The Connections pane

Essentially, the user begins with the query builder using the Connections pane (see Figure 1.2). This Connections pane is used to define connections to various databases on which queries may be defined. A connection is displayed in the Connections pane as connection node under the Databases root node.


Figure 1.2. Connections pane

Each connection node will contain all the queries created for that connection. To operate on the Connections pane, the user may use the popup menu commands accessible via the right-mouse button click combination over the desired node of the tree in the pane. The menu items of this popup menu are interpreted depending on the context of the particular node on which the user clicks. For example, the New menu item will mean new connection when the user right-mouse button clicked over the Databases root node. While when the click is applied on a connection, then the New menu item will be interpreted as new query for that connection.


Figure 1.3. Popup menu

We list next the interpretations of these menu items:

New...

This menu item is interpreted as new connection when the right-mouse button click is applied on the Databases root node, while on any connection node it must be interpreted as new query. Anywhere else it will be disabled.

Open

This menu item is interpreted as expanding the tree when the right-mouse button click is applied on the Databases or any connection node, while on queries it must simply open the query into the query builder closing the currently open query. The alternative to this command is via the left-mouse button double-click method on the any selected node.

Rename

This menu item simply makes the node label editable so that the user may modify the name of selected connection or query.

Properties...

This menu item only applies to connections and will display the connection properties in the Data Link Properties dialog. This dialog is used to modify the database connection properties.

Remove

This menu item will remove the selected node on which the menu command is applied.

Copy

This menu item together with Paste menu item is used for duplicating an existing query. The user first applies the Copy command on selected query and then using the connection node applies the Paste command. This will paste a copy of the query with the name prefixed by “Copy_of_”.

Paste

(see the Copy menu item).