&dhucpackage; &dhsection;

&dhpackage;

Firebird Interactive SQL shell

          &dhpackage;
    	   -a
           -cache bufnum
    	   -database database
           -echo
           -input infile
           -noautocommit
           -nowarnings
           -output outfile
           -password password
           -page pagelen
           -role role
           -s sqldialect
           -terminator lineterm
           -user user
    	   -x
           -z

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the `&dhpackage;` command.

This manual page was written for the &debian; distribution because the original program does not have a (free) manual page. Instead, it has non-free documentation you can get from InterBase (Borland) or FireBird project sites; see at the end of the document.

`&dhpackage;` is a program that allows the user to issue arbitrary SQL commands to a Firebird database as well as exctacting the metadata.

`&dhpackage;` in &debian; is available under `isql-fb` name due to filename conflict with binary from other package. If for some reason it is needed to have it under original name it is possible to add /usr/lib/firebird/bin at the beginning of PATH variable which should solve eventual problem.

## OPTIONS

`&dhpackage;` can handle various command line options. Most options can be abbreviated. Below are given the shortest abbreviations as well as the full versions. A summary of options follows.

`-a`

- Extract DDL statements necessary to re-create database's metadata. The CREATE DATABASE statement is surrounded by C-style comment. Statements are printed to standard output unless redirection is used. See `-output`. See `-x`.

`-c[ache] `buffers``

- Specify default number of cache buffers to be used in connections.

`-d[atabase] `database``

- Used together with `-x`. Specifies target database name when extracting. See `-x`.

`-e[cho]`

- Display each statement before executing it.

`-x|-ex[tract]`

- Extracts DDL statements to recreate database metadata. The only difference with `-a` is that -extract behaves differently if `-d` is also specified.

  If no `-d` is specified, -x behaves exactly as `-a`. If `-d` is specified, the CREATE DATABASE statement is uncommented, replacing database name with `database`.

`-i[nput] `infile``

- Reads commands from `infile` instead of standard input. Exits with commit after the last command.

`-m[erge_stderr]`

- Merges standard error to standard output. Useful for redirecting both streams.

`-n[oautocommit]`

- Normally, all DDL statements like CREATE TABLE are automatically committed in a separate transaction. This option disables the automatic commit of DDL statements.

`-nowarnings`

- Disables displaying of SQL warnings.

`-o[utput] `outfile``

- All output is redirected to the given `outfile`.

`-page[length] `n``

- Prints column headers every `n` output lines. Default is 20.

`-pas[sword] `password``

- Uses given `password` as a default for connecting to the database.

`-r[ole] `sqlrole``

- Uses given `sqlrole` as a default for connecting to the database.

`-s[qldialect] `sqldialect``

- Uses given `sqldialect` as a default for connecting to the database.

`-t[erminator] `lineterm``

- Set command line terminator. Default is semicolon (`;').

`-u[ser] `username``

- Uses given `username` as a default for connecting to the database.

`-z`

- Show version string before doing anything else.

## SEE ALSO

gbak(1), gdef(1), gfix(1), gpre(1), gsec(1), gstat(1), qli(1).

Additional documentation about `&dhpackage;` and other Firebird parts can be found on the Firebird Project website.

For more information about Firebird project, visit http://www.firebirdsql.org/.

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by &dhusername; (&dhemail;) for the &debian; system (but may be used by others). Permission is granted to use this document, with or without modifications, provided that this notice is retained. If we meet some day, and you think this stuff is worth it, you can buy me a beer in return.