Admin Manage Preferences

Overview

This guide describes how to set up an application preferences through configuration files without even booting it up.

Locating preference files

Preference files have the extension .prefs and can be found in the workspace directory under the following path: .metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.core.runtime/.settings

You might not find a preference file you are interested in, if it has not been created yet. In this case, you will need to create one yourself. See the examples below to figure out which preference file you need.

Importing and Exporting workspace configuration

You can easily import and export your workspace configuration. Follow the steps below to perform these actions:

Go to File -> Import (for importing) or Export (for exporting).
In the opened window, select DBeaver, then choose Preferences from the nested menu.
In the new window:
- For importing, navigate to the location where the configuration file is stored, select the file, and click Finish.
- For exporting, choose the destination where you want to save the configuration file, and click Finish.
If you are importing, DBeaver will prompt you to restart the application to apply the changes. Confirm the restart to complete the import process.

Reading and modifying preference files

Preference files consist of key-value pairs glued together with = and separated with a line break:

  
# file org.jkiss.dbeaver.test.prefs
some.key=value1
some.other.key=value2

Preferences

You can place the following preferences in the org.jkiss.dbeaver.core.prefs file:

Default navigator view for new connections

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
navigator.settings.default.preset	string	`simple`	`simple`, `advanced`	Sets the default view mode for a new connections. Do not specify this preference if you want to configure a custom preset.
navigator.settings.default.showSystemObjects	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Controls whether system objects must be shown. Used if preset is not specified.
navigator.settings.default.showUtilityObjects	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Controls whether utility objects must be shown. Used if preset is not specified.
navigator.settings.default.showOnlyEntities	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Controls whether only schemas and tables must be shown. Used if preset is not specified.
navigator.settings.default.mergeEntities	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Controls whether all tables must be shown in a single list (without any catalog or database). Used if preset is not specified.

For more information, please see Simple and Advanced View.

Miscellaneous navigator settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
navigator.settings.default.connectionPattern	string	`host_or_database`	expression with variables	Pattern for new connections title.
navigator.show.folder.placeholders	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays placeholders for special folders. Show special folders (e.g. Scripts) even if they were not created yet.
navigator.sort.case.insensitive	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Sorts items in case-insensitive mode.
navigator.sort.forlers.first	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Shows folders first.

Default transaction settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
transaction.smart.commit	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables smart commit mode.
transaction.smart.commit.recover	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Returns to auto-commit mode after transaction end.
transaction.auto.close.enabled	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Automatically ends (rollback) transaction after idle period.
transaction.auto.close.ttl	integer	`900`	integer value	Timeout before transaction close.
transaction.show.notifications	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Shows transaction and notification.

Metadata settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
database.meta.separate.connection	string	`DEFAULT`	`ALWAYS`, `NEVER`	Controls whether to open a separate connection for metadata read. Do not specify this preference if you want to use default settings.
database.meta.casesensitive	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Specifies the usage of case-sensitive names in DDL statements.
database.props.expensive	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables display of row count for tables.
database.meta.server.side.filters	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables filtering on the server side.

Query manager settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
qm.queryTypes	string	`USER`, `USER_FILTERED`, `USER_SCRIPT`	`USER`, `USER_FILTERED`, `USER_SCRIPT`, `UTIL`, `META`, `META_DDL`	View for different query types.
qm.objectTypes	string	`session`,`txn`,`query`	`session`,`txn`,`query`	Displays different object types. `txn` - Transactions.
qm.maxEntries	integer	`200`	integer value	Number of entries displayed per page.
qm.storeLogs	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables the saving of logs.
qm.logDirectory	string	workspace directory	string value	Folder location for saving logs.
qm.historyDays	integer	`90`	integer value	Number of days for storing logs.

