Check if row with value already exists in SQLite table

Question

How do I check to see if row with a particular value already exists in a SQLite table?

My table has a String "name" column. I would like to check out if a particular name already exists in the another table row. I am still learning SQLite, but I think it is possible to do this with the cursor.

I editted primarily the grammar to make it more clear what was being asked. I also removed 'Java', 'Android', 'row', and 'exists' tags -- the first two because this is about SQLite and not the Java/Android implementations; the last two because they're nonsense. If this question really is about something Java or Android specific, please update your question with Java/Android code that is specific to such an implementation rather than just SQLite in general — Roddy of the Frozen Peas
– Roddy of the Frozen Peas, Commented Mar 8, 2015 at 22:59

CL. · Accepted Answer · 2015-03-09 08:30:45Z

2

If you have a UNIQUE constraint on the name column, you can use INSERT OR IGNORE (or insertWithOnConflict() in Android) to insert a row only if it does not already exist.

In the general case, to check whether a row exists, you have to run a SELECT query. However, there is a helper function for counting rows:

boolean nameExists(String name) {
    SQLiteDatabase db = ...;
    long count = DatabaseUtils.queryNumEntries(db,
                    "MyTable", "name = ?", new String[] { name });
    return count > 0;
}

answered Mar 9, 2015 at 8:30

CL.

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