How I could receive SQLite database layout?

For backward compatibility purpose I would like to know a layout of my database, i.e. which tables are incorporated in my database, for each table which columns are included, etc.

The sqlite_master table contains only table information. Theoretically I have acces开发者_JS百科s to this metadata information through SQLite API such as sqlite3_column_database_name, sqlite3_column_table_name, sqlite3_column_origin_name.

Could I have a direct SQL query to receive this data or it is stored internally?

Well it's not stricly speaking SQL, but it is accessible as SQL in all sqlite implementations I know of:

http://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_table_info

An example:

sqlite> .headers on
sqlite> .mode column
sqlite> CREATE TABLE foo (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, text1 TEXT NOT NULL, text2 TEXT, boolean1 BOOLEAN NOT NULL);
sqlite> pragma table_info('foo');
cid         name        type        notnull     dflt_value  pk        
----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
0           id          INTEGER     0                       1         
1           text1       TEXT        1                       0         
2           text2       TEXT        0                       0         
3           boolean1    BOOLEAN     1                       0         

I would like to receive “the description of what tables there are”

I'm mot sure what you mean by that.

You can get the SQL statements necessary to re-create your schema with .schema.

sqlite> .schema
CREATE TABLE a (n integer);
CREATE TABLE b (n integer);

Also, .dump will give you those same SQL statements, and it will add INSERT statments to reproduce the data.

If part of what you want is just a list of tables, then .tables will do that for you.

Documentation (scroll down to "Special commands . . .")