# SQLAlchemy 0.7 Documentation

Search:
Release: 0.7.3 | Release Date: October 16, 2011

# Core Events

This section describes the event interfaces provided in SQLAlchemy Core. The event system in 0.7 is all new and supercedes the previous system of “extension”, “listener”, and “proxy” classes. For an introduction to the event listening API, see Events. ORM events are described in ORM Events.

## Connection Pool Events

class `sqlalchemy.events.``PoolEvents`

  Available events for `Pool`.

  The methods here define the name of an event as well as the names of members that are passed to listener functions.

  e.g.:

      from sqlalchemy import event

      def my_on_checkout(dbapi_conn, connection_rec, connection_proxy):
          "handle an on checkout event"

      events.listen(Pool, 'checkout', my_on_checkout)

  In addition to accepting the `Pool` class and `Pool` instances, `PoolEvents` also accepts `Engine` objects and the `Engine` class as targets, which will be resolved to the `.pool` attribute of the given engine or the `Pool` class:

      engine = create_engine("postgresql://scott:tiger@localhost/test")

      # will associate with engine.pool
      events.listen(engine, 'checkout', my_on_checkout)

  `checkin`(dbapi_connection, connection_record)

    Called when a connection returns to the pool.

    Note that the connection may be closed, and may be None if the connection has been invalidated. `checkin` will not be called for detached connections. (They do not return to the pool.)

    Parameters:

    - dbapi_con – A raw DB-API connection
    - con_record – The `_ConnectionRecord` that persistently manages the connection

  `checkout`(dbapi_connection, connection_record, connection_proxy)

    Called when a connection is retrieved from the Pool.

    Parameters:

    - dbapi_con – A raw DB-API connection
    - con_record – The `_ConnectionRecord` that persistently manages the connection
    - con_proxy – The `_ConnectionFairy` which manages the connection for the span of the current checkout.

    If you raise an `exc.DisconnectionError`, the current connection will be disposed and a fresh connection retrieved. Processing of all checkout listeners will abort and restart using the new connection.

  `connect`(dbapi_connection, connection_record)

    Called once for each new DB-API connection or Pool’s `creator()`.

    Parameters:

    - dbapi_con – A newly connected raw DB-API connection (not a SQLAlchemy `Connection` wrapper).
    - con_record – The `_ConnectionRecord` that persistently manages the connection

  `first_connect`(dbapi_connection, connection_record)

    Called exactly once for the first DB-API connection.

    Parameters:

    - dbapi_con – A newly connected raw DB-API connection (not a SQLAlchemy `Connection` wrapper).
    - con_record – The `_ConnectionRecord` that persistently manages the connection

## Connection Events

class `sqlalchemy.events.``ConnectionEvents`

  Available events for `Connection`.

  The methods here define the name of an event as well as the names of members that are passed to listener functions.

  e.g.:

      from sqlalchemy import event, create_engine

      def before_execute(conn, clauseelement, multiparams, params):
          log.info("Received statement: %s" % clauseelement)

      engine = create_engine('postgresql://scott:tiger@localhost/test')
      event.listen(engine, "before_execute", before_execute)

  Some events allow modifiers to the listen() function.

  Parameters: | retval=False – Applies to the `before_execute()` and `before_cursor_execute()` events only. When True, the user-defined event function must have a return value, which is a tuple of parameters that replace the given statement and parameters. See those methods for a description of specific return arguments.

  `after_cursor_execute`(conn, cursor, statement, parameters, context, executemany)

    Intercept low-level cursor execute() events.

  `after_execute`(conn, clauseelement, multiparams, params, result)

    Intercept high level execute() events.

  `before_cursor_execute`(conn, cursor, statement, parameters, context, executemany)

    Intercept low-level cursor execute() events.

  `before_execute`(conn, clauseelement, multiparams, params)

    Intercept high level execute() events.

  `begin`(conn)

    Intercept begin() events.

  `begin_twophase`(conn, xid)

    Intercept begin_twophase() events.

  `commit`(conn)

    Intercept commit() events.

  `commit_twophase`(conn, xid, is_prepared)

    Intercept commit_twophase() events.

  `prepare_twophase`(conn, xid)

    Intercept prepare_twophase() events.

  `release_savepoint`(conn, name, context)

    Intercept release_savepoint() events.

  `rollback`(conn)

    Intercept rollback() events.

  `rollback_savepoint`(conn, name, context)

    Intercept rollback_savepoint() events.

  `rollback_twophase`(conn, xid, is_prepared)

    Intercept rollback_twophase() events.

  `savepoint`(conn, name=None)

    Intercept savepoint() events.

## Schema Events

class `sqlalchemy.events.``DDLEvents`

  Define event listeners for schema objects, that is, `SchemaItem` and `SchemaEvent` subclasses, including `MetaData`, `Table`, `Column`.

  `MetaData` and `Table` support events specifically regarding when CREATE and DROP DDL is emitted to the database.

