# &kexi; Basics

## &kexi; Databases

Many applications such as OpenOffice.org or Microsoft Excel create files which are called documents. &kexi; creates files too, but we refer to them as &kexi; database files, or simple database files here. &kexi; database files usually have the extension `.kexi`.

In addition to storing your databases in database files, &kexi; can also use databases on database servers, which is why we refer to them as database files, and not simply as databases.

The term &kexi; project, or simply project is also used to refer to a &kexi; database, regardless of whether it is stored in a file or on a database server.

## Creating a New Database File

1. Run &kexi;, or if it is already running, use &Ctrl;N File New .

2. Click the OK to confirm the creation of the project.

3. Enter a name for your project, and click Next.

4. Use the file browser to choose a folder where you would like to save your database file. You may change the file name in the Location: box if you dislike the one that is suggested.

5. Click Create.

## The &kexi; Main Window

The Project Navigator and Properties Editor are shown in panes on each side of the child window. These can be resized or hidden as required. A pane can be hidden by clicking the small cross at the top of the pane (just below the toolbar).

Database objects (tables, queries, etc.) listed in the Project Navigator can opened by clicking (or double-clicking, depending upon your global &kde; settings) on their names.

### Main application elements

#### Main elements of &kexi; application's window are:

- Menubar

  contains available commands for the application. You will find detailed description of any of the commands in the appendix.

- Toolbar

  contains most frequently used commands.

- Project Navigator's pane

  contains a list of any object (tables, queries, forms, ...) created within the currently opened database project. The navigator also contains small toolbar with most usable commands related to the database objects.

- Opened database objects area

  a central area of the application taking most of the screen space. For IDEAl user interface mode it contains switchable tabs with windows that are always maximized. For Childframe user interface mode it contains floating windows.

- Properties pane

  contains a list of properties of currently activated database object. For certain objects (&eg; form's widgets) it can have several tabs.

- Taskbar

  contains a list of currently opened windows with database objects. For IDEAl user interface mode, it is available as a number of tabs. For Childframe user interface mode, it is available as a number of buttons, behaving just like your operating system's taskbar.

#### Project Navigator pane

The Project Navigator pane is one of the most frequently used elements of the &kexi; main window. The pane contains a list of all objects created within the currently opened &kexi; database project. The objects are split into groups: tables, queries, forms.

The Project Navigator pane also contains a small toolbar for most frequently used commands (from left to right): Open selected object, Design selected object, Create a new object, and Delete selected object.

For each object on the list a context menu is available using the &RMB;. For example, this is context menu for the persons table.

Double clicking with the &LMB; on the object's name on the list allows to open the object in Data View. If the object's window was alread opened, the action just activates the window without switching it's view mode.

Note that your operating system or window manager can be set up to handle single clicks instead of double clicks. In this case it is enough to single click on the object name to open its window.

#### Database object windows

##### Opening an object's window

1. Select the object in the Project Navigator pane.

2. Click the Open button on the Project Navigator pane's toolbar.

##### Commands related to object windows

- Closing an object window

  When the IDEAl user interface mode (the default) is used, each window has its own tab. Place the mouse pointer on the icon on the tab. A Close button will become visible. Click it to close the tab.

  In the Childframe on the right hand of each opened window there are buttons you can use to control the window. Click the first one on the right hand to close the window.

  Alternatively, regardless of the user interface mode you are using, you can select Window Close from the Menubar.

- Window buttons for Childframe user interface mode

  The other buttons (from right to left) can be used to: maximize, minimize and undock the window.

  There's a small icon on the left side of the title bar which can be clicked to show a context menu with commands related to the window.

#### Property Editor pane

In the Property Editor pane you can change properties of the object displayed in the active window. Depending on the context, the pane is consisted of one or more tabs. The first, always visible tab, Properties, contains the list of available properties.

##### Rules for using the Property Editor:

- Each row contains a single property.

- You can use the mouse or the keyboard to change values of particular properties.

- ##### Most frequently used types of property values are:

  - a number; you can enter the value directly or increase or decrease its value by clicking with the &LMB; on the arrows.

  - text

  - drop down list of values

  - Yes/No; you can toggle the value by clicking on the button; Yes (true) means that the button is toggled on, >No (false) means that the button is toggled off.

- There is no need to confirm a changed value: changes are visible immediately after moving to a different row of the Property Editor's list or by pressing the Enter key.

- Names of the recently changed properties that not yet were stored in the database are marked with bold text.

- After changing the value of a property, a special Undo changes button appears on the right side of the Property Editor's list. By clicking it you can revert the value of the property to the original value that was loaded from the database upon opening the database object. The button is only visible when the property is actually highlighted.

##### The Property Editor pane is empty if:

- no single database object's window is opened, or

- the active database object's window does not offer properties; it is usually the case when it is opened in Data View instead of Design View

## Opening an existing &kexi; database file

### To open an existing &kexi; database file:

- select it in the Open Existing Project dialog; or

- open it by clicking on the .kexi file icon.

### Opening a database file in the Open Existing Project dialog

- Run &kexi;. You should see Choose Project startup dialog. Choose Open Existing Project tab. You will see the following dialog:

- From Current location drop down box, pick a folder containing a file you are looking for.

- You can either pick a file or enter its name in the Location: box.

- Click OK.

#### Notes

- By default the Filter: drop down list has Kexi Database File-Based Project selected. In case the file you are looking for has an other extension, you can change the selection of the Filter: drop down list to All Files to display all available files (regardless of an extension).

- If you have selected a file of an external type, like a MS Access .mdb file, &kexi; will provide you with the option to import the file.

- If you have selected a connection data file (with .kexic extension) or a shortcut to a project on database server file (with .kexis extension), &kexi; will display appropriate dialogs.

### Opening an existing &kexi; database file by clicking on .kexi file's icon

Click file's icon using your file manager or desktop. &kexi; will open this database project automatically.

#### Notes

Note about database files accessed remotely. You may want to open a database file that is located on a remote source (&eg; a web or FTP server or a MS Windows network share). K Desktop Environment allows you to open files from remote sources directly in applications and to save changes back to the source, but this is not the case with database files. By clicking on a database file located on a remote source, a copy of the file will be downloaded to a temporary directory on your computer and all your changes will be made to this local file. The remote original of the file will remain unchanged, so it's recommended to copy (download) the file to your computer first, then open the file and copy it back to the remote source if you want to make it up to date.

## Using built-in help

### The following ways to get built-in help in &kexi; are available:

- The Handbook in form of electronic document.

  The Handbook is available by pressing F1 key or selecting Help&kexi; Handbook from the menubar.

- What's This? hints.

  Select Help What's This?from the menu bar and click on an area of the application to get hints about it.