Using a variable for a table name with python sql cursor

Question

I am using python sql cursor to dynamically access my database and I am in a situation where I want to use a variable in place of a table name. So far all of my attempts have resulted in syntax errors, although I (think?) I am doing things as expected? Unless a table name as a variable is different from a value as a variable:

here is what I currently have:

cursor.execute("INSERT INTO %s (word=%s,item_id=%s,word_tag=%s,unstemmed_word=%s, word_position=%s, TF=%s, normalized_term_frequency=%s, sentence=%s,anthology_id=%s) "%(table_name, stemmedWord,fle.split()[0], str(word[1]), uniqeWord, word_pos, TF, normalized_term_frequency, sentence, fle.split()[1].split(".")[0]))

and I have also tried this:

cursor.execute("INSERT INTO %s (word,item_id,word_tag,unstemmed_word, word_position, TF, normalized_term_frequency, sentence,anthology_id) values(%s, %s,%s, %s, %s, %s, %s, %s, %s)",(table_name, stemmedWord,fle.split()[0], str(word[1]), uniqeWord, word_pos, TF, normalized_term_frequency, sentence, fle.split()[1].split(".")[0]))

Answer 1

You cannot dynamically bind object names, only values. You'll have to resort to string manipulation for the table's name. E.g.:

sql = "INSERT INTO {} (word=%s,item_id=%s,word_tag=%s,unstemmed_word=%s, word_position=%s, TF=%s, normalized_term_frequency=%s, sentence=%s,anthology_id=%s)".format(table_name)

cursor.execute(sql % (stemmedWord,fle.split()[0], str(word[1]), uniqeWord, word_pos, TF, normalized_term_frequency, sentence, fle.split()[1].split(".")[0]))

Answer 2

If you are on python >= 3.6 this is probably better:

 cursor.execute(f'INSERT INTO {table_name} (word="{stemmedWord}",item_id={fle.split()[0]},word_tag={str(word[1])},unstemmed_word="{oword_posrmuniqeWord}", word_position=word_pos, TF={TF}, normalized_term_frequency={normalized_term_frequency}, sentence="{sentence}",anthology_id={fle.split()[1].split(".")[0])}' 

but I think your syntax errors are coming from two things:

1. you have provided a string to split fle on. (Correction this defaults to space - so is OK!)

2. you haven't quoted what seem to be obvious strings in you sql fields.