Embedding ANT as automatic DB schema upgrader
Anyone who has developed code with other developers that uses a database can sympathize with this dialog
Joe : "Hey, just checked in some code, you need to run this SQL script to create the new tables."
Mary: "It's not working, my schema already has some of those tables from last time"
Joe: "Drop all those, maybe you better drop entire db to be safe"
Mary: "But I'm in the middle of developing something, dang I shouldn't have updated my code"

sipXconfig went to use ANT to break up these little DB schema upgrades into "patches" that are intelligent enough to know when to run and remember when they've been run before. I'm very happy with this and it actually required ZERO java coding!
http://scm.sipfoundry.org/rep/sipX/main/sipXconfig/neoconf/etc/database/database.xml

Rule was you never edited a patch once it was checked in, you only patched other patches. It was still difficult in early development stages when your portion of the schema changed drastically and you left a long string of patches behind. So I came up with a patch that clears itself and applies itself everytime the application runs.

<target name="drop-firmware" if="firmware">
    <sipx-sql>
      drop table firmware;
      drop sequence firmware_seq;
      delete from patch where name = 'firmware';
</sipx-sql>
</target>

<target name="firmware" depends="drop-firmware">
    <db-patch patch="firmware">
</target>

sipx-sql runs a SQL script and db-patch does the same but also marks that the script has been applied before so that next time this ant file is run "if=firmare" will be true. Details are in the database.xml from above.

At some point when these tables stablize, I can just change it to this

<target name="firmware" unless="firmware">
    <db-patch patch="firmware">
</target>

- posted by Unknown @ 7:12 PM 0 comments | permalink

 
Waiting for remote video

somebody w/video call me...

Compusa had a sale on webcams, 2 Creative labs Live web cams for $70. Other one will be xmas gift so someone will call me, maybe my brother will use it.
- posted by Unknown @ 6:10 PM 0 comments | permalink

 
Please, all sales final
It's how I remember what order to put my java method and field modifiers

public abstract static final ...

I say it to myself half-dozen times a day, so I thought I'd share.
- posted by Unknown @ 12:50 PM 0 comments | permalink