Database Navigator settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
navigator.show.connection.host	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays the connection host name.
navigator.show.objects.description	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Displays the objects description.
navigator.show.statistics.info	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays the statistics info.
navigator.show.node.actions	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays the actions icons.
navigator.show.folder.placeholders	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays placeholders for special folders.
navigator.sort.forlers.first	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays folders first.
navigator.sort.case.insensitive	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Orders elements alphabetically.
navigator.color.nodes.all	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Sets connection color for all elements.
navigator.show.objects.tips	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays object brief information.
navigator.show.tooltips	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays information about connection in a tooltip.
navigator.show.tooltips.file.contents	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Allows to show a description for a node.
navigator.object.doubleClick	string	`EDIT`	`EXPAND`	The behavior of double-clicking on the node.
navigator.connection.doubleClick	string	`EXPAND`	`EDIT`, `CONNECT`, `SQL_EDITOR`, `SQL_EDITOR_NEW`	The behavior of double-clicking on the connection.
navigator.object.defaultEditorPage	string	`""`	`default.object.editor`, `org.jkiss.dbeaver.ui.editors.data.DatabaseDataEditor`, `org.jkiss.dbeaver.erd.ui.editor.ERDEditorEmbedded`	Defines which editor will open upon double-clicking: the Properties Editor (`default.object.editor`), the Data Editor (`org.jkiss.dbeaver.ui.editors.data.DatabaseDataEditor`), or the ERD Editor (`org.jkiss.dbeaver.erd.ui.editor.ERDEditorEmbedded`).
navigator.expand.on.connect	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Expands navigator tree on connect.
navigator.restore.filters	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Determines whether navigator filters should be restored upon reopening.
navigator.long.list.fetch.size	integer	`5000`	integer values	Determines nodes limit for Navigator tree.
navigator.restore.state.depth	integer	`0`	integer values	Restores the navigator expanded state up to a certain depth.

Error Logs settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
logs.debug.enabled	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables debug logs.
logs.debug.location	string	`${workspace}/.metadata/dbeaver-debug.log`	string values	Location of the log file.
logs.files.output.maxSize	integer	`10485760`	integer values	Maximum log file size (KB).
logs.files.output.maxCount	integer	`3`	integer values	Maximum backup log files count.

User Interface settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
ui.auto.update.check	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables automatic updates check.
platform.language	string	`en`	`en`, `zh_CN`, `ru`, `fr`, `de`, `it`, `ja`, `es`, `pt`, `ko`, `zh_TW`,	Platform language setting.
java.client.timezone	string	operating system time zone	time zones	Time zone setting.
notifications.enabled	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Determines whether notification popups are allowed to appear.
notifications.closeDelay	integer	`3000`	integer values	Defines the timeout (in ms) before a notification will disappear.

SQL Editor settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
database.editor.separate.connection	string	`DEFAULT`	`ALWAYS`, `NEVER`	Opening a separate connection for each editor.
database.editor.connect.on.activate	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Connects on editors activation.
database.editor.connect.on.execute	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Connects on query execution.
SQLEditor.autoSaveOnChange	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Auto-saves after any modifications.
SQLEditor.autoSaveOnClose	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Auto-saves editor on close.
SQLEditor.autoSaveOnExecute	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Saves editor on query execution.
SQLEditor.autoSaveActiveSchema	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Saves/restores active schema.
SQLEditor.resultSet.closeOnError	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Closes results tab on error.
SQLEditor.resultSet.replaceCurrentTab	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Replaces active result tab on single query execution.
SQLEditor.resultSet.orientation	string	`HORIZONTAL`	`VERTICAL`	Result view orientation.
SQLEditor.outputPanel.autoShow	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Opens output viewer on new messages.
SQLEditor.outputPanel.autoShow	integer	`20`	integer values	Sets maximum of result tabs for single query.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.auto.activation.enable	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables SQL Assistant auto-activation.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.activate.hippie	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Uses Hippie Engine for autocompletion.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.auto.activation.delay	integer	`0`	integer values	Auto activation delay (ms).
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.auto.keystrokes.activation	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Activates SQL Assistant on typing.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.insert.single.proposal	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Auto inserts proposal in SQL assistant if there is only one option.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.autocompletion.tab	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Use Tab for autocompletion in SQL Assistant.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.insert.case	integer	`0`	`1`, `2`	SQL Assistant insertion case (1- Upper case, 2 - Lower case).
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.replace.word	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Sets up whether to replace the current word on accepting autocompletion proposal.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.proposals.short.name	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Uses short object names in SQL Assistant.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.show.helpTopics	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Shows server help topics in SQL Assistant.
SQLEditor.ContentAssistant.show.values	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Proposes values for the given attribute. Note that it can drastically degrade performance when working with large tables, as it selects distinct values.
sql.proposals.insert.table.alias	string	`PLAIN`	`NONE`, `EXTENDED`	Inserts table aliases (in FROM clauses).
SQLEditor.format.activeQuery	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables formatting of the query under cursor only.
script.auto.folders	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Creates script folder for each connection.

