inserting rows sql syntax error with Python 3.9 - python-3.x

Question

I am trying to insert rows into my database. Establishing a connection to the database is successful. When I try to insert my desired rows I get an error in the sql. The error appears to be coming from my variable "network_number". I am running nested for loops to iterate through the network number ranges from 1.1.1 - 254.254.254 and adding each unique IP to the database. The network number is written as a string so should the column for the network number be set to VARCHAR or TEXT to include full stops/period? The desired output is to populate my database table with each network number. You can find the sql query assigned to the variable sql_query.
def populate_ip_table(ip_ranges):
network_numbers = ["", "", ""]
information = "Populating the IP table..."
total_ips = (len(ip_ranges) * 254**2)
complete = 0
for octet_one in ip_ranges:
network_numbers[0] = str(octet_one)
percentage_complete = round(100 / total_ips * complete, 2)
information = f"{percentage_complete}% complete"
output_information(information)
for octet_two in range(1, 254 + 1):
network_numbers[1] = str(octet_two)
for octet_three in range(1, 254 + 1):
network_numbers[2] = str(octet_three)
network_number = ".".join(network_numbers)
complete += 1
sql_query = f"INSERT INTO ip_scan_record (ip, scanned_status, times_scanned) VALUES ({network_number}, false, 0)"
execute_sql_statement(sql_query)
information = "100% complete"
output_information(information)
Output
[ * ] Connecting to the PostgreSQL database...
[ * ] Connection successful
[ * ] Executing SQL statement
[ ! ] syntax error at or near ".50"
LINE 1: ...rd (ip, scanned_status, times_scanned) VALUES (1.1.50, false...
^

Answer 1

As stated by the Docs:
There is no performance difference among these three types, apart from increased storage space when using the blank-padded type, and a few extra CPU cycles to check the length when storing into a length-constrained column. While character(n) has performance advantages in some other database systems, there is no such advantage in PostgreSQL; in fact character(n) is usually the slowest of the three because of its additional storage costs. In most situations text or character varying should be used
Postgresql Docs
I think you need to use VARCHAR, due to the small varying length of your ip-string. while, text is effectively avarchar (no limit), but it may have some problems related to indexing if a record with compressed size of greater than 2712 is tried to be inserted.
Actually your problem is, you need to put an extra single qoutes on network_number. To give you a string when inserting the value in postgresql.
To prove this try insert {network_number} as this:
network_number = "'" + ".".join(network_numbers) + "'"
sql_query = f"INSERT INTO ip_scan_record (ip, scanned_status, times_scanned) VALUES ({network_number}, false, 0)"
OR:
sql_query = f"INSERT INTO ip_scan_record (ip, scanned_status, times_scanned) VALUES ('{network_number}', false, 0)"
You could also, used inet dataType, which will save you this hassle.
As stated by Docs:
PostgreSQL offers data types to store IPv4, IPv6, and MAC addresses. It is better to use these types instead of plain text types to store network addresses, because these types offer input error checking and specialized operators and functions.
PostgreSQL: Network Address Types