# get\_values\_from\_table

## Function: `get_values_from_table`

The `get_values_from_table` function retrieves all records (rows) stored in memory for a specified table. These records are returned as a vector of key-value pairs, where the keys represent column names and the values are stored using `std::any`.

{% hint style="info" %}
WARNING: use the load\_table function before getting the values from the table as that function loads into memory all the values, without running this function the vector will be empty
{% endhint %}

***

### Declaration

```cpp
std::vector<std::unordered_map<std::string, std::any>>* get_values_from_table(std::string table);
```

### Parameters

* `table` (`std::string`) The name of the table from which values should be retrieved. The table must already exist and be loaded in memory.

### Return Value

* `std::vector<std::unordered_map<std::string, std::any>>*` A pointer to the in-memory vector containing all records for the specified table:
  * Each element in the vector represents a single record (or row).
  * Each record is a map where:
    * The key is the column name.
    * The value is the data stored in that column, wrapped in `std::any`.

### Functionality

1. **Database Validation** The function does not explicitly validate whether the database is open or whether the table exists. It directly accesses the `tables` attribute of the `data_base` class, relying on the integrity of this map.
2. **Access Records in Memory** It retrieves the vector of records associated with the specified table from the `tables` map.
3. **Pointer Return** The function returns a pointer to the in-memory vector, allowing efficient access to the data for further processing.

### Example

Here’s an example demonstrating how to use the `get_values_from_table` function:

```cpp
#include "qic.h"
#include <iostream>
#include <unordered_map>

int main() {
  data_base db;
  db.open_database("mydatabase.db");
  db.load_table("COMPANY"); // loads the table in memory

  auto table =
      db.get_values_from_table("COMPANY"); // if we run this function without
                                           // the load table function before it
                                           // wont have all the tables in memory
  table->clear(); // by clearing this list and saving the db we can clear the
                  // table

  db.save();
  std::cin >> new char;
  db.close();
  return 0;
}

```