Opening Files and Folders

To open and save files, DbVisualizer uses file chooser dialogs and fields that you may encounter throughout the application.

File chooser dialog

The file chooser dialog allows navigating the file system and selecting files. On most platforms, the file chooser will have the look and feel native to your operating system.

Using the non-native file chooser

On platforms that don't support the native file chooser, DbVisualizer will use an alternative implementation. The look and feel will not be completely native. On the other hand, it offers additional features such as quick navigation between the recent paths used within DbVisualizer, the option to choose file encoding etc., depending on the context.

To switch between the native and non-native file chooser, use the Files section in Tools → Tool Properties.

File chooser field

The file chooser field is an inline path component used to specify paths for files and folders. To open a corresponding file chooser dialog, use the yellow button to the right of the field. You may come across the file chooser field in various dialogs, for example, when importing table data.

The field allows auto-completion using Ctrl+space. Start typing and choose a suitable alternative from the auto-completion drop-down:

The rightmost drop-down contains the list of recently used paths. Selecting one sets it as the current path:

Paths shown in red do not exist or are not available. Select Clear Invalid Recent Paths to remove them.

You can drag and drop a file or folder onto the file chooser field from other tools, and it will navigate to the path of the dropped file or folder.

Using tilde ("~") in the file chooser field

Using the tilde ("~") character as a prefix in file paths represents the user's home folder. For example, if the home folder for a user is /Users/ben, entering ~/Documents/project/SQL-Files will expand to /Users/ben/Documents/project/SQL-Files.

Drag and drop from the operating system

You can also use drag and drop to open and select files and folders in DbVisualizer. For example:

• Open files in SQL Commander.
• Mount file roots in the Files tab.
• Add repositories in the Git tab.
• Mount connection folders in the Databases tab.

Using the Files and Git tabs

Files can also be accessed from the Files and Git tabs in DbVisualizer. The Files tab lets you mount folders from your file system for quick and easy access to your scripts without going through a file chooser dialog each time. The Git tab provides access to Git repositories, allowing you to work with version-controlled scripts.