This is basically the TL;DR for my Diving into Ecto series. I always hate having to skim a long blog post looking for a quick answer, and I know you do too. With that in mind I'm going to make this post a list of common and not so common queries you can do with Ecto. I will keep it up-to-date as I discover more interesting queries and ways of using Ecto.
The repo with this post reproduced in the README can be found at https://github.com/parkerl/ecto_query_library. The queries below can be found in a usable form in lib/fishing_spot/queries.ex
. If you find something incorrect please open a pull request. I would like to make this a community resource rather than my personal toolbox.
For the full story behind this project and the queries start here Diving into Ecto: Part 1.
Versions
The query library is currently built using the following setup.
- Elixir 1.4
- Ecto 2.1
- Postgres 9.4
Table of Contents
- Select Styles
- Select Distinct
- Distinct on Expression
- Distinct with Order By
- Max
- Where
- Count
- Count Distinct
- Group By with Max
- Group By with Having
- Limit
- Limit and Offset
- Order By
- Joins
- Joining with a Fragment
- Max in two queries
- Record with Max Value via Self Join
- Record with Max Value via Subquery
- Record with Max Value via Join Fragment
- Keyword Where
- Keyword Where Referencing Another Model
- Where with In Clause
- Where with Not In Clause
- Complex Muti-join Multi-where
- Using a Select Fragment
- Complex Select Logic Using a Fragment
- Partial-preloading
- Binding Fun
- Working with Prefixes
Simple Queries with Different Select Styles
Demonstrates how the various select styles change the return structure.
# Default: The entire model comes back as a list of structs.
Repo.all(
from fisherman in Fisherman
)
06:11:18.292 [debug] SELECT f0."id", f0."inserted_at", f0."updated_at", f0."name", f0."date_of_birth" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 [] OK query=0.5ms
[%FishingSpot.Fisherman{meta: #Ecto.Schema.Metadata<:loaded>,
date_of_birth: #Ecto.Date<1970-01-02>,
fish_landed: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fish_landed is not loaded>,
fishermen_trips: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fishermen_trips is not loaded>,
id: 1, inserted_at: #Ecto.DateTime<2015-09-29T12:05:05Z>, name: "Mark",
trips: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :trips is not loaded>,
updated_at: #Ecto.DateTime<2015-09-29T12:05:05Z>},
# The same as above. The entire model comes back as a list of structs.
Repo.all(
from fisherman in Fisherman,
select: fisherman
)
06:11:18.292 [debug] SELECT f0."id", f0."inserted_at", f0."updated_at", f0."name", f0."date_of_birth" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 [] OK query=0.5ms
[%FishingSpot.Fisherman{meta: #Ecto.Schema.Metadata<:loaded>,
date_of_birth: #Ecto.Date<1970-01-02>,
fish_landed: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fish_landed is not loaded>,
fishermen_trips: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fishermen_trips is not loaded>,
id: 1, inserted_at: #Ecto.DateTime<2015-09-29T12:05:05Z>, name: "Mark",
trips: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :trips is not loaded>,
updated_at: #Ecto.DateTime<2015-09-29T12:05:05Z>},
# Selects only the given fields. Returns a list of lists.
Repo.all(
from fisherman in Fisherman,
select: [fisherman.name, fisherman.date_of_birth]
)
06:11:18.305 [debug] SELECT f0."name", f0."date_of_birth" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 [] OK query=0.4ms
[["Mark", #Ecto.Date<1970-01-02>], ["Kirk", #Ecto.Date<1978-03-05>],
["Joe", #Ecto.Date<1973-10-15>], ["Lew", #Ecto.Date<1976-01-05>]]
# Selects only the given fields. Returns a list of tuples.
Repo.all(
from fisherman in Fisherman,
select: { fisherman.name, fisherman.date_of_birth }
)
06:11:18.306 [debug] SELECT f0."name", f0."date_of_birth" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 [] OK query=0.4ms
[{"Mark", #Ecto.Date<1970-01-02>}, {"Kirk", #Ecto.Date<1978-03-05>},
{"Joe", #Ecto.Date<1973-10-15>}, {"Lew", #Ecto.Date<1976-01-05>}]
