pg-sql-helpers

library0.3.7jsnpmunverified

A dynamic SQL query helper library (v0.3.7) built on top of pg-sql, providing a lodash-like toolkit for constructing INSERT, UPDATE, WHERE, ORDER BY, and other SQL clauses programmatically without string concatenation. Released by Ian Storm Taylor, with low release cadence (last update 2016). Key differentiator: allows SQL-native template syntax via pg-sql while adding helpers for dynamic clauses, unlike ORMs or full query builders.

database

npm install pg-sql-helpers

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · PG-SQL-HELPERS

pg-sql-helpers

databasejavascriptv0.3.7

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

INSERT

✓ import { INSERT } from 'pg-sql-helpers'

✗ import INSERT from 'pg-sql-helpers'

Named export; cannot be default imported.

WHERE

✓ import { WHERE } from 'pg-sql-helpers'

✗ const WHERE = require('pg-sql-helpers').WHERE

Correct for CJS, but preferred ESM syntax shown.

ORDER_BY

✓ import { ORDER_BY } from 'pg-sql-helpers'

✗ import { order_by } from 'pg-sql-helpers'

Exported as uppercase but also lowercase alias exists; recommended uppercase.

sql

✓ import { sql } from 'pg-sql'

✗ import { sql } from 'pg-sql-helpers'

sql template tag is from pg-sql, not pg-sql-helpers.

AND

✓ import { AND } from 'pg-sql-helpers'

Named export; used after a hardcoded WHERE clause.

Shows dynamic WHERE and ORDER BY using pg-sql-helpers with pg-sql template tag and pg pool.

import { sql } from 'pg-sql'; import { INSERT, WHERE, ORDER_BY } from 'pg-sql-helpers'; import { Pool } from 'pg'; const pool = new Pool(); async function run() { const name = 'john'; const ageFilter = { gt: 42 }; const sort = ['-age', 'name']; const query = sql` SELECT id, name, age FROM users ${WHERE({ name, age: ageFilter })} ${ORDER_BY(sort)} `; const result = await pool.query(query); console.log(result.rows); } run().catch(err => console.error(err));

Debug

Known issues

gotchapg-sql must be installed alongside pg-sql-helpers; it is a peer dependency and not included automatically.

fix

Run: npm install pg-sql

affects: >=0.0.0

deprecatedLibrary is low maintenance; last release 2016, no updates for security or PostgreSQL version compatibility.

fix

Consider alternatives like Slonik or Kysely for active development.

affects: >=0.0.0

gotchaINSERT with array of objects uses keys from first object; subsequent objects missing keys may cause SQL errors.

fix

Ensure all objects in array have identical keys.

affects: >=0.0.0

gotchaORDER_BY accepts strings like '-column'; prefix '-' means descending. Ensure prefix is hyphen, not other minus signs.

fix

Use hyphen directly; check whitespace (e.g., '- column' will not work).

affects: >=0.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'text')

pg-sql not installed or not imported correctly; query object missing sql template tag result.

fix

Install pg-sql: npm install pg-sql, and import { sql } from 'pg-sql'

Error: password authentication failed for user

Missing or incorrect database credentials in pg Pool configuration.

fix

Provide valid connection string or environment variables: DATABASE_URL

SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier at column 1

Using helpers outside of sql template tag; e.g., const clause = INSERT('users', {...}) used in string concatenation.

fix

Wrap helper calls inside sql`...` template literals only.

ReferenceError: INSERT is not defined

Forgot to import helper from pg-sql-helpers.

fix

Add import: import { INSERT } from 'pg-sql-helpers'

Upgrade

Version history

0.3.7latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

pg-sqlrequiredpeer dependency; required for sql template tag and value escaping

Agent activity

5 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubgit://github.com/ianstormtaylor/pg-sql-helpers ↗

packagepg-sql-helpers ↗

homepagegit://github.com/ianstormtaylor/pg-sql-helpers ↗