add AddByteColumn to add tinyint to the database table.

[Behnam-Emamian]

Added AddByteColumn method to BaseEntityBuilder class to generate tinyint field in the database table.

[dnfadmin]

All CLA requirements met.

[sbwalker]

Oqtane supports 4 database engines - SQL Server, SQLite, mySQL, PostgreSQL. The BaseEntityBuilder only included data types which were supported by all of these databases. Do you know if byte is supported by all of these databases?

[Behnam-Emamian]

EF Core SQL Server Provider (Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer) is using Microsoft.Data.SqlClient to connect to sql server database and supports byte as tinyint field.

EF Core Sqlite Provider (Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Sqlite) is using Microsoft.Data.Sqlite to connect to sqlite database and supports byte as INTEGER field.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/data/sqlite/types

EF Core MySQL Provider (MySql.EntityFrameworkCore) is using MySQL Connector/NET to connect to MySql database and supports byte as tinyint unsigned

EF Core PostgreSQL Provider (Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL) is using Npgsql to connect to PostgreSql database and supports byte as smallint
https://www.npgsql.org/doc/types/basic.html

[Behnam-Emamian]

I have tested sql server and it is ok, I can see the tinyint field in the table.

I am testing sqlite but I cannot install oqtane 3.3.1 on sqlite, it shows an error and stops in installation wizard.

I will test MySql and PostgreSQL after finding the sqlite bug.

[Behnam-Emamian]

It cannot create the site when the db is sqlite
FYI: there is no code change in the source code

[Behnam-Emamian]

Ok, found the bug

I can see in the folder migration, logical delete fields has been added to the table:

but the entity does not have them:

then we receive a null exception error in inserting a folder record in the sqlite folder table.

and it is strange how it is working for SQL Server!!! wow, Folder table in sql server does not have IDeletable columns!?!?!?

[Behnam-Emamian]

I have found this migration RemoveFolderFileDeletableColumns which I can see has been run in sql server and sqlite in __EFMigrationsHistory

but the IDeletable columns are still there in sqlite folder table

[Behnam-Emamian]

nice, DropColumn is not working in sqlite :-D
dotnet/efcore#329

Solution:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41902905/ef-core-dropping-a-column-workaround-sqlite

I can fix it if you are ok!

[sbwalker]

@Behnam-Emamian the issue with SQLite was already reported and fixed in #2584

[Behnam-Emamian]

@Behnam-Emamian the issue with SQLite was already reported and fixed in #2584

It can be the option 3, like copy from old table to a temporary table without those columns that we need to delete and then delete the old table and renew the temporary table to old table.

[sbwalker]

I previously investigated the StackOverflow link you provided but the solution is rather ugly and difficult to integrate. The goal in the Oqtane database abstraction is to keep the core API simple and generic and try to avoid conditional logic as much as possible. Any differences in database engine implementations should be in the providers - which is why the DropColumn method in the SQLite provider is overridden (as well as a few others). In order to include logic similar to the StackOverflow article in the SQLite provider, the DropColumn method would need a LOT more context (since it needs to recreate the table, etc...) but this context would only be applicable to SQLite. As a result I opted for a simpler approach.

[sbwalker]

In case my explanation is not clear, a developer using Oqtane should be able to use simple/generic methods when interacting with the database. Specifically in their own code they should be able to specify DropColumn("ColumnName") and it should "work" on all supported databases. They should not not have to write DropColumn("ColumnName", "Create New Table Logic", "Migrate Data Logic", etc...) as the extra context parameters are only applicable to a specific database (SQLite).

[sbwalker]

Based on your research it appears that all of the databases support tinyint (or at least map it to some other internal data type). So I can merge this PR.

[Behnam-Emamian]

In case my explanation is not clear, a developer using Oqtane should be able to use simple/generic methods when interacting with the database. Specifically in their own code they should be able to specify DropColumn("ColumnName") and it should "work" on all supported databases. They should not not have to write DropColumn("ColumnName", "Create New Table Logic", "Migrate Data Logic", etc...) as the extra context parameters are only applicable to a specific database (SQLite).

I am completly agree but this is the sqlite limitation and if user really need to delete column and save the current data, there is no simple solution like DropColumn("ColumnName") unfortunately.

I have checked the Microsoft.Data.Sqlite solution for this limitation, it is "rebuilding the table" which I believe it is not a good solution as the data will be lost.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/core/providers/sqlite/limitations?toc=%2Fdotnet%2Fnavigate%2Fdata-access%2Ftoc.json&bc=%2Fdotnet%2Fbreadcrumb%2Ftoc.json

[sbwalker]

I am completly agree but this is the sqlite limitation and if user really need to delete column and save the current data, there is no simple solution like DropColumn("ColumnName") unfortunately.

Correct - there is no simple solution at the database level due to differences between database engines - so the simple solution is to orphan the column in the SQLite database (this approach is actually very common in the NoSQL database community).