# Selects only the given fields. Returns a list of maps with data in the given keys.
Repo.all(
from fisherman in Fisherman,
select: %{ fisherman_name: fisherman.name, fisherman_dob: fisherman.date_of_birth }
)
06:11:18.307 [debug] SELECT f0."name", f0."date_of_birth" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 [] OK query=0.3ms
[%{fisherman_dob: #Ecto.Date<1970-01-02>, fisherman_name: "Mark"},
%{fisherman_dob: #Ecto.Date<1978-03-05>, fisherman_name: "Kirk"},
%{fisherman_dob: #Ecto.Date<1973-10-15>, fisherman_name: "Joe"},
%{fisherman_dob: #Ecto.Date<1976-01-05>, fisherman_name: "Lew"}]
Select Distinct
from fish in FishLanded,
select: fish.weight,
distinct: true
12:18:21.346 [debug] SELECT DISTINCT f0."weight" FROM "fish_landed" AS f0 [] OK query=9.5ms decode=3.0ms
Distinct On Expression
from fish in FishLanded,
distinct: fish.weight
2:26:59.260 [debug] SELECT DISTINCT ON (f0."weight") f0."id", f0."inserted_at", f0."updated_at", f0."date_and_time", f0."weight", f0."length", f0."fisherman_id", f0."location_id", f0."fly_type_id", f0."fish_species_id" FROM "fish_landed" AS f0 [] OK query=3.3ms decode=0.1ms queue=0.1ms
[%FishingSpot.FishLanded{__meta__: #Ecto.Schema.Metadata<:loaded>,
date_and_time: #Ecto.DateTime<2012-06-12 21:51:26>,
fish_species: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fish_species is not loaded>,
fish_species_id: 1,
fisherman: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fisherman is not loaded>,
fisherman_id: 1,
fly_type: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fly_type is not loaded>,
fly_type_id: 3, id: 886, inserted_at: #Ecto.DateTime<2016-02-18 04:51:26>,
length: #Decimal<6>,
location: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :location is not loaded>,
location_id: 1, updated_at: #Ecto.DateTime<2016-02-18 04:51:26>,
weight: #Decimal<1>},...
Distinct with Order By
from fish in FishLanded,
distinct: fish.weight,
order_by: fish.date_and_time
12:37:15.371 [debug] SELECT DISTINCT ON (f0."weight") f0."id", f0."inserted_at", f0."updated_at", f0."date_and_time", f0."weight", f0."length", f0."fisherman_id", f0."location_id", f0."fly_type_id", f0."fish_species_id" FROM "fish_landed" AS f0
ORDER BY f0."weight", f0."date_and_time" [] OK query=4.9ms decode=0.2ms
[%FishingSpot.FishLanded{__meta__: #Ecto.Schema.Metadata<:loaded>,
date_and_time: #Ecto.DateTime<2012-06-06 21:51:25>,
fish_species: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fish_species is not loaded>,
fish_species_id: 2,
fisherman: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fisherman is not loaded>,
fisherman_id: 3,
fly_type: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :fly_type is not loaded>,
fly_type_id: 2, id: 571, inserted_at: #Ecto.DateTime<2016-02-18 04:51:25>,
length: #Decimal<1>,
location: #Ecto.Association.NotLoaded<association :location is not loaded>,
location_id: 2, updated_at: #Ecto.DateTime<2016-02-18 04:51:25>,
weight: #Decimal<1>}, ...
Max
from fish in FishLanded,
select: max(fish.length)
Simple Where
from fish in FishLanded,
where: fish.length > 24
Count
from fish in FishLanded,
select: count(fish.id),
where: fish.length > 24
Count Distinct
from fish in FishLanded,
select: count(fish.fisherman_id, :distinct)
Group By with Max
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
group_by: fisherman.name,
select: [max(fish.length), fisherman.name]
Group By with Having
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
group_by: fisherman.name,
having: count(fish.id) > 15,
select: [max(fish.length), fisherman.name]
Limit
from fish in FishLanded,
limit: 10
Limit and Offset
Demonstrates the use of limit and offset using a calculated value. Also, demonstrates the use of Repo.aggregate/3
.
fish_count = Repo.aggregate(FishLanded, :count, :id) |> div(2)
Repo.all(
from fish in FishLanded,
limit: 10,
offset: ^fish_count
)
Order By
Demonstrates ordering ascending and descending including keyword syntax.
from fisherman in Fisherman,
order_by: fisherman.name,
select: fisherman.name
21:50:02.022 [debug] SELECT f0."name" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 ORDER BY f0."name" [] OK query=4.0ms
["Joe", "Kirk", "Lew", "Mark"]
from fisherman in Fisherman,
order_by: [desc: fisherman.name],
select: fisherman.name
21:50:02.025 [debug] SELECT f0."name" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 ORDER BY f0."name" DESC [] OK query=0.5ms
["Mark", "Lew", "Kirk", "Joe"]
from fisherman in Fisherman,
order_by: :name,
select: fisherman.name
21:50:02.022 [debug] SELECT f0."name" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 ORDER BY f0."name" [] OK query=4.0ms
["Joe", "Kirk", "Lew", "Mark"]
from fisherman in Fisherman,
order_by: [desc: :name],
select: fisherman.name
21:50:02.025 [debug] SELECT f0."name" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 ORDER BY f0."name" DESC [] OK query=0.5ms
["Mark", "Lew", "Kirk", "Joe"]
fields = [:name, :date_of_birth]
13:40:42.863 [debug] SELECT f0."name" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 ORDER BY f0."name", f0."date_of_birth" [] OK query=0.2ms
from fisherman in Fisherman,
order_by: ^fields,
select: fisherman.name
13:40:42.863 [debug] SELECT f0."name" FROM "fishermen" AS f0 ORDER BY f0."name", f0."date_of_birth" [] OK query=0.2ms
Record with Max Value in Two Steps
Demonstrates interpolating the result of one query into another.
