The VideoLAN Forums

VLC (Android) version: 3.4.3 Beta 6

I just did:
Settings > Advanced > Dump Media Database

The resulting "vlc_media.db" file can not be opened in an SQLite database viewer (I tried 4 different viewers).

The errors I get when trying to open the .db file mention:

Malformed database schema (playlist_update_nb_media_on_media_deletion) - near "FROM": syntax error.

Not all "databases" are SQL databases. Someone smarter may be along to say whether there is a VLC error here. If OP's perception is widespread, perhaps VLC ought not describe its survey of media files as a "database".

All the tutorials I can find say to use an SQL database viewer / editor to read the file.

The main source of info. about VLC Android's SQLite DB seems to be the following unofficial Nepali website:

https://www.vlchelp.com/android-backup- ... lcmediadb/

Shame that VLC's own wiki here has hardly any useful info. about the Android version. However a dev did confirm that the DB was indeed an SQLite one, so there may be an actual bug here.

For now they [playlists] are stored in the underlying media library, in an sqlite database.

Very well. (Tutorials? Links?) Then I am back to waiting for an implementor to drop in and investigate it. Cheers!

PS - evadedave filed simultaneously but has a link, such as it is. OP may have others. I'm out.

FWIW, the SQLite Database Editor app mentioned on that site failed to open VLC 3.4.2's DB as well. Might indicate that the bug (if it is indeed one) has existed for a while now, but I'll leave it to the devs to check.

Give DB Browser for SQLite a try. The trigger in question uses the UPDATE FROM syntax which was recently added to SQLite in v3.33.0.

@rstone
Thank you, but it does not work. Same error as the other database viewers.

@lee: If possible you should add it to the issue tracker. Probably more chance of getting a proper dev response that way.

Yes, if VLC writes the playlist database using statements only recently added to SQLite, it would be guaranteed not to run on older phones. On some phones/carriers, getting a newer Android version is not an option.

Not necessarily. If VLC relies on the inbuilt Android SQLite library then yes, naturally older devices with older Android versions installed won't support the latest SQLite versions/statements. However it's entirely possible for an app like VLC to use a third-party SQLite support library that is Android version independent, or even to use a different but equivalent set of SQL statements depending on the version of Android it's running on. Mind you I don't know anything about VLC's code so I'm not saying that's what it does; just wanted to note that an older Android version doesn't automatically imply an app can't access newer SQLite on it.

In any case the issue here is whether the app's SQLite DB is malformed, since even the latest updated SQLite editors are failing to open it.

However it's entirely possible for an app like VLC to use a third-party SQLite support library that is Android version independent

That's exactly the case.

Give DB Browser for SQLite a try. The trigger in question uses the UPDATE FROM syntax which was recently added to SQLite in v3.33.0.

You guessed well. We are using a pretty recent SQLite version and your browser have to use at least the 3.33.0 version.
For example, it's working on my system:

@Aza
THANK YOU IT WORKS!
Even though the stable build says it's based on SQLite 3.34.1 it would not open the .db file.
I had to download the nightly build of DB Browser for SQLite.
I am very happy.

Thanks @Aza.

You're welcome