PStore

PStore implements a file based persistance mechanism based on a Hash. User code can store hierarchies of Ruby objects (values) into the data store file by name (keys). An object hierarchy may be just a single object. User code may later read values back from the data store or even update data, as needed.

The transactional behavior ensures that any changes succeed or fail together. This can be used to ensure that the data store is not left in a transitory state, where some values were upated but others were not.

Behind the scenes, Ruby objects are stored to the data store file with Marshal. That carries the usual limitations. Proc objects cannot be marshalled, for example.

Usage example:¶ ↑

require "pstore"

# a mock wiki object...
class WikiPage
  def initialize( page_name, author, contents )
    @page_name = page_name
    @revisions = Array.new

    add_revision(author, contents)
  end

  attr_reader :page_name

  def add_revision( author, contents )
    @revisions << { :created  => Time.now,
                    :author   => author,
                    :contents => contents }
  end

  def wiki_page_references
    [@page_name] + @revisions.last[:contents].scan(/\b(?:[A-Z]+[a-z]+){2,}/)
  end

  # ...
end

# create a new page...
home_page = WikiPage.new( "HomePage", "James Edward Gray II",
                          "A page about the JoysOfDocumentation..." )

# then we want to update page data and the index together, or not at all...
wiki = PStore.new("wiki_pages.pstore")
wiki.transaction do  # begin transaction; do all of this or none of it
  # store page...
  wiki[home_page.page_name] = home_page
  # ensure that an index has been created...
  wiki[:wiki_index] ||= Array.new
  # update wiki index...
  wiki[:wiki_index].push(*home_page.wiki_page_references)
end                   # commit changes to wiki data store file

### Some time later... ###

# read wiki data...
wiki.transaction(true) do  # begin read-only transaction, no changes allowed
  wiki.roots.each do |data_root_name|
    p data_root_name
    p wiki[data_root_name]
  end
end

Public Class Methods

new(file) click to toggle source

To construct a PStore object, pass in the file path where you would like the data to be stored.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 94
def initialize(file)
  dir = File::dirname(file)
  unless File::directory? dir
    raise PStore::Error, format("directory %s does not exist", dir)
  end
  if File::exist? file and not File::readable? file
    raise PStore::Error, format("file %s not readable", file)
  end
  @transaction = false
  @filename = file
  @abort = false
end

Public Instance Methods

[](name) click to toggle source

Retrieves a value from the PStore file data, by name. The hierarchy of Ruby objects stored under that root name will be returned.

WARNING: This method is only valid in a #transaction. It will raise PStore::Error if called at any other time.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 128
def [](name)
  in_transaction
  @table[name]
end

[]=(name, value) click to toggle source

Stores an individual Ruby object or a hierarchy of Ruby objects in the data store file under the root name. Assigning to a name already in the data store clobbers the old data.

Example:¶ ↑

require "pstore"

store = PStore.new("data_file.pstore")
store.transaction do  # begin transaction
  # load some data into the store...
  store[:single_object] = "My data..."
  store[:obj_heirarchy] = { "Kev Jackson" => ["rational.rb", "pstore.rb"],
                            "James Gray"  => ["erb.rb", "pstore.rb"] }
end                   # commit changes to data store file

WARNING: This method is only valid in a #transaction and it cannot be read-only. It will raise PStore::Error if called at any other time.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 173
def []=(name, value)
  in_transaction_wr()
  @table[name] = value
end

abort() click to toggle source

Ends the current #transaction, discarding any changes to the data store.

Example:¶ ↑

require "pstore"

store = PStore.new("data_file.pstore")
store.transaction do  # begin transaction
  store[:one] = 1     # this change is not applied, see below...
  store[:two] = 2     # this change is not applied, see below...

  store.abort         # end transaction here, discard all changes

  store[:three] = 3   # this change is never reached
end

WARNING: This method is only valid in a #transaction. It will raise PStore::Error if called at any other time.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 261
def abort
  in_transaction
  @abort = true
  throw :pstore_abort_transaction
end

commit() click to toggle source

Ends the current #transaction, committing any changes to the data store immediately.

