MySQL Bugs: #55874: Record "inspector" for SQL Result tabs

Bug #55874	Record "inspector" for SQL Result tabs
Submitted:	10 Aug 2010 9:37	Modified:	12 Aug 2010 11:51
Reporter:	Dan Kloke (Candidate Quality Contributor)	Email Updates:
Status:	Verified	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Workbench: SQL Editor	Severity:	S4 (Feature request)
Version:	5.2.26 CE	OS:	Any
Assigned to:		CPU Architecture:	Any
Tags:	inspector, record, result, sql editor

Description:
First, let me say that I am pleased with the way this project is coming along, I am now beginning to use Workbench instead of Query Browser.

Please consider including a "record inspector" for the SQL results (and editor).

A record inspector shows the field of the (single) selected record of the result set, in a vertical stack of column names and corresponding values. As the user scrolls through records in a grid, the values of the currently selected record can be seen (and possibly edited) in the inspector.

Here is a screenshot from one of my own applications (in Delphi 2007), showing such an inspector panel:
http://gotvdata.com/inspector.png

The record inspector is on the right, under the Fields tab. For the MySQL Workbench Result tab pane, this could be a resizeable panel to the right of the scrolling result grid. The inspector panel can be hidden or shown to the preference of the user.

This kind of display lets users look at more fields in single record than a regular horizontal grid, while leveraging the functionality of the grid's scrolling capabilities. This layout may also be easier to use for record editing, when there are many columns in the table.

Possibly, the contents of TEXT or BLOB field may be shown without opening a viewer.

How to repeat:
In an SQL Query tab, execute an SQL statement returning a result set. The result set is shown in a scrollable grin in a Result tab.

Feature does not exist.

Suggested fix:
These things are not that hard to write, and third party component libraries featuring similar elements are available.

Many thanks for writing a feature request.

Honestly, I am not able to follow you at all.

What shall such an inspector do?

An "inspector" is an area that displays all the values for a single record. It allows users to look through a record without scrolling a grid left and right. It is a complimentary display to an existing grid display.

It consists of two columns, the left column holds the names of fields in the table or result set. The right column shows the values of the selected record, next to the corresponding field names.

RecordID | 1
Field1   | a value
Field2   | value in field 2
NumericA | 12.34
DateTimeX| 2010-08-10 04:17:02 AM

As the user scrolls down the fields in a grid, the right column in the inspector pane shows the values for the current field.

Some development IDE's use this kind of layout to show the property values of a currently selected object:
http://www.flickdotnet.de/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/image-thumb5.png
These are sometimes called "Property Inspectors".

Many thanks for your feedback.

Now I understand it.

Many thanks for writing a reasonable feature request.