  Attachment events are also provided to customize behavior whenever a child schema element is associated with a parent, such as, when a `Column` is associated with its `Table`, when a `ForeignKeyConstraint` is associated with a `Table`, etc.

  Example using the `after_create` event:

      from sqlalchemy import event
      from sqlalchemy import Table, Column, Metadata, Integer

      m = MetaData()
      some_table = Table('some_table', m, Column('data', Integer))

      def after_create(target, connection, **kw):
          connection.execute("ALTER TABLE %s SET name=foo_%s" %
                                  (target.name, target.name))

      event.listen(some_table, "after_create", after_create)

  DDL events integrate closely with the `DDL` class and the `DDLElement` hierarchy of DDL clause constructs, which are themselves appropriate as listener callables:

      from sqlalchemy import DDL
      event.listen(
          some_table,
          "after_create",
          DDL("ALTER TABLE %(table)s SET name=foo_%(table)s")
      )

  The methods here define the name of an event as well as the names of members that are passed to listener functions.

  See also:

  > Events

  > `DDLElement`

  > `DDL`

  > Controlling DDL Sequences

  `after_create`(target, connection, **kw)

    Called after CREATE statments are emitted.

    Parameters:

    - target – the `MetaData` or `Table` object which is the target of the event.
    - connection – the `Connection` where the CREATE statement or statements have been emitted.
    - **kw – additional keyword arguments relevant to the event. Currently this includes the `tables` argument in the case of a `MetaData` object, which is the list of `Table` objects for which CREATE has been emitted.

  `after_drop`(target, connection, **kw)

    Called after DROP statments are emitted.

    Parameters:

    - target – the `MetaData` or `Table` object which is the target of the event.
    - connection – the `Connection` where the DROP statement or statements have been emitted.
    - **kw – additional keyword arguments relevant to the event. Currently this includes the `tables` argument in the case of a `MetaData` object, which is the list of `Table` objects for which DROP has been emitted.

  `after_parent_attach`(target, parent)

    Called after a `SchemaItem` is associated with a parent `SchemaItem`.

    Parameters:

    - target – the target object
    - parent – the parent to which the target is being attached.

    `event.listen()` also accepts a modifier for this event:

    Parameters: | propagate=False – When True, the listener function will be established for any copies made of the target object, i.e. those copies that are generated when `Table.tometadata()` is used.

  `before_create`(target, connection, **kw)

    Called before CREATE statments are emitted.

    Parameters:

    - target – the `MetaData` or `Table` object which is the target of the event.
    - connection – the `Connection` where the CREATE statement or statements will be emitted.
    - **kw – additional keyword arguments relevant to the event. Currently this includes the `tables` argument in the case of a `MetaData` object, which is the list of `Table` objects for which CREATE will be emitted.

  `before_drop`(target, connection, **kw)

    Called before DROP statments are emitted.

    Parameters:

    - target – the `MetaData` or `Table` object which is the target of the event.
    - connection – the `Connection` where the DROP statement or statements will be emitted.
    - **kw – additional keyword arguments relevant to the event. Currently this includes the `tables` argument in the case of a `MetaData` object, which is the list of `Table` objects for which DROP will be emitted.

  `before_parent_attach`(target, parent)

    Called before a `SchemaItem` is associated with a parent `SchemaItem`.

    Parameters:

    - target – the target object
    - parent – the parent to which the target is being attached.

    `event.listen()` also accepts a modifier for this event:

    Parameters: | propagate=False – When True, the listener function will be established for any copies made of the target object, i.e. those copies that are generated when `Table.tometadata()` is used.

  `column_reflect`(table, column_info)

    Called for each unit of ‘column info’ retrieved when a `Table` is being reflected.

    The dictionary of column information as returned by the dialect is passed, and can be modified. The dictionary is that returned in each element of the list returned by `reflection.Inspector.get_columns()`.

    The event is called before any action is taken against this dictionary, and the contents can be modified. The `Column` specific arguments `info`, `key`, and `quote` can also be added to the dictionary and will be passed to the constructor of `Column`.

    Note that this event is only meaningful if either associated with the `Table` class across the board, e.g.:

        from sqlalchemy.schema import Table
        from sqlalchemy import event

        def listen_for_reflect(table, column_info):
            "receive a column_reflect event"
            # ...

        event.listen(
                Table,
                'column_reflect',
                listen_for_reflect)

    ...or with a specific `Table` instance using the `listeners` argument:

        def listen_for_reflect(table, column_info):
            "receive a column_reflect event"
            # ...

        t = Table(
            'sometable',
            autoload=True,
            listeners=[
                ('column_reflect', listen_for_reflect)
            ])

    This because the reflection process initiated by `autoload=True` completes within the scope of the constructor for `Table`.

class `sqlalchemy.events.``SchemaEventTarget`

  Base class for elements that are the targets of `DDLEvents` events.

  This includes `SchemaItem` as well as `SchemaType`.