Using the DB

There is a comprehensive database model and lots of pre-existing tools in the repo. To use them:

Clone this repo.

Download dpd.db.tar.bz2 from the dpd-db release page,

Unzip and place the db in the root of the project folder.

Install uv for your operating system

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Install all the dependencies with uv

uv sync

Here's a quick tutorial how to use the database with Python and SQLAlchemy and the DPD project dependencies, but of course you can use it with your software tools of choice.

"""A tutorial demonstrating how to search the DPD database using SQLAlchemy,
and how to make changes and commit them to the database."""

# These are the essential imports needed for database operations
from db.db_helpers import get_db_session
from tools.paths import ProjectPaths

# To access any table, import its corresponding class here
# Other available options include DpdRoot, DbInfo, and Lookup, etc.
from db.models import DpdHeadword

pth = ProjectPaths()
# This establishes a connection to the database - use it once to access the database
db_session = get_db_session(pth.dpd_db_path)

# Example of searching a table using basic filters:
# Find records where part of speech is "adj" and words start with "a"
search_results = (
    db_session.query(DpdHeadword)
    .filter(DpdHeadword.pos == "adj", DpdHeadword.lemma_1.startswith("a"))
    .all()
)
# Note: The results are returned as a list of DpdHeadword class instances

# Loop through the list of search results
for i in search_results:
    # Access any table column using dot notation
    print(f"{'PALI:':<15}{i.lemma_1}")
    # The :<15 format specifier left-justifies the text within 15 characters
    print(f"{'POS:':<15}{i.pos}")

    # Display meaning_2 if meaning_1 is empty
    if i.meaning_1:
        print(f"{'MEANING:':<15}{i.meaning_1}")
    else:
        print(f"{'MEANING:':<15}{i.meaning_2}")

    # Check if there is a root associated with the word
    if i.root_key:
        # This check prevents a NoneType AttributeError when trying to access
        # root information for words without an associated root

        # Access the root table using i.rt.root column names
        print(
            f"{'ROOT':<15}{i.rt.root_clean} {i.rt.root_group} {i.root_sign} ({i.rt.root_meaning})"
        )

    # Import the inflections list which is stored as a CSV-formatted string
    inflections = i.inflections_list

    # Loop through the inflections and print them
    print(f"{'INFLECTIONS:':<15}", end="")
    for inflection in inflections:
        print(f"{inflection}", end=" ")
    print()
    print()

    # You can modify any database information here, for example:
    # if i.pos == "adj":
    #     i.pos = "adjective"

# This would commit any changes to the database - remember there is no undo!
# db_session.commit()

# Always close the database session when you're finished
db_session.close()

Alternatively, just download the database and use it with your software tools of choice.