How to sort text in sqlite3 with specified locale?

I accepted Doug Currie answer, but I want to add some “algorithm” how to do it, because sqlite3 documentation is very strange (at least for me).

Ok, we have working sqlite3 and now:

  1. Download ICU extension for sqlite

  2. Compile it:

    gcc -shared icu.c `icu-config --ldflags` -o libSqliteIcu.so
    

    It is for Linux. I also needed to install additional ICU development package:

    sudo apt-get install libicu-dev
    

    I’m working on 64 bit architecture and I get error with __relocation R_X86_64_32S__ (whatever it means :). GCC suggested adding -fPIC to compile options and it helped.

  3. Run sqlite3. We can load extension with command:

    .load './libSqliteIcu.so'
    

    Assuming that it is in the current directory, we can also specify whole path.

  4. Create new collation:

    SELECT icu_load_collation('pl_PL', 'POLISH');
    

    The first parameter is desired locale and the second is it’s (it can be whatever).

  5. Now we can sort data with our new locale:

    SELECT * FROM some_table ORDER BY name COLLATE POLISH;
    

    And it is case insensitive!

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