relspecgo/pkg/writers/dctx

DCTX Writer

Generates Clarion database dictionary (DCTX) files from database schema information.

Overview

The DCTX Writer converts RelSpec's internal database model representation into Clarion dictionary XML format, used by the Clarion development platform.

Features

• Generates DCTX XML format
• Creates file (table) definitions
• Defines fields (columns) with Clarion types
• Includes keys (indexes)
• Handles relationships

Usage

Basic Example

package main

import (
    "git.warky.dev/wdevs/relspecgo/pkg/models"
    "git.warky.dev/wdevs/relspecgo/pkg/writers"
    "git.warky.dev/wdevs/relspecgo/pkg/writers/dctx"
)

func main() {
    options := &writers.WriterOptions{
        OutputPath: "database.dctx",
    }

    writer := dctx.NewWriter(options)
    err := writer.WriteDatabase(db)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
}

CLI Examples

# Generate DCTX from PostgreSQL database (for Clarion migration)
relspec --input pgsql \
  --conn "postgres://localhost/mydb" \
  --output dctx \
  --out-file app.dctx

# Convert GORM models to DCTX
relspec --input gorm --in-file models.go --output dctx --out-file legacy.dctx

# Convert JSON schema to DCTX
relspec --input json --in-file schema.json --output dctx --out-file database.dctx

Type Mapping

Converts standard SQL types to Clarion types:

SQL Type	Clarion Type	Notes
VARCHAR(n)	STRING(n)	Fixed-length string
TEXT	STRING	Variable length
INTEGER	LONG	32-bit integer
BIGINT	DECIMAL(20,0)	Large integer
SMALLINT	SHORT	16-bit integer
NUMERIC(p,s)	DECIMAL(p,s)	Decimal number
REAL, FLOAT	REAL	Floating point
BOOLEAN	BYTE	0/1 value
DATE	DATE	Date field
TIME	TIME	Time field
TIMESTAMP	LONG	Unix timestamp

DCTX Structure

DCTX files are XML-based with this structure:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<dictionary>
  <file name="USERS" driver="TOPSPEED">
    <record>
      <field name="ID" type="LONG" />
      <field name="USERNAME" type="STRING" bytes="50" />
      <field name="EMAIL" type="STRING" bytes="100" />
    </record>
    <key name="KEY_PRIMARY" primary="true">
      <field name="ID" />
    </key>
  </file>
</dictionary>

Features

• File definitions (equivalent to tables)
• Field definitions with Clarion-specific types
• Key definitions (primary and foreign)
• Relationships between files
• Driver specifications (TOPSPEED, SQL, etc.)

Notes

• DCTX is specific to Clarion development
• Useful for legacy system integration
• Field names are typically uppercase in Clarion
• Supports Clarion-specific attributes
• Can be imported into Clarion IDE