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Queries

The information you want to present in any application is typically spread over numerous tables in a datasource. A query can collect data from different tables/ documents and pull it together for display. Using a query, you can insert, update, or remove data from a datasource, bind the data to a widget, and more.

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Appsmith uses Queries to collectively refer to APIs or Database queries that perform CRUD operations.

To write and execute queries, you should understand the basics of connecting to a Database or Connecting to an API. You can create queries from a datasource using the Appsmith query editor.

Create a query​

This section talks about creating a DB query in Appsmith. To learn about API queries, see How to Create an API query.

Follow the below steps to create a database query in the query editor:

  • Go to Datasources → + to create a new query or select an existing datasource to which you wish to add a query. If you want to add a new datasource, follow the steps detailed in Datasources.
  • Choose the connected datasource and click + New Query. You can also choose to add a new query by navigating to Explorer >> Scroll down to Queries/JS >> Click plus (+) sign >> Select the name <DATASOURCE_NAME> Query (users query).
  • The Appsmith query editor opens up when you create a new query or select an existing query. You can write the queries in the query editor and tweak the query settings from the settings tab.

Appsmith Query Editor

  • The query is created with a default name. It's recommended you rename it for readability and access. The query name helps access the query results. A query must have a unique and meaningful name that acts as an identifier. You can access the various properties of the query and its data using the query name.
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JavaScript keywords and the window object methods and properties aren't valid as query names.

Queries are automatically saved, so you never lose your work. These changes are reflected in your published application only after you deploy. You can access a query's result only from the page it's a part of. To use a query on another page, click the context menu next to the query name and clone it.

Run a query​

Click the Run button or hit cmd + enter to execute a query. You'll see the results in the Response tab if the query succeeds.

Running a Query

Alternatively, you can use the run function to execute a query anywhere in Appsmith.

All query results are stored in the data property of the query object. It's immutable and can't be changed. You can access it using JavaScript, as shown in the code snippet below:

{{ Query1.data }}

Queries fetch data in an array of objects where each object is a row, and each key in the object is a column. However, each widget property supports a specific data type. You can transform the data from the query response to match the expected data structure in the property.

Debug errors​

When a query fails, Appsmith commonly shows a notification stating: <query_name> action returned an error response .

To see the error message returned by the datasource in response to your query, look for the failed query in the debugger, or access it in code with <query_name>.data.

Use queries in applications​

Once you have successfully run a Query, you can use it in your application to:

Troubleshooting​

Do you need help with queries? Check out the Query troubleshooting guide for the most common errors or reach out on Discord to get support or ask questions on the community forum.