ISQL-FB(1)

📦
version 4.0.7.3271.ds6 · 11 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 ISQL-FB(1) — the Firebird Interactive SQL shell 💖

okay so bestie, gather round, because this one is a whole vibe. this is isql, from the Firebird documentation manual. she's the Firebird Interactive SQL shell and she is lowkey iconic.

✨ NAME ✨

isql — the Firebird Interactive SQL shell 🐚💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

isql [-a] [-cache number] [-database path] [-echo] [-input file]
[-merge_stderr] [-noautocommit] [-nowarnings] [-output file] [-password
string] [-page number] [-role string] [-s number] [-terminator string]
[-user name] [-x] [-z]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

isql is the program that lets you fire off arbitrary SQL commands, no cap — literally whatever SQL you want — and it also does that little side quest of extracting the metadata. 🫶

important little note for the Debian girlies: isql in Debian ships under the name isql-fb, because otherwise there'd be a filename conflict with an executable from another package. so if plain isql isn't her, it's giving isql-fb. periodt.

👑 OPTIONS 👑

isql can handle a whole bunch of command line options. Most options can be abbreviated — not me being obsessed with short flags — and below you get the shortest abbreviations and the full versions. 💖

  • -a — Extracts the DDL (Data definition language) statements you'd need to re-create the database's structure, triggers and other metadata. The "CREATE DATABASE" statement gets tucked into a comment. Statements print to standard output unless you're using -output. See also -extract. ✨
  • -c buffers, -cache number — sets the default size of the buffers used in database pages.
  • -d path, -database path — names the target database when you're extracting metadata with the -extract option.
  • -e, -echo — prints every statement before executing it. like a little live commentary track. 🔥
  • -x, -ex, -extract — extracts DDL statements to recreate database metadata.
    • if no -database option is given, -extract behaves exactly as -a does.
    • if -database is given, the "CREATE DATABASE" statement is not commented, and the database name gets replaced with path.
  • -i file, -input file — reads commands from file instead of standard input. Exits with commit after the last command. 🎀
  • -m, -merge_stderr — merges standard error into standard output. super useful for redirecting both streams at once.
  • -n, -noautocommit — normally, all DDL statements like "CREATE TABLE" are automatically committed in a separate transaction. This option disables that automatic commit of DDL statements.
  • -nowarnings — disables displaying of SQL warnings. 🙈
  • -o file, -output file — all output is redirected to the given file.
  • -page number, -pagelength number — prints column headers every number output lines. Default is 20.
  • -pas string, -password string — uses the given password as a default when connecting to databases.
  • -r string, -role string — uses the given SQL role as a default when connecting to databases.
  • -s number, -sqldialect number — uses the given SQL dialect as a default when connecting to databases. The default is 1.
  • -t string, -terminator string — sets the command line terminator. Default is semicolon ";".
  • -u string, -user string — uses the given user name as a default when connecting to databases.
  • -z — prints the program version string before doing anything else, then prints the server version after connecting to a database. ⭐

🌈 ENVIRONMENT 🌈

  • ISC_USER — default value for the -user option.
  • ISC_ROLE — default value for the -role option.
  • ISC_PASSWORD — default value for the -password option.

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

gbak(1), gfix(1), fbstat(1).

Additional documentation about Firebird can be found on the Firebird Project website, <http://www.firebirdsql.org>.

💜 AUTHOR 💜

This manual page was written by Damyan Ivanov dmn@debian.org for the Debian project. Permission is granted to use this document, with or without modifications, provided that this notice is retained. And if we meet some day, and you think this stuff is worth it, you can buy me a beer in return. 🍓 (honestly? deserved.)

and that's the whole page, bestie — slay! 💅✨ this was Firebird 4.0, dated 2026-06-28, and you read it in ISQL-FB(1). mwah 🫶

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