# Quantum Preferences and Properties

As in other plugins in Eclipse, we must differentiate between Preferences and Properties. Preferences apply to all of the items in the plugin, and properties only to one.

The Quantum generic preferences are accessed in the same place as other Eclipse plug-ins, under `Window > Preferences` , and then `Quantum DB`.

The properties that apply to a particular item will be accessed selecting the item and clicking on "Properties" in the context menu.

## Preferences

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### Root preferences (Quantum DB)

The Quantum preferences tree is to date like this. The main Preferences screen, that you get when you select the top of the tree (Quantum DB, like in the image), is:

The Maximum size of query history is self-explanatory.

The Default-files directory path is not (self-explanatory, I mean).

Quantum DB allows (from version 2.4.5) the possibility of having a default bookmark file, for new installations. This bookmak file will be called `def_bookmarks_<operating-system>.xml`, and is to be found in the path set in Default-files directory path preference. The "<operating-system>" part of the file name is the Eclipse abbreviation for operating systems. So if you are in a Windows system, the file name will be `def_bookmarks_win32.xml`, if you are in linux, `def_bookmarks_linux.xml`, etc. This makes easier to bundle Quantum with other plugins, and offer a ready-made default connection. If no path is given, Quantum will look in the Eclipse installation directory for the file.

### Copy preferences

Copy preferences asks only for the Normal Copy Separator, that only is applied when copying several columns. If you select several columns from the bookmarks view, and hit Copy, the column names will be copied to the clipboard, separated by the separator you have selected. For more complex copy customization, there are the three next preference pages, the Custom Copy. As custom copy is rather complex, it's described in a separate page. Click the preceding link to learn about it.

### Databases preferences

Database preferences set some general preferences for databases. These could possibly one day be made into bookmark properties. To date, they only work for Oracle, and they are selectable because the Get Remarks for Columns option makes for a extremely slow column query (when you expand a table to see the columns it has).

Get Remarks for Columns allows the user (for now only for Oracle) to see the possible remarks defined for the columns. These will be shown in the XML generated when you copy a table, or in the Properties of the table.

Get Synonyms from Database makes the bookmark display not only the tables and views, but also the synonyms, marked with a different icon. This option is also to date only available for Oracle databases.

### SQL Editor Preferences

This preferences page is pretty much self-explanatory. It allows you to choose the font for your SQL Editor view, the colors of the background and the different syntax highlighting elements.

## Properties

### Bookmark Properties

Selecting a Bookmark in the Bookmark view, and then using the context menu to get the Properties, gets you the following dialog:

In the first selection of the lef tree (Bookmark) you get to change some options of the Bookmark. The first tab, shown in the image, allows to change the Connection data. You can also change the JDBC driver using the second tab. Those options are the same as when creating a bookmark. Refer to "Creating a bookmark" for more info.

#### Auto-Commit

The third tab, Options, allows you to change two options of the Bookmark (at the moment). The first one is the Auto-Commit feature. It has three possibilities: Always True, Always False and Last Saved. If you select Always True, all your SQL statements issued against that bookmark will be automatically committed on completion. So if you make an INSERT statement, the inserted data will be part from the shared database table from the moment the INSERT is finished. If you select Always False, you won't have any automatic commit, and you'll have to manually commit all your SQL statements that modify data in the database. This selection is de default selection for that bookmark, and will be used when the bookmark is open. Then you can change the auto-commit value using the toolbar menu in the SQL Query Editor view.

If you select the third option Last Saved, then your selection in the toolbar menu of the SQL Query Editor view will be remembered and used the next time you open that bookmark.

The second one,Qoute all schemas, tables and columns, permits you to quote all schemas, tables and columns in the quantum generated SQL. The default is unchecked, that is, quote only the names that have spaces, signs, mixed case or are a reserved keyword (this last only from version 2.4.5). Quoting everything is safer, but uglier on display.

#### Schemas

The tree item Schemas allows you to change the visible schemas in your bookmark. It's the same as the Schema selection page in the Create New Bookmark wizard.

#### Database and Data Types

The Database tree item simply shows you information about the database to which the bookmark connects. The Data Types is similar, but shows info about the data types supported by that database. Both are merely informational, you cannot change anything there. These two categories are common to all items, so if you only see them it's because the item has no properties of its own (like the Quick List, for example).

### Table and View Properties

Tables, views and sequences properties have the same elements, even if some not apply, like Indices and References for View, for example.

The first category is Columns, where you can see the info for the columns of the selected Table or View. No change is possible there. Indices and References are also displays of the indices and references of the table.

SQL shows the SELECT clause used to create the view . Note that it may not be exact, as clauses like WITH CHECK OPTION can be not included (check the SQL92 standard) and, in any case, it'll depend on the database, as IBM databases tend to include the CREATE clause, for example. Some databases are not implemented yet, so if you see a blank SQL, contact the Quantum developers with info about the right query for your database.

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