DESCRIBE TYPE

Lists user-defined types (UDTs) in the current keyspace, or all UDTs in the cluster when no keyspace is selected, or the CQL definition for a specified UDT.

Shows this output depending on the options selected:

  • Lists all user-defined types (UDTs) in the current keyspace.
  • Lists all UDTs in the cluster when no keyspace is selected.
  • CQL definition for a specified UDT.
Tip: To select a keyspace, use the USE command.

Synopsis

DESCRIBE TYPES [ keyspace_name ] | TYPE [keyspace_name.]udt_name
Table 1. Legend
Syntax conventions Description
UPPERCASE Literal keyword.
Lowercase Not literal.
Italics Variable value. Replace with a user-defined value.
[] Optional. Square brackets ( [] ) surround optional command arguments. Do not type the square brackets.
( ) Group. Parentheses ( ( ) ) identify a group to choose from. Do not type the parentheses.
| Or. A vertical bar ( | ) separates alternative elements. Type any one of the elements. Do not type the vertical bar.
... Repeatable. An ellipsis ( ... ) indicates that you can repeat the syntax element as often as required.
'Literal string' Single quotation ( ' ) marks must surround literal strings in CQL statements. Use single quotation marks to preserve upper case.
{ key : value } Map collection. Braces ( { } ) enclose map collections or key value pairs. A colon separates the key and the value.
<datatype1,datatype2> Set, list, map, or tuple. Angle brackets ( < > ) enclose data types in a set, list, map, or tuple. Separate the data types with a comma.
cql_statement; End CQL statement. A semicolon ( ; ) terminates all CQL statements.
[--] Separate the command line options from the command arguments with two hyphens ( -- ). This syntax is useful when arguments might be mistaken for command line options.
' <schema> ... </schema> ' Search CQL only: Single quotation marks ( ' ) surround an entire XML schema declaration.
@xml_entity='xml_entity_type' Search CQL only: Identify the entity and literal value to overwrite the XML element in the schema and solrConfig files.
TYPES
All types.
TYPE
One type.
keyspace_name
Name of the keyspace.
udt_name

Name of the type.

Note: On Linux systems, object names such as keyspace names, table names, and so forth are case-sensitive. By default, CQL converts names to lowercase unless enclosed in double quotation marks.

Examples

List all the types in the cycling keyspace:
USE cycling; DESC TYPES
fullname  race  basic_info
Show the definition of the cycling fullname type:
DESC TYPE cycling.fullname
CREATE TYPE cycling.fullname (
  firstname text,
  lastname text,
  middleinitial text
);