input file line number.

int offset

The current input file byte offset.

int record

The current input file record number.

int select

The current number of selected records.

int size

The size in bytes of the current input record.

date_t time

The current date and time.

The following expr(3) functions are also supported:

cql.getenv(name)

Returns the value of the environment variable name. The empty string is returned for undefined environment

variables.

cql.path(name,len)

Truncates the file pathname name to len bytes.

cql.sub(string,old,new,flags)?Returns the substituted value of string the first match of the egrep(1) style

regular expression old replaced by new. flags may be any combination of:

g Substitute all matches of old.

l Convert matches to lower case.

u Convert matches to upper case.

exit(expr)

Causes cql to exit with the exit code expr. expr defaults to 0 if omitted.

printf(format[,arg...])

Print the arguments on stdout using the printf(3) specification format.

eprintf(format[,arg...])

Like printf but output goes to stderr.

query(format[,arg...])

Prompt with the printf(3) message on stderr for an interactive response. A line beginning with y returns 1,

q or EOF causes cql to exit immediately, and any other input returns 0.