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Getting Started with SQLife

This guide will help you get up and running with SQLife quickly.

Table of Contents

First Launch

When you launch SQLife for the first time, the application will:

  1. Create application directory in your home folder (~/.sqlife/)
  2. Initialize local database for storing settings and connections
  3. Show the main window with the connection manager

License Activation (Optional)

If this is your first time:

  • Trial Mode: You can evaluate SQLife for free
  • Licensed Use: Go to Help → License and enter your license key

For now, you can proceed with the trial or skip this step.

Setting Your Language

SQLife supports more than 10 languages. To change the language:

  1. Open Preferences:

    • Windows/Linux: File → Preferences (or press Ctrl + ,)
    • macOS: SQLife → Preferences (or press Cmd + ,)

  2. Navigate to General section

  3. Select your preferred language from the Language dropdown

  4. Click OK or Apply

  5. Restart SQLife for the language change to take effect

Creating Your First Connection

Oracle Database Connection

  1. Open Connection Manager:

    • Click the New Connection tab, or
    • Press Cmd/Ctrl + N

  2. Enter connection details:

    • Connection Name: Give it a meaningful name (e.g., "Development DB")
    • Database Type: Oracle
    • Host: Database server address (e.g., localhost or 192.168.1.100)
    • Port: Default is 1521
    • SID/Service Name: Your database identifier (e.g., ORCL)
    • Username: Database user (e.g., SCOTT)
    • Password: User password

if Oracle database provide service over Service Name, you probably need to add a slash "/" before service name.

  1. Advanced options (optional):

    • Role: NORMAL, SYSDBA, or SYSOPER
    • Connection Type: Basic or TNS

  2. Test the connection:

    • Click Test Connection button
    • Wait for the result
    • If successful, you'll see a success message
    • If it fails, check your credentials and network connectivity

  3. Save the connection:

    • Click Save button
    • Your connection appears in the connections list

  4. Connect:

    • Double-click the connection, or
    • Right-click and select Connect

MySQL Database Connection

  1. Open Connection Manager (Cmd/Ctrl + N)

  2. Enter connection details:

    • Connection Name: (e.g., "MySQL Local")
    • Database Type: MySQL
    • Host: localhost or server address
    • Port: Default is 3306
    • Database: Database name (e.g., myapp)
    • Username: (e.g., root)
    • Password: User password

  3. Test and save as described above

PostgreSQL Database Connection

  1. Open Connection Manager (Cmd/Ctrl + N)

  2. Enter connection details:

    • Connection Name: (e.g., "Postgres Dev")
    • Database Type: PostgreSQL
    • Host: localhost or server address
    • Port: Default is 5432
    • Database: Database name (e.g., postgres)
    • Username: (e.g., postgres)
    • Password: User password

  3. Test and save as described above

SQLite Database Connection

  1. Open Connection Manager (Cmd/Ctrl + N)

  2. Enter connection details:

    • Connection Name: (e.g., "Local SQLite")
    • Database Type: SQLite
    • Database File: Click Browse and select your .db file

  3. Test and save

Other databases' connection are similar.

Understanding the Interface

Once connected, you'll see the main SQLife interface:

Main Window Layout

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Menu Bar (File, Edit, Database, View, Help)                            │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Toolbar (New, Open, Save, Run, etc.)                                   │
├──────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│          │ Tab Bar (Connection/Workbench Tabs)                         │
│          ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Side     │                                                             │
│ Bar      │  SQL Editor                                                 │
│          │  (Write your queries here)                                  │
│ - Objects│                                                             │
│ - Scripts│─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│          │  Data View / Results                                        │
│          │  (Query results appear here)                                │
├──────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Status Bar (Messages, Position, Encoding, Current Schema, etc.)        │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Areas

  1. Menu Bar: Access all application features
  2. Toolbar: Quick access to common operations
  3. Tab Bar: Multiple workbenches and file tabs
  4. Side Bar (Left): Navigate database objects and files
    • Objects Tab: Browse schemas, tables, views, etc.
    • Scripts Tab: Access workspace files and Git repository
  5. SQL Editor: Write and edit SQL queries
  6. Data View: View and edit query results
  7. Status Bar: Shows messages, cursor position, encoding, current schema, etc.

