45 Introducing Enhanced SQL Query Building in Rust

[Oyelowo]

Overview

This new feature significantly improves the way Surrealdb queries are constructed and executed in Rust applications. This update introduces a procedural macro query! that simplifies the process of writing SQL queries, ensuring type safety and reducing the need for repetitive boilerplate code.

Demo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaW3DKrT1Zw

Features

• Simplified Query Syntax: Write SQL queries directly in Rust with automatic handling of placeholders and bindings.
• Type Safety: The macro ensures that the types of Rust variables match the expected SQL types, reducing runtime errors.
• Automatic Placeholder Binding: Bind Rust variables to SQL query placeholders seamlessly, without manual string concatenation.
• Compile-time SQL Validation: Queries are checked for syntax errors at compile time, catching mistakes early in the development process.
• Support for Multiple Queries: Execute multiple SQL statements in one go, with proper handling of each query's unique bindings.

Usage Examples

• Basic Query: Execute a simple SQL query with no placeholders or bindings.

  let db = Surreal::new::<Mem>(()).await.unwrap();
  db.use_ns("test").use_db("test").await.unwrap();
  
  query!(db, "SELECT * FROM users").await;
  query!(db, "SELECT * FROM users", {}).await;

• With Placeholders: Include Rust variables as parameters in your SQL query.

  let username = "Oyelowo";
  query!(db, "SELECT name, score FROM users WHERE score > $score AND name = $name", {
      score : 99,
      name : username
  })
  .await;
  

• Multiple Queries: Run several SQL statements with their respective bindings.

  query!(
      db,
      [
          "SELECT * FROM users WHERE score = $score",
          "CREATE user:oyelowo SET name = $name, company = 'Codebreather', skills = $skills"
      ],
      {
          score: 1,
          name: "Oyelowo",
          skills: vec!["Rust", "Python", "Typescript", "Java", "Go", "Ruby", "R"]
      }
  )
  .await;
  

Benefits

• Developer Efficiency: Spend less time writing and debugging SQL queries, and more time on business logic.
• Code Clarity: Maintain cleaner code with SURQL queries that are easy to read and understand.
• Error Reduction: Reduce the risk of SQL injection and runtime errors through compile-time checks and safe bindings.

Conclusion

This enhancement is a step forward in making surrealdb interactions in Rust as developer-friendly as possible.