Databases

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Create Databases

In BaseX, a single database can contain one or more XML documents, called Collection, and raw (binary) files. New databases can either be created within the GUI or in the console version of BaseX:

  • GUI: Go to DatabaseNew, press Browse to choose a file or directory, and press OK
  • Console: enter basex -c "CREATE DB dbname /path/to/resources"

Manage Collections

Once you have created a database, additional commands exist to modify its contents:

  • XML documents can be added with the ADD command.
  • Raw files are added with STORE.
  • Resources can be replaced with others using the REPLACE command.
  • Resources can be deleted with the DELETE command.

The following commands create an empty database, add two resources and finally delete them again:

CREATE DB example
ADD example.xml
ADD TO images/ 123.jpg
DELETE /

You may as well use the BaseX-specific XQuery Database Functions to add, replace and delete XML documents:

for $file in file:list("/path/to/xml/documents")
return db:add("database", $file)

Last but not least, XML documents can also be added via the GUI and the Database menu.

Access Documents

Various XQuery functions exist to access the XML documents in databases and other locations:

  • db:open("dbname", "/path/to/docs"): returns documents that are found in the specified database.
  • collection("path/to/docs"): returns the documents that are either found in the specified database or file path.
  • doc("path/to/document.xml"): returns a single document found at the specified location. If a database exists for the specified file, it is opened instead.