Advanced query

Collections

cql also allows you to set conditions on a collection of models (one to many or many to many relationships):

Example model

type Seller struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Name string

    Company   *Company
    CompanyID *model.UUID // Company HasMany Seller (Company 0..1 -> 0..* Seller)
}

type Company struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Sellers *[]Seller // Company HasMany Seller (Company 0..1 -> 0..* Seller)
}

Query

companies, err := cql.Query[Company](
    conditions.Company.Sellers.Any(
        conditions.Seller.Name.Is().Eq("franco"),
    ),
).Find()

The methods for collections are:

None: generates a condition that is true if no model in the collection fulfills the conditions.
Any: generates a condition that is true if at least one model in the collection fulfills the conditions.
All: generates a condition that is true if all models in the collection fulfill the conditions (or is empty).

Dynamic operators

In Query we have seen how to use the operators to make comparisons between the attributes of a model and static values such as a string, a number, etc. But if we want to make comparisons between two or more attributes of the same type we need to use the dynamic operators. These, instead of a dynamic value, receive a Field, that is, an object that identifies the attribute with which the operation is to be performed.

These identifiers are also generated during the generation of conditions as attributes of the condition model (if models.MyModel.Name exists, then conditions.MyModel.Name is generated).

For example we query all MyModels that has the same value in its Name attribute that its related MyOtherModel’s Name attribute.

Example model

type MyOtherModel struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Name string
}

type MyModel struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Name string

    Related   MyOtherModel
    RelatedID model.UUID
}

Query

myModels, err := cql.Query[MyModel](
    gormDB,
    conditions.MyModel.Related(
        conditions.MyOtherModel.Name.IsDynamic().Eq(conditions.MyModel.Name.Value()),
    ),
).Find()

Attention, when using dynamic operators the verification that the Field is concerned by the query is performed at run time, returning an error otherwise. For example:

Example model

 type MyOtherModel struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Name string
}

type MyModel struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Name string

    Related   MyOtherModel
    RelatedID model.UUID
}

Query

myModels, err := cql.Query[MyModel](
    gormDB,
    conditions.MyModel.Name.IsDynamic().Eq(conditions.MyOtherModel.Name.Value()),
).Find()

will respond cql.ErrFieldModelNotConcerned in err.

All operators supported by cql that receive any value are available in their dynamic version after using the Dynamic() method of the FieldIs object.

Functions

When using dynamic operators it is also possible to apply functions on the values to be used. For example, if we seek to obtain the cities whose population represents at least half of the population of their country:

Example model

type Country struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Population int
}

type City struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Population int

    Country   Country
    CountryID model.UUID
}

Query

cities, err := cql.Query[City](
    gormDB,
    conditions.City.Country(
        conditions.Country.Population.IsDynamic().Lt(
            conditions.City.Population.Value().Times(2),
        ),
    ),
).Find()

Appearance

In case the attribute to be used is present more than once in the query, it will be necessary to select select its appearance number, to avoid getting the error cql.ErrAppearanceMustBeSelected. To do this, you must use the Appearance method of the field, as in the following example:

Example model

type ParentParent struct {
    model.UUIDModel
}

type Parent1 struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    ParentParent   ParentParent
    ParentParentID model.UUID
}

type Parent2 struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    ParentParent   ParentParent
    ParentParentID model.UUID
}

type Child struct {
    model.UUIDModel

    Parent1   Parent1
    Parent1ID model.UUID

    Parent2   Parent2
    Parent2ID model.UUID
}

Query

models, err := cql.Query[Child](
    gormDB,
    conditions.Child.Parent1(
        conditions.Parent1.ParentParent(),
    ),
    conditions.Child.Parent2(
        conditions.Parent2.ParentParent(),
    ),
    conditions.Child.Name.IsDynamic().Eq(
        conditions.ParentParent.Name.Appearance(0).Value(), // choose the first (0) appearance (made by conditions.Child.Parent1())
    ),
).Find()

Unsafe operators

In case you want to avoid the type validations performed by the operators, unsafe operators should be used. Although their use is not recommended, this can be useful when the database used allows operations between different types or when attributes of different types map at the same time in the database (see <https://gorm.io/docs/data_types.html>).

If it is neither of these two cases, the use of an unsafe operator will result in an error in the execution of the query that depends on the database used.

All operators supported by cql that receive any value are available in their unsafe version after using the IsUnsafe() method of the Field object.

Unsafe conditions (raw SQL)

In case you need to use operators that are not supported by cql (please create an issue in our repository if you think we have forgotten any), you can always run raw SQL with unsafe.NewCondition, as in the following example:

myModels, err := cql.Query[MyModel](
    gormDB,
    unsafe.NewCondition[MyModel]("%s.name = NULL"),
).Find()

As you can see in the example, “%s” can be used in the raw SQL to be replaced by the table name of the model to which the condition belongs.

Of course, its use is not recommended because it can generate errors in the execution of the query that will depend on the database used.