Example:¶ ↑

require "pstore"

store = PStore.new("data_file.pstore")
store.transaction do  # begin transaction
  # load some data into the store...
  store[:one] = 1
  store[:two] = 2

  store.commit        # end transaction here, committing changes

  store[:three] = 3   # this change is never reached
end

WARNING: This method is only valid in a #transaction. It will raise PStore::Error if called at any other time.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 235
def commit
  in_transaction
  @abort = false
  throw :pstore_abort_transaction
end

delete(name) click to toggle source

Removes an object hierarchy from the data store, by name.

WARNING: This method is only valid in a #transaction and it cannot be read-only. It will raise PStore::Error if called at any other time.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 183
def delete(name)
  in_transaction_wr()
  @table.delete name
end

fetch(name, default=PStore::Error) click to toggle source

This method is just like #[], save that you may also provide a default value for the object. In the event the specified name is not found in the data store, your default will be returned instead. If you do not specify a default, PStore::Error will be raised if the object is not found.

WARNING: This method is only valid in a #transaction. It will raise PStore::Error if called at any other time.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 142
def fetch(name, default=PStore::Error)
  in_transaction
  unless @table.key? name
    if default==PStore::Error
      raise PStore::Error, format("undefined root name `%s'", name)
    else
      return default
    end
  end
  @table[name]
end

path() click to toggle source

Returns the path to the data store file.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 209
def path
  @filename
end

root?(name) click to toggle source

Returns true if the supplied name is currently in the data store.

WARNING: This method is only valid in a #transaction. It will raise PStore::Error if called at any other time.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 204
def root?(name)
  in_transaction
  @table.key? name
end

roots() click to toggle source

Returns the names of all object hierarchies currently in the store.

WARNING: This method is only valid in a #transaction. It will raise PStore::Error if called at any other time.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 194
def roots
  in_transaction
  @table.keys
end

transaction(read_only=false) click to toggle source

Opens a new transaction for the data store. Code executed inside a block passed to this method may read and write data to and from the data store file.

At the end of the block, changes are committed to the data store automatically. You may exit the transaction early with a call to either #commit or #abort. See those methods for details about how changes are handled. Raising an uncaught Exception in the block is equivalent to calling #abort.

If read_only is set to true, you will only be allowed to read from the data store during the transaction and any attempts to change the data will raise a PStore::Error.

Note that PStore does not support nested transactions.

 
               # File pstore.rb, line 284
def transaction(read_only=false)  # :yields:  pstore
  raise PStore::Error, "nested transaction" if @transaction
  begin
    @rdonly = read_only
    @abort = false
    @transaction = true
    value = nil
    new_file = @filename + ".new"

    content = nil
    unless read_only
      file = File.open(@filename, RDWR_ACCESS)
      file.flock(File::LOCK_EX)
      commit_new(file) if FileTest.exist?(new_file)
      content = file.read()
    else
      begin
        file = File.open(@filename, RD_ACCESS)
        file.flock(File::LOCK_SH)
        content = (File.open(new_file, RD_ACCESS) {|n| n.read} rescue file.read())
      rescue Errno::ENOENT
        content = ""
      end
    end

    if content != ""
      @table = load(content)
      if !read_only
        size = content.size
        md5 = Digest::MD5.digest(content)
      end
    else
      @table = {}
    end
    content = nil             # unreference huge data

    begin
      catch(:pstore_abort_transaction) do
        value = yield(self)
      end
    rescue Exception
      @abort = true
      raise
    ensure
      if !read_only and !@abort
        tmp_file = @filename + ".tmp"
        content = dump(@table)
        if !md5 || size != content.size || md5 != Digest::MD5.digest(content)
          File.open(tmp_file, WR_ACCESS) {|t| t.write(content)}
          File.rename(tmp_file, new_file)
          commit_new(file)
        end
        content = nil         # unreference huge data
      end
    end
  ensure
    @table = nil
    @transaction = false
    file.close if file
  end
  value
end

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