Data Editor settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
resultset.maxrows	integer	`200`	integer values	Determines the number of rows fetched from the database in a single batch.
resultset.autofetch.next.segment	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Automatically loads the next data segment when the current one is fully processed or viewed.
resultset.reread.on.scroll	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Refreshes the data when moving to the next page.
resultset.maxrows.sql	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Modifies the source SQL query to scroll through or limit results. This is typically achieved using the LIMIT/OFFSET SQL clause.
resultset.order.mode	string	`SMART`	`CLIENT_SIDE`, `SERVER_SIDE`, `SMART`	Specifies the method of sorting returned query results.
resultset.read.metadata	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Retrieves information about the table structure, specifically the unique keys.
resultset.read.references	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Retrieves information about the table structure, specifically the foreign keys.
resultset.cancel.timeout	integer	`5000`	integer values	Defines the duration (in milliseconds) the system waits before cancelling a non-responsive query.
sql.query.filter.force.subselect	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Forces the usage of subqueries when applying filters to the data.
resultset.column.label.ignore	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Prioritizes column names over column labels when referencing data.
resultset.edit.key.use_all_columns	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Forms a virtual composite key using all table columns for data saving. If set to `true`, this will determine the action taken if a key element is missing. If set to `false`, no action will be taken when a key element is missing.
resultset.edit.disableIfKeyMissing	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Prevents data modification when a primary key is absent. This setting defines the action taken when the assumed primary key is missing.
keep.statement.open	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Closes the result set after a selection. To view a cursor column value, the option should be enabled.
resultset.datetime.editor	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables the advanced datetime editor in the data editor.
resultset.edit.new.row.after	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Places newly inserted rows immediately following the currently selected row.
resultset.edit.refreshAfterUpdate	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Automatically refreshes the data after making changes.
resultset.filter.use.navigator	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Employs filters in the navigator to refine the displayed data.
resultset.confirm.beforeSave	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Displays a prompt asking for a confirmation before saving changes.
resultset.show.errorDialog	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Presents error messages in a separate dialog box.
resultset.mark.cell.value.occurrences	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Highlights instances of the selected cell's value within the data set.
resultset.image.browser	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays images in the web browser.
resultset.behavior.autoSwitchMode	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Allow to switch between Record mode and Grid mode when dealing with single or multiple rows. When set to `true`, the system will automatically switch modes based on the number of rows selected (Record mode for a single row, Grid mode for multiple rows).
resultset.calc.columnWidthByValues	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Displays the description for each column in the header.
resultset.show.columnDescriptio	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Adjusts the width of each column based on the content of its cells.
resultset.show.connectionName	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Displays the name of the connection in the status section.
resultset.transform.complex.type	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables the visualization of complex columns (such as objects, structures and arrays).
resultset.show.rightJustifyNumbers	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Allows right-justify numbers.
resultset.show.rightJustifyDateTime	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Aligns date and time values to the right side of their respective cells or columns.
resultset.behavior.autoCompleteProposial	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Activates the auto-completion feature in the data filter text field.
resultset.show.oddRows	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Marks odd and even rows in the grid.
resultset.show.colorizeDataTypes	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Colorized data types in the grid.
resultset.show.attIcons	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Displays icons representing the data types of each column in the grid.