Side Bar - Objects Tab

The Objects tab shows your database structure:

  • Schema dropdown: Select which schema to browse
  • Object tree:
    • 📁 Tables
    • 📁 Views
    • 📁 Procedures
    • 📁 Functions
    • 📁 Indexes
    • 📁 Triggers
    • 📁 Sequences
    • (And more, depending on database type)

Filter objects: Type in the filter box to quickly find objects

Side Bar - Scripts Tab

The Scripts tab shows your workspace:

  • File tree: Browse local SQL files
  • Filter: Search for specific files
  • Git integration: If your workspace is a Git repository, you can view file history

Side Bar - Outline Tab

The Outline tab displays a real-time hierarchical tree view of the SQL blocks in your currently active editor.

  • Automatic parsing: As you type, SQLife parses your SQL in the background and updates the tree
  • Block types shown: Procedures [PROC], Functions [FUNC], Packages [PKG], Triggers [TRIG], Views [VIEW], SQL statements [SQL], and anonymous blocks [BLOCK]
  • Navigate by click: Click any block in the tree to jump the editor caret directly to that block's location
  • Popup mode: Open the outline as a floating window via the keyboard shortcut for quick navigation across large SQL files

Side Bar - Function Tab

The Function tab provides a searchable list of built-in database functions and routines for the connected database type.

  • Search: Type in the filter box to find functions by name or description
  • Double-click to insert: Double-click a function to insert its name into the active SQL editor
  • Rich info: Each entry shows the function name along with its description/comment
  • Auto-loaded: Functions are loaded from a cached catalog of the connected database's built-in routines after connection

Side Bar - SFTP Tab

The SFTP tab provides an embedded remote file browser for connecting to servers via SSH/SFTP.

  • Connection management: Select from saved SFTP connections, or add a new one with host, port, user, and authentication (password or key-based)
  • Browse remote files: View files with name, permissions, size, and modification date; double-click directories to navigate
  • File operations: Upload, download, create new files/folders, rename, and delete — all from the context menu
  • Open in editor: Open remote text files (.sql, .xml, .json, .properties, etc.) directly in the SQL editor; saving auto-uploads changes back
  • Progress tracking: Upload and download progress is shown in the file table with a cancel option

Running Your First Query

Write a Simple Query

  1. In the SQL Editor area, type a simple query:

    For Oracle:

    SELECT * FROM DUAL;

    For MySQL:

    SELECT 1 + 1 AS result;

    For PostgreSQL:

    SELECT version();

  2. Execute the query:

    • Press Ctrl/Command + Enter, or
    • Click the Run button in the toolbar, or
    • Use menu: Database → Run

  3. View results:

    • Results appear in the Data View below the editor
    • You'll see rows, columns, and values

Run Selected SQL

If you have multiple statements, you can run just one:

  1. Select the SQL statement you want to run
  2. Press Ctrl/Command + Enter or click Run
  3. Only the selected SQL is executed

Run Multiple Statements

To run multiple statements in sequence:

  1. Write multiple statements (separated by semicolons for most databases)
  2. Make sure no SQL is selected
  3. Press Ctrl/Command + Enter or click Run
  4. Each statement executes in order
  5. Multiple result sets appear in tabs

Commit and Rollback

SQLife uses manual commit mode (autocommit = false):

  • Commit changes: Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + C or Database → Commit
  • Rollback changes: Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + R or Database → Rollback

Important: Remember to commit INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE statements!

Some analysis database do not support transaction.

