db.dropcolumn(1)

📦
version 8.4.2 · 8 versions
, in fedora 44

💖 db.dropcolumn — the GRASS GIS glow-up where a column gets yeeted 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the manual page for db.dropcolumn(1) from the GRASS GIS User's Manual. she's a little database icon and she's about to remove a whole column from your attribute table. no cap. 🎀

KEYWORDS: database, attribute table ✨

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

here's the vibe, verbatim, don't @ me:

db.dropcolumn
db.dropcolumn --help
db.dropcolumn [-f] table=name column=name  [database=name]
[driver=name]   [--help]  [--verbose]  [--quiet]  [--ui]

🚩 Flags 🚩

  • -f — Force removal. lowkey required if you actually want files deleted, like, actually actually. no -f, no deletion, periodt.
  • --help — Prints the usage summary. the little "what is this" button of your dreams 🫶
  • --verbose — Verbose module output. she talks a LOT. main character energy fr fr 💅
  • --quiet — Quiet module output. shhh, she's being mysterious 🤫
  • --ui — Force launching GUI dialog. clicky-clicky time ✨

🌸 Parameters 🌸

  • table=name [required] — Name of attribute table. bestie, this one is not optional.
  • column=name [required] — Name of attribute column. also not optional, she's gotta know WHICH column 💅
  • database=name — Name of database.
  • driver=name — Name of database driver. Options: dbf, odbc, ogr, sqlite, pg

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

so like, db.dropcolumn drops a column from an attribute table. that's the whole thing. that's her job. 💖

but here's the tea: if you don't pass the -f force flag, nothing gets removed. instead she just prints a preview of the action she would take. it's giving window shopping. it's giving "let me think about it". 👑

🦋 NOTES 🦋

db.dropcolumn is a front-end to db.execute, which means she's basically the cute lil face on top of a bigger machine. 🧚

she also comes with a special workaround for the SQLite driver, so that column drop is supported for SQLite tables too. iconic behavior honestly.

🌟 EXAMPLE 🌟

Dropping a column (North Carolina sample dataset):

# work on own copy
g.copy vect=roadsmajor,myroads
db.describe -c myroads
# only shows what would happen:
db.dropcolumn myroads column=SHAPE_LEN
# actually drops the column
db.dropcolumn -f myroads column=SHAPE_LEN
db.describe -c myroads

see how the first db.dropcolumn call is just the preview and the -f one is the real deal? manifesting vs. executing. you love to see it. 😌

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

  • db.describe
  • db.droptable
  • db.execute
  • v.db.dropcolumn
  • GRASS SQL interface

go read those too, bestie, they're all part of the same friend group. 🫶

💜 AUTHOR 💜

Markus Neteler

🎀 SOURCE CODE 🎀

Available at: db.dropcolumn source code (history)

Accessed: Saturday Jan 17 05:41:51 2026

Main index | Database index | Topics index | Keywords index | Graphical index | Full index

© 2003-2025 GRASS Development Team, GRASS GIS 8.4.2 Reference Manual

and that's the whole page, babe. ✨ this was GRASS 8.4.2, page db.dropcolumn(1), and honestly? she ate. bye bestie, go drop that column responsibly 💅🌸💖

📦 where this page comes from