SQL logic error
SQLITE_ERROR (result code 1) is the generic catch-all error returned when a SQL statement is syntactically valid but cannot be executed for a logical reason — for example referencing a column or table that does not exist, or a type mismatch the engine cannot resolve. It is the most common result code you will encounter during development.
- 1Referencing a table or view that does not exist in the attached database
- 2Referencing a column name that does not exist in the specified table
- 3Mismatched number of values in an INSERT statement versus the column list
- 4Using an aggregate function in a WHERE clause without a subquery or HAVING clause
A SELECT statement references a column that was never defined on the table.
import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect(':memory:')
conn.execute('CREATE TABLE users (id INTEGER, name TEXT)')
conn.execute('SELECT nonexistent_col FROM users') # triggers SQLITE_ERRORexpected output
sqlite3.OperationalError: table users has no column named nonexistent_col
Fix
Verify column names with PRAGMA table_info
WHEN When unsure which columns exist on a table.
import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect('mydb.db')
for row in conn.execute("PRAGMA table_info(users)"):
print(row) # (cid, name, type, notnull, dflt_value, pk)Why this works
PRAGMA table_info returns one row per column in the named table, including the canonical column name, declared type, NOT NULL flag, default value, and whether it is part of the primary key. Use this to confirm the exact spelling before writing queries.
✕ Catch OperationalError and silently ignore it
SQLITE_ERROR often indicates a schema mismatch that will silently return empty results or corrupt application state if swallowed.
Error messages include the offending token. Earlier versions give more generic descriptions.
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