Browsing Database Objects

Viewing Table Data

  1. Expand the Tables folder in the Objects tab
  2. Right-click a table
  3. Select Query Data
  4. The table data loads in the Data View

Viewing Table Structure

  1. Right-click a table
  2. Select Property
  3. The table property window opens, showing:
    • Basic information
    • Columns and data types
    • Indexes
    • Constraints
    • Triggers
    • Partitions (if any)

Viewing Object Definition (DDL)

To see the SQL that creates an object:

  1. Right-click any object (table, view, procedure, etc.)
  2. Select Object Definition
  3. The DDL appears in a new editor tab

Editing Table Data

  1. Right-click a table
  2. Select Edit Data
  3. The data view opens in edit mode (unlocked)
  4. Click cells to edit values
  5. Use the toolbar:
    • Add Row: Insert new row
    • Remove Row: Delete selected rows
    • Save: Commit changes to database
    • Refresh: Reload data

Note: See Exploring Objects and Executing SQL and Object Explorer for detailed editing instructions.

Tips for New Users

Keyboard Shortcuts

Learn these essential shortcuts:

Action Windows/Linux macOS
New File Ctrl + N Cmd + N
Open File Ctrl + O Cmd + O
Save File Ctrl + S Cmd + S
Run Query Ctrl + Enter Cmd + Enter
Commit Ctrl + Shift + C Cmd + Shift + C
Rollback Ctrl + Shift + R Cmd + Shift + R
Format SQL Ctrl + Shift + F Cmd + Shift + F
Find Ctrl + F Cmd + F
Replace Check Key Mapping Check Key Mapping
Comment/Uncomment Ctrl + / Cmd + /
Trigger Suggestion Ctrl + Shift + P Cmd + Shift + P
Outline tab Ctrl + O Cmd + O
Quick Query Alt + Space Option + Space
Preferences Ctrl + , Cmd + ,

Shortcuts are configurable. Check Preferences -> Key Mapping for the current assignment.

SQL Editor Features

  • Syntax highlighting: SQL keywords are colored
  • Auto-completion: Press Ctrl + Space for suggestions
  • Code formatting: Press Ctrl + Shift + F to format
  • Line numbers: Visible on the left
  • Error highlighting: Syntax errors are underlined

Working with Multiple Tabs

  • New workbench tab: Click + in the tab bar
  • Close tab: Click × on the tab
  • Rename tab: Double-click the tab title
  • Clone tab: Right-click and select Clone
  • Close others: Right-click and select Close Others

Saving Your Work

  • SQL files: Use File → Save (Ctrl/Cmd + S)
  • Auto-recovery: SQLife auto-saves state for crash recovery
  • Connection backup: Use File → Backup Connections regularly

Getting Help

  • Press F1 or Help → Help for online documentation
  • Check Help → About for version information
  • Visit the FAQ for common questions

Common First-Time Tasks

Task 1: Query a Table

-- Example for Oracle
SELECT employee_id, first_name, last_name, email
FROM employees
WHERE department_id = 10;
  1. Write the query in the editor
  2. Press Ctrl/Command + Enter to execute
  3. View results in the Data View

Task 2: Insert Data

-- Example
INSERT INTO employees (employee_id, first_name, last_name, email, hire_date)
VALUES (1001, 'John', 'Doe', 'jdoe@company.com', SYSDATE);
  1. Write the INSERT statement
  2. Press Ctrl/Command + Enter to execute
  3. Important: Press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + C to commit!

Task 3: Export Query Results

  1. Run a query to get results
  2. Click the Export button in the Data View toolbar
  3. Choose format (Excel, CSV, etc.)
  4. Select location and click Export

Task 4: Import Data from Excel

  1. Go to Database → Import
  2. Select target table
  3. Choose Excel file
  4. Map columns
  5. Click Import

See Export Objects and Data and Import Data for details.

Next Steps

Now that you're familiar with the basics:

  1. Explore more features:

  2. Customize SQLife:

  3. Try advanced features:

Congratulations! You're now ready to use SQLife for your database management tasks.

Happy querying! 🐰

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