[big_fish] = Repo.all(
from fish in FishLanded,
select: max(fish.length)
)
Repo.all(
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
where: fish.length == ^big_fish,
select: [fish.length, fisherman.name]
)
Record with Max Value via Self Join
Demonstrates left joins, self joins, and conditions in joins. Calculates the record with a maximum value by "folding" onto the same table.
from fish in FishLanded,
left_join: bigger_fish in FishLanded, on: fish.length < bigger_fish.length,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
where: is_nil(bigger_fish.id),
select: [fish.length, fisherman.name]
Record with Max Value via Subquery
Demonstrates subqueries in where clauses.
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
where: fragment(
"? IN (SELECT MAX(biggest_fish.length) FROM fish_landed biggest_fish)", fish.length
),
select: [fish.length, fisherman.name]
Record with Max Value via Join Fragment
Demonstrates the use of fragment in joins.
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
join: big_fish in fragment(
"(SELECT MAX(biggest_fish.length) AS length FROM fish_landed biggest_fish)"
),
on: fish.length == big_fish.length,
select: [fish.length, fisherman.name]
Keyword Where
Demonstrates the use of a keyword list for generating where clauses. Values are AND
d. Also, shows that variables will be interpolated.
{_, date} = Ecto.Date.cast("1976-01-05")
Repo.all(
from fisherman in Fisherman,
where: [name: "Lew", date_of_birth: ^date]
)
=> SELECT f0."id", f0."inserted_at", f0."updated_at", f0."name", f0."date_of_birth"
FROM "fishermen" AS f0
WHERE ((f0."name" = 'Lew')
AND (f0."date_of_birth" = $1))
[{1976, 1, 5}]
where(Fisherman, [name: "Lew", date_of_birth: ^date]) |> Repo.all
=> SELECT f0."id", f0."inserted_at", f0."updated_at", f0."name", f0."date_of_birth"
FROM "fishermen" AS f0
WHERE ((f0."name" = 'Lew')
AND (f0."date_of_birth" = $1))
[{1976, 1, 5}]
Keyword Where Referencing Another Model
Demonstrates referencing another model in a keyword where clause. Also shows that no join condition is required by join
. It defaults to ON TRUE
.
join(Fisherman, :inner, [], fish_landed in FishLanded)
|> where([fisherman, fish_landed], [name: "Lew", date_of_birth: ^date, id: fish_landed.fisherman_id])
|> Repo.all
=> SELECT f0."id", f0."inserted_at", f0."updated_at", f0."name", f0."date_of_birth"
FROM "fishermen" AS f0
INNER JOIN "fish_landed" AS f1 ON TRUE
WHERE (((f0."name" = 'Lew')
AND (f0."date_of_birth" = $1))
AND (f0."id" = f1."fisherman_id"))
[{1976, 1, 5}]
Where with In Clause
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
where: fisherman.name in ["Mark", "Kirk"],
group_by: fisherman.name,
order_by: fisherman.name,
select: %{biggest_fish: max(fish.length), fisherman: fisherman.name}
Where with Not In Clause
Demonstrates the use of not
to negate an in clause.
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
where: not fisherman.name in ["Mark", "Kirk"],
group_by: fisherman.name,
order_by: fisherman.name,
select: %{biggest_fish: max(fish.length), fisherman: fisherman.name}
Complex Muti-join Multi-where
Demonstrates joins, sub-querying and using map syntax in the select.
Uses the date_add/3
function. Demonstrates how to accomplish a "between" where clause.
