Major release items

[brodycj]

General

IMPORANT NOTICE: FEATURES SCHEDULED FOR REMOVAL FROM NEXT MAJOR RELEASE:

• Deprecated "standard" transaction API ref: Removing Web SQL transaction calls from next major release #720 (will continue to be supported by other plugin versions such as cordova-sqlite-ext and cordova-sqlite-evcore-extbuild-free)
• Windows platform support (also will continue to be supported by other plugin versions such as cordova-sqlite-ext and cordova-sqlite-evcore-extbuild-free)

NOTE: As discussed here and in #720 it would be problematic to remove the deprecated "standard" transaction API and Windows platform support. I hope to deliver a new express plugin version using internal sqlite3 libraries on Android/iOS/macOS, with Windows platform support, external sqlite3 dependencies, and likely "standard" transaction API removed (#740) within the next couple months or so.

Other general items:

• Test & document date/time handling along with pitfalls ref: Test & document date/time handling along with pitfalls #546
• Verify that all items in Upcoming minor release items #685 (upcoming minor release items) including "highly desired" items are done

Documentation

Should be documented in #685 (upcoming minor release items):

• Pitfalls of using WAL ref: WAL pitfalls cordova-sqlite-storage-help#10
• Use with https://github.com/dpa99c/cordova-sqlite-porter ref: Prepopulated database documentation fix [options] cordova-sqlite-storage-help#26
• Other prepopulated database documentation items ref: Prepopulated database documentation fix [options] cordova-sqlite-storage-help#26

Possible carryover from #685:

• Document why Windows AnyCPU target is not possible ref: Document why Windows AnyCPU target is not possible cordova-sqlite-storage-help#19
• Documentation of single-statement API ref: Documentation of single-statement API cordova-sqlite-storage-help#17
• Statement of compliance to Web SQL Database DRAFT API ref: Statement of compliance to Web SQL Database DRAFT API #553

Major release items:

• Custom fork/build instructions ref: Custom fork/build instructions #558
• More formal API description/documentation ref: More formal API description/documentation #560

Testing

Possible carryover from #685 (upcoming minor release items):

• Extremely large/small values ref: Extremely large/small values #627

Fixes & features

Should be fixed in #685 (upcoming minor release items):

• Function to get database directory path ref: Function to get [default] database directory path #680 (may be affected by Database storage in arbitrary path (Android/iOS/macOS/Windows) #681: Database storage in arbitrary path Android/iOS/macOS/Windows)

Possible carryover from #685:

• CREATE database if it does not exist should be optional ref: CREATE database if it does not exist should be optional #212
• Database storage in arbitrary path (Android/iOS/macOS/Windows) ref: Database storage in arbitrary path (Android/iOS/macOS/Windows) #681
• Deprecate other iOS database locations ref: Deprecate other iOS database locations #682
• Use UTF-8 encoding for Windows ref: Use UTF-8 encoding for Windows? #652

Major release items:

• Bind all numbers as REAL numbers ref: Bind all numbers as REAL values #684
• Browser platform support ref: Can be used with platform browser ? #297
• auto-vacuum option ref: AUTO-VACUUM or not? #646
• Safer Android defaults ref: Safer Android defaults #671
• Workaround for possible Android data loss (193) should be after every write ref: Workaround for possible Android data loss (193) should be after every write #672
• Secure delete by default ref: Secure delete by default #645
• Drop support for deprecated Android pre-4.0 calls to resolve Deprecated API build warning ref: Deprecated API build warning #611
• Silently stops after first SQL statement in statement list (minor data loss risk), should report error instead ref: Silently stops after first SQL statement in statement list #551
• Fix Windows 10 (UWP) platform version to run in background using web workers ref: Fix Windows 10 (UWP) version to run in background #686

ADDED ITEMS:

• Deprecate standard transaction mechanism ref: Deprecate standard transaction mechanism in next major release? #690 (This may go along with the possible redesign discussed in Possible redesign (new version) #548.)
• Plugin should reject attempts to execute BEGIN, COMMIT, or ROLLBACK.
• Drop support for Android pre-4.0
• Drop support for iOS pre-9.0 in testing & doc (iOS pre-9.0 is not supported by Cordova 7)
• Change PRAGMA journal_mode setting to persist on all platform implementations ref: https://sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_journal_mode to minimize possible differences and possible ambiguities ref: WAL pitfalls cordova-sqlite-storage-help#10 (comment) WILL NOT BE CHANGED: PRAGMA journal_mode is known to report delete in case of default android.database implementation (same as other platform implementations) on Android 8.1
• Revisit @synchronized locks in iOS/macOS platform version
• HIGHLY DESIRED to update SQLite version in new version of cordova-sqlite-storage/cordova-sqlite-ext/...; desired to match sqlite version used by SQLCipher

ADDED ITEMS FOR THIS PLUGIN VERSION ONLY:

• Use built-in sqlite library on Android/iOS/macOS (planning to do this in a new express plugin version, at some point in the future)
• Drop support for close and delete calls in this plugin version (support for close and delete calls will be maintained in other versions such as cordova-sqlite-ext and cordova-sqlite-evcore-extbuild-free) (close & delete calls are needed to support selfTest)
• Drop iOS database location option (again this would continue to be supported in versions such as cordova-sqlite-ext and cordova-sqlite-evcore-extbuild-free)

ADDED FOR OTHER PLUGIN VERSIONS:

• Review compile time options ref: https://sqlite.org/compile.html

OTHER ADDED ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION:

• database.dispose() to dispose a single database handle, close database once all handle objects have been disposed
• Drop Apache 2.0 license option for Android and Windows platforms, MIT only for all platforms
• SQLITE_LOCKING_STYLE=1 seems to be automatically defined for Apple Darwin platforms (iOS/macOS), see if this would also work on Android/Windows
• result set with Array [] access but must keep item() function for compatibility ref: Query should return an array [...] #755

GENERAL ADDED DOCUMENTATION ITEM: MAJOR DOCUMENTATION CLEANUP NEEDED ref: storesafe/cordova-sqlite-storage-help#33 & #596 (comment)

TEST and DOCUMENT maximum record size ref: #474, #766

Timeline

At least 2-3 months, possibly longer due to existing backlog and other priority items. Hopefully in January or February 2018. GENERAL COMMENT: Priority goes to paid users. For more information please contact: sales@litehelpers.net

[mobidev111]

@brodybits Whats the reason to drop Windows platform support? Moving this out of this mainstream repo will greatly diminish this lib's usefulness as true cross-platform database. The windows version is working fine - so in general no need to change this (now)?

[brodycj]

Moving this out of this mainstream repo will greatly diminish this lib's usefulness as true cross-platform database.

Thanks @mobidev111 for the feedback. I think I have to agree with you, despite the pain of maintaining support (additional system needed, dealing with VS issues, etc.) I also want to ensure that the common plugin JavaScript will work on all supported platforms, including Windows, without having to test on multiple plugin versions before releasing. So Windows support will stay in this plugin version, new express version will be delivered with Windows support and external sqlite3 library dependencies dropped when I get a chance (#740).

[brodycj]

An additional item is that I may merge this plugin version together with cordova-sqlite-ext, as the basis for all other current plugin versions. This should simplify maintenance and support for most plugin users.