Working with SQLite Databases

SQLite is a simple database that's perfect for learning. You don't need a separate server—it's just a file on your computer. Free Pascal makes it easy to work with SQLite databases.

What is CRUD?

CRUD stands for the four basic things you can do with data:

• Create - Add new records to the database
• Read - Get data from the database
• Update - Change existing records
• Delete - Remove records

Setting Up SQLite

First, you need the SQLite library. Most systems already have it installed. In your Free Pascal code, you'll use the sqlite3 unit.

Installing SQLite3 Libraries

The sqlite3 unit requires the SQLite3 libraries to be installed on your system:

• Windows: Download the SQLite3 DLL from https://sqlite.org/download.html. The DLL must be in a path that can be found by your executable (such as the same directory as your program, or in your system PATH).
• Linux: Use your distribution's package manager to install SQLite3 libraries:
• Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install libsqlite3-0
• Fedora/RHEL: sudo dnf install sqlite-libs
• Arch: sudo pacman -S sqlite
• macOS: SQLite3 is typically pre-installed, but you can install or update it via Homebrew: brew install sqlite

Simple Database Example: Student Records

Here's a complete program that creates a database, adds students, reads them, updates one, and deletes one.

program StudentDatabase;

{$mode objfpc}{$H+}{$J-}

uses
  Classes,
  SysUtils,
  sqlite3;

var
  DB: PSQLite3;
  Stmt: PSQLite3_Stmt;
  ErrMsg: PChar;
  rc: integer;
  id, age: integer;
  name: string;

begin
  { Open or create the database }
  rc := sqlite3_open('students.db', @DB);
  if rc <> SQLITE_OK then
  begin
    WriteLn('Error opening database');
    Exit;
  end;

  { Create the students table }
  sqlite3_exec(DB, 'CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS students (' +
    'id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,' +
    'name TEXT NOT NULL,' +
    'age INTEGER);', nil, nil, @ErrMsg);

  WriteLn('=== Adding students (CREATE) ===');
  sqlite3_exec(DB, 'INSERT INTO students (name, age) VALUES (''Alice'', 17);', nil, nil, @ErrMsg);
  sqlite3_exec(DB, 'INSERT INTO students (name, age) VALUES (''Bob'', 18);', nil, nil, @ErrMsg);
  sqlite3_exec(DB, 'INSERT INTO students (name, age) VALUES (''Charlie'', 16);', nil, nil, @ErrMsg);
  WriteLn('Added 3 students');

  WriteLn('');
  WriteLn('=== Reading all students (READ) ===');
  rc := sqlite3_prepare_v2(DB, 'SELECT id, name, age FROM students;', -1, @Stmt, nil);
  while sqlite3_step(Stmt) = SQLITE_ROW do
  begin
    id := sqlite3_column_int(Stmt, 0);
    name := string(PChar(sqlite3_column_text(Stmt, 1)));
    age := sqlite3_column_int(Stmt, 2);
    WriteLn('ID: ', id, ' | Name: ', name, ' | Age: ', age);
  end;
  sqlite3_finalize(Stmt);

  WriteLn('');
  WriteLn('=== Updating Bob''s age to 19 (UPDATE) ===');
  sqlite3_exec(DB, 'UPDATE students SET age = 19 WHERE name = ''Bob'';', nil, nil, @ErrMsg);
  WriteLn('Updated Bob');

  WriteLn('');
  WriteLn('=== Reading after update ===');
  rc := sqlite3_prepare_v2(DB, 'SELECT id, name, age FROM students WHERE name = ''Bob'';', -1, @Stmt, nil);
  while sqlite3_step(Stmt) = SQLITE_ROW do
  begin
    id := sqlite3_column_int(Stmt, 0);
    name := string(PChar(sqlite3_column_text(Stmt, 1)));
    age := sqlite3_column_int(Stmt, 2);
    WriteLn('ID: ', id, ' | Name: ', name, ' | Age: ', age);
  end;
  sqlite3_finalize(Stmt);

  WriteLn('');
  WriteLn('=== Deleting Charlie (DELETE) ===');
  sqlite3_exec(DB, 'DELETE FROM students WHERE name = ''Charlie'';', nil, nil, @ErrMsg);
  WriteLn('Deleted Charlie');

  WriteLn('');
  WriteLn('=== Reading final list ===');
  rc := sqlite3_prepare_v2(DB, 'SELECT id, name, age FROM students;', -1, @Stmt, nil);
  while sqlite3_step(Stmt) = SQLITE_ROW do
  begin
    id := sqlite3_column_int(Stmt, 0);
    name := string(PChar(sqlite3_column_text(Stmt, 1)));
    age := sqlite3_column_int(Stmt, 2);
    WriteLn('ID: ', id, ' | Name: ', name, ' | Age: ', age);
  end;
  sqlite3_finalize(Stmt);

  { Close the database }
  sqlite3_close(DB);
  WriteLn('');
  WriteLn('Database closed. File saved as students.db');
  ReadLn;
end.

How It Works

1. Open Database - sqlite3_open('students.db', @DB) opens the file (or creates it if it doesn't exist)

2. Create Table - The CREATE TABLE command sets up the structure. Each student has: - id - A unique number (automatically increases) - name - Text for the student's name - age - A number for age

3. Create (INSERT) - Add new records with INSERT INTO students VALUES (...)

4. Read (SELECT) - Get data with SELECT and loop through results with sqlite3_step

5. Update - Change existing records with UPDATE ... SET ... WHERE

6. Delete - Remove records with DELETE FROM ... WHERE

Getting Column Values

When you read from the database, you get back different types:

{ Get different data types from a result }
sqlite3_column_int(Stmt, 0)              { Get an integer }
sqlite3_column_text(Stmt, 1)             { Get text }
sqlite3_column_double(Stmt, 2)           { Get a decimal number }

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Remember to use sqlite3_finalize(Stmt) after reading results, so you don't waste memory
• Use quotes correctly: single quotes ' inside SQL, double quotes " in Pascal strings
• Always close the database with sqlite3_close(DB) when done

The File

The database is saved as students.db in the same folder as your program. You can open it with database viewer tools to see the data.

Next Steps

• Try changing the table structure (add more columns like email or grade)
• Use WHERE conditions to find specific students
• Try using ORDER BY to sort results