Defining Your First Table

A database holds data in tables — think of a table like a spreadsheet. It has columns (the fields) and rows (the individual records).

In PookieDB, you define a table by writing a Python class.

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A class is a table

Here is a Patient table with two columns — name and age:

import pookiedb

pookiedb.connect("sqlite:///patients.sqlite3")

class Patient(pookiedb.Model):
    name = pookiedb.CharField(max_length=100)
    age  = pookiedb.IntegerField()

    class Meta:
        db_table = "patients"

Breaking it down:

• class Patient(pookiedb.Model) — your class inherits from pookiedb.Model. That is what makes it a database table instead of a plain Python class.
• name = pookiedb.CharField(max_length=100) — a text column, up to 100 characters
• age = pookiedb.IntegerField() — a whole number column
• class Meta: db_table = "patients" — tells PookieDB what to name the table in the database. Keep it lowercase, no spaces.

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Field types you will use

Field	Use it for
CharField(max_length=N)	Short text — names, titles, labels
IntegerField()	Whole numbers — age, count, quantity
TextField()	Longer text — descriptions, notes, messages

That is all you need for now.

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Creating the table

Defining the class does not create the table yet. You need one more line:

Patient.create_table()

This creates the patients table in the database file. It is safe to call every time your program runs — if the table already exists, PookieDB leaves it alone and does not delete your data.

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The complete database.py

import pookiedb

pookiedb.connect("sqlite:///patients.sqlite3")

class Patient(pookiedb.Model):
    name = pookiedb.CharField(max_length=100)
    age  = pookiedb.IntegerField()

    class Meta:
        db_table = "patients"

Patient.create_table()

Run this file once. The patients.sqlite3 file appears in your folder, and inside it the patients table is ready and waiting.

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PookieDB adds an id column automatically

Every table gets an id column for free — a unique number that identifies each row. You do not define it yourself. PookieDB handles it.

Challenge

Add the Patient class and create_table() call to your database.py from the previous page. Run it. No errors means the table was created successfully. Try defining a second model — a Doctor with name and specialty (both CharField) — and call create_table() on that too.

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