SQLite Forum

the huh?
Login

the huh?

(1) By unknown (computer1) on 2021-02-06 23:37:48 [link] [source]

i have windows 10 on an x64 processor. i have no idea how to use a shell on the files i downloaded. i basically unzipped the stupid thing, and for the life of me i can't get the dumb thing to run as an exe. instead, i got two files that make no sense. rather than staring like a moron, reading page after page of what the huh, i decided to ask. i have the following two files in a dir:

sqlite3.def sqlite3.dll

any idea on a windows 10 machine, x64 build, what the huh i should do to make that stupid thing run on a terminal? i was hoping to use the 'sqlite3' command, in some form, however i have no idea what is usually done to cause that kind of executable to in fact execute.

(2) By Richard Damon (RichardDamon) on 2021-02-07 00:19:14 in reply to 1 [source]

That looks like you just downloaded the precomplied dll, not the 'tools' file. You want the file whose name begins sqlite-tools-win32 not the ones that begin sqlite-dll.

(3) By anonymous on 2021-02-07 07:34:04 in reply to 1 [link] [source]

Download this, Extract it to a location of your choice on your Windows 10 computer.

Locate SQLite3.EXE at your chosen location and right-click to create a shortcut.

Edit your short cut to point the Start-in value to be the the location where you extracted the zip.

You need a database to be able to do anything with SQLite3.EXE - download or create one to start with.

SQLite3 is NOT a movie that it set to auto-play: invest some effort in finding out how to get things done.

SQLite3.def definition file - some utilities can create code from this.
SQLite3.DLL A Win32 library that exposes a number of APIs for getting things done using P/Invoke.
SQLite3.EXE The command line interface for SQLite3.

(4) By Ryan Smith (cuz) on 2021-02-07 11:30:02 in reply to 1 [link] [source]

I feel like this is an opportune moment to impart some life advice.

I very much understand the frustration when working with things that are not immediately intuitive or working like you imagine they would, but the elation that comes from solving that is the beauty of learning.

You throw around phrases like "stupid thing" and "the dumb thing" perhaps in an effort to impart some of the source of frustration to "it", but the truth is that it is a "dead thing" and cannot in any way be responsible. It is like calling a hammer "dumb" when it can't tighten a screw.

A further attempt at faux self-deprecation with "like a moron" attempts to hide the severe arrogance of believing that the whole world is dumb and if people only saw it your way everything would be easy. It is evident in the refusal to use capitalization of any sort.

I mean, what use are rules really? amirite?

Well, in computing everything has rules, very very strict rules. The rules are not because it is dumb or cause we are a stuck-up bunch, it is one of the greatest tools to help us find what is wrong in the shortest possible time, it's easy to spot when something is out of rule. In the same way it hurts my eyes when I read your uncapitalized sentences, it immediately hurts a programmer's eyes when seeing code that is not correctly syntaxed, and that "immediate hurting" is what makes us able to spot problems that would otherwise disappear in a sea of letters.

While we are all rebellious against human indoctrination and rules - in machines, having "rules" is a thing of beauty.

Now the downside is that upon meeting said many rules for the first time, as you have, it is a hard path to get the lay of the land and learn them, but I am proposing that if you spend some time and do learn them, you will see the benefit. Google and AI (Siri etc) have lulled people into imagining that machines are not machines and can grok what you mean. While AI might, the base machine cannot, unless you follow its rules to the letter.

In Windows (specifically) an application is compiled into byte-code and stored in an executable file recognized by the ".exe" extension (for "exe"cutable). There are one or two others that can start processes, like .com and .bat but they are not important for this (you may read up on them).

Many programs use libraries which are bunches of coded functions, usually grouped around a common purpose, written by others and aimed to be re-used. These are called dynamically-loaded libraries (since they are "loaded" when run only and not part of the program code at the start) and in Windows these have the extension ".dll" for "D"ynamically "L"oaded "L"ibrary and it is often accompanied by its ".def" ("def"inition) file that tells the world what functions are found inside the library with the same name.

These are rules in Windows, strict ones. A .dll will never execute by itself, for that a .exe is needed. That is how anonymous knew how to help you in the adjacent post.

SQLite is available as downloadable code to add to your own coding project, also as a bunch of functions in such a dynamic library, and also as a stand-alone executable CLI ("C"ommand "L"ine "I"nterface) program, and there are a myriad of downloadable Apps that will work with SQLite databases (using some or other version of the above). I'll suggest SQLiteSpeed because I'm involved with it and it's easy to use on Windows, other good ones are DB Browser for SQLite and recently someone added this one on the forum: github.com/little-brother/sqlite-gui.

Learning all this is not mandatory, you are welcome to just ask here, but I do think learning some of it might save you a whole lot of frustration and hatred of the systems.

By the way, kudos for stating the exact operating system - many neophytes neglect that detail which make answering much harder.