[ahartmetz]

There are more similar issues, like disabling foreign key constraints by default "for compatibility reasons". Makes me wonder if there was a time when SQLite supported foreign key syntax, but didn't actually implement the functionality.

[formerly_proven]

> This document describes the support for SQL foreign key constraints introduced in SQLite version 3.6.19 (2009-10-14).

[ahartmetz]

That quote leaves open whether SQLite "pretended" to support foreign keys by allowing to create tables with them, but didn't implement them. Otherwise, I don't see the compatibility problem.

[azornathogron]

Yes.

From the release notes:

2002-06-17 (2.5.0), "Parse (but do not implement) foreign keys."

At one point there was also a tool which would generate trigger rules to enforce foreign key constraints. (2008 Oct 15 (3.6.4), Added the source code and documentation for the genfkey program for automatically generating triggers to enforce foreign key constraints)

[ahartmetz]

Thank you. Strange decisions, but not completely baffling then.