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fly_type in assoc(fish, :fly_type),
join: fish_species in assoc(fish, :fish_species),
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
join: trip in assoc(fisherman, :trips),
join: locations in assoc(trip, :locations),
join: location_types in assoc(locations, :location_type),
where: fragment(
"? IN (SELECT MAX(biggest_fish.length) FROM fish_landed biggest_fish)", fish.length
),
where: fish.date_and_time >= trip.start_date,
where: fish.date_and_time <= date_add(trip.end_date, 1, "day"),
select: %{
length: fish.length,
date_caught: fish.date_and_time,
fish_type: fish_species.name,
fly: fly_type.name,
fisherman: fisherman.name,
trip_start: trip.start_date,
trip_end: trip.end_date,
location: locations.name,
location_type: location_types.name
}
Using a Select Fragment
with Named Grouping and Positional Ordering
Demonstrates how to use a named column from a fragment or a positional column from an aggregate function in grouping or ordering.
from fish in FishLanded,
group_by: fragment("date"),
order_by: fragment("2"),
select: %{
date: fragment("date_trunc('day', ?) AS date", field(fish, :date_and_time)),
fish_count: count(fish.id)
}
Complex Select Logic Using a Fragment
Demonstrates how to use multiple columns to calculate a value. Also orders descending using positional column selection.
from fish in FishLanded,
join: fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman),
order_by: [desc: fragment("1")],
select: %{
bool: fragment(
"((? = 'Kirk' OR ? = 'Mark') AND NOT ? < 10) AS crazy_select",
field(fisherman, :name),
field(fisherman, :name),
field(fish, :length)),
fisherman: fisherman.name
}
Partial-preloading
Demonstrates how to select only parts of a join model in a preload. Uses both map and list select syntax.
query = Fisherman
|> join(:inner, [fisherman], fish in assoc(fisherman, :fish_landed))
|> where([fisherman], fisherman.id == 1)
|> select([fisherman, fish], %{fisherman: fisherman, length: fish.length})
|> preload([fisherman, fish], [fish_landed: fish])
Repo.first(query).fisherman.fish_landed |> IO.inspect
query = Fisherman
|> join(:inner, [fisherman], fish in assoc(fisherman, :fish_landed))
|> where([fisherman], fisherman.id == 1)
|> select([fisherman, fish], %{fisherman: fisherman, length: fish.length})
|> preload([fisherman, fish], [fish_landed: fish])
fisherman = Repo.first(query) |> List.first
fisherman.fish_landed |> IO.inspect
Binding Fun
Demonstrates that bindings are order and not name dependent. See http://www.glydergun.com/a-bit-about-bindings/.
FishLanded
|> join(:inner, [fish], fly_type in assoc(fish, :fly_type))
|> join(:inner, [fish, fly_type], fish_species in assoc(fish, :fish_species))
|> join(:inner, [fish, fly_type, fish_type], fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman))
|> join(:inner, [fish, fly_type, fish_type, fisherman], trip in assoc(fisherman, :trips))
|> join(:inner, [fish, fly_type, fish_type, fisherman, trip],
locations in assoc(trip, :locations))
|> join(:inner, [fish, fly_type, fish_type, fisherman, trip, location],
location_types in assoc(location, :location_type))
|> select([fish], count(fish.id))
FishLanded
|> join(:inner, [fish], fly_type in assoc(fish, :fly_type))
|> join(:inner, [fish], fish_species in assoc(fish, :fish_species))
|> join(:inner, [fish], fisherman in assoc(fish, :fisherman))
|> join(:inner, [fish, fly_type, fish_type, fisherman],
trip in assoc(fisherman, :trips))
|> join(:inner, [fish, fly_type, fish_type, fisherman, trip],
locations in assoc(trip, :locations))
|> join(:inner, [fish, fly_type, fish_type, fisherman, trip, location],
location_types in assoc(location, :location_type))
|> select([fish], count(fish.id))
FishLanded
|> join(:inner, [fish], fly_type in assoc(fish, :fly_type))
|> join(:inner, [nemo], fish_species in assoc(nemo, :fish_species))
|> join(:inner, [bait], fisherman in assoc(bait, :fisherman))
|> join(:inner, [foo, bar, baz, ahab], trip in assoc(ahab, :trips))
|> join(:inner, [foo, bar, baz, ahab, set_sail], locations in assoc(set_sail, :locations))
|> join(:inner, [x, y, z, a, b, c], location_types in assoc(c, :location_type))
|> select([whatever], count(whatever.id))
Working with Prefixes
Demonstrates how to work with schemas other than "public" in Postgres.
# The migration
def change do
execute "CREATE SCHEMA users"
create table(:accounts, prefix: :users) do
add :identifier, :string
add :name, :string
timestamps
end
end
# Inserting data
Repo.insert(
Ecto.Model.put_meta(
%Account{ identifier: "[email protected]", name: "Lew" },
prefix: "users"
)
)
Repo.insert(
Ecto.Model.put_meta(
%Account{ identifier: "[email protected]", name: "Mark" },
prefix: "users"
)
)
Repo.insert(
Ecto.Model.put_meta(
%Account{ identifier: "[email protected]", name: "John" },
prefix: "users"
)
)
#Querying
query = from accounts in Account
Repo.all(%{query | prefix: "users"})