## Utility functions Utility functions — |

## Synopsis

    const gchar* gda_type_to_string             (GdaValueType type);
    GdaValueType gda_type_from_string           (const gchar *str);
    GList*      gda_string_hash_to_list         (GHashTable *hash_table);
    gchar*      gda_sql_replace_placeholders    (const gchar *sql,
                                                 GdaParameterList *params);
    gchar*      gda_file_load                   (const gchar *filename);
    gboolean    gda_file_save                   (const gchar *filename,
                                                 const gchar *buffer,
                                                 gint len);

## Description

## Details

### gda_type_to_string ()

    const gchar* gda_type_to_string             (GdaValueType type);

`type` : | Type to convert from.
Returns : | the string representing the given GdaValueType. This is not necessarily the same string used to describe the column type in a SQL statement. Use `gda_connection_get_schema()` with GDA_CONNECTION_SCHEMA_TYPES to get the actual types supported by the provider.

### gda_type_from_string ()

    GdaValueType gda_type_from_string           (const gchar *str);

`str` : | the name of a GdaValueType, as returned by `gda_type_to_string()`.
Returns : | the GdaValueType represented by the given `str`.

### gda_string_hash_to_list ()

    GList*      gda_string_hash_to_list         (GHashTable *hash_table);

Creates a new list of strings, which contains all keys of a given hash table. After using it, you should free this list by calling g_list_free.

`hash_table` : | a hash table.
Returns : | a new GList.

### gda_sql_replace_placeholders ()

    gchar*      gda_sql_replace_placeholders    (const gchar *sql,
                                                 GdaParameterList *params);

Replaces the placeholders (:name) in the given SQL command with the values from the GdaParameterList specified as the `params` argument.

`sql` : | a SQL command containing placeholders for values.
`params` : | a list of values for the placeholders.
Returns : | the SQL string with all placeholders replaced, or `NULL` on error. On success, the returned string must be freed by the caller when no longer needed.

### gda_file_load ()

    gchar*      gda_file_load                   (const gchar *filename);

Loads a file, specified by the given `uri`, and returns the file contents as a string.

It is the caller's responsibility to free the returned value.

`filename` : | path for the file to be loaded.
Returns : | the file contents as a newly-allocated string, or `NULL` if there is an error.

### gda_file_save ()

    gboolean    gda_file_save                   (const gchar *filename,
                                                 const gchar *buffer,
                                                 gint len);

Saves a chunk of data into a file.

`filename` : | path for the file to be saved.
`buffer` : | contents of the file.
`len` : | size of `buffer`.
Returns : | `TRUE` if successful, `FALSE` on error.