resultset.show.attFilters	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables the display of attribute filters in the grid.
resultset.show.attrOrder	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Shows asc/desc order icon in column header.
resultset.show.collections.inline	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables the inline display of collections within the grid.
resultset.show.boolean.checkbox	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Represents boolean values in the grid as checkboxes.
resultset.show.whitespace.characters	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Displays whitespace characters within the grid.
resultset.grid.value.format	string	`UI`	`EDIT`, `NATIVE`, `UI`	Determines the format in which values are displayed within the grid.
resultset.grid.value.format	integer	`30`	integer values (from `0` to `100`)	Determines the maximum percentage of width that a column can occupy in the grid.
resultset.highlight.selectedRows	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables the highlighting of entire rows when one or more cells within those rows are selected.
resultset.hScroll.smooth	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables smooth scrolling within the DBeaver.
resultset.show.boolean.toggleOnClick	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Allows the boolean values to be toggled or switched between true and false with a single click.
resultset.behavior.inlineEnter	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Selects the next cell after the inline edit completed (or finished).
resultset.behavior.doubleClick	string	`INLINE_EDITOR`	`NONE`, `EDITOR`, `INLINE_EDITOR`, `COPY_VALUE`, `COPY_PASTE_VALUE`	Defines the action taken when a cell in a grid is double-clicked (Options: EDITOR, INLINE_EDITOR, COPY_VALUE, COPY_PASTE_VALUE, NONE).
resultset.show.row.batch.size	integer	`1`	integer values	Number of consequent rows with the same background color. Default = 1 means odd/even rows coloring.
resultset.text.tab.size	integer	`4`	integer values	Determines tab size in plain text.
resultset.text.max.column.size	integer	`255`	integer values	Determines the maximum length of a column's content when viewing data in plain text.
resultset.text.value.format	string	`EDIT`	`EDIT`, `UI`, `NATIVE`	Determines how plain text values are displayed in DBeaver.
resultset.text.show.nulls	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Shows `NULL` if this setting is enabled or nothing if disabled.
resultset.text.line.number	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables the display of line numbers.
resultset.text.delimiter.leading	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables trailing delimiter in plain text for Grid Representation.
resultset.text.delimiter.trailing	boolean	`true`	`true`, `false`	Enables trailing delimiter in plain text for Grid Representation.
resultset.text.delimiter.top	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables top delimiter in plain text for Grid Representation.
resultset.text.delimiter.bottom	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables bottom delimiter in plain text for Grid Representation.
resultset.text.extra.spaces	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Enables extra spaces in plain text for Grid Representation.
resultset.string.use.content.editor	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Opens separate string editor instead of dialog.
resultset.binary.representation	string	`string`	`hex`, `base64`, `string`	Determines the format in which binary data is displayed.
resultset.binary.editor	string	`EDITOR`	`EDITOR`, `PANEL`	Enables to change the binary data editor. Choose between `EDITOR` (dedicated binary data editor) or `PANEL` (dialog window for viewing/editing binary data).
resultset.binary.stringMaxLength	integer	`32`	integer values (max: `3200`)	Determines the maximum length of binary strings that can be displayed in the binary editors.
content.memory.maxsize	integer	`10000`	integer values (max: `1000000000`)	Determines the maximum length of LOB (Large Object) data that will be kept in memory when working with binary editors.
content.hex.encoding	string	`UTF-8`	All available encodings from the current JVM	Allows to specify the character encoding used when interpreting binary data as strings.
hex.font.name	string	`Courier New`	`Courier New`, `Andale Mono`, `Menio`, `Monaco`, `PT Mono`	Allows to specify the name of the font to be used in the data editor.
hex.font.style	integer	`0`	`0` - Regular, `1` - Bold, `2` - Italic, `3` - Bold Italic	Allows to choose the font style for the data editor.
hex.font.size	integer	`10`	`6` - `14`, `16`, `18`, `22`, `32`, `72`	Allows to choose the font style for the data editor.
default.hex.width	integer	`8`	`4`, `8`, `16`	Allows to choose the default width for the data editor.
resultset.json.maxObjectMembers	integer	`200` (max: `2000000000`)	integer values	Specifies the threshold for collapsing JSON objects in the data editor.
resultset.json.maxArrayElements	integer	`200` (max: `2000000000`)	integer values	Determines the threshold for collapsing arrays in the JSON data editor.
resultset.json.maxElementNesting	integer	`4` (max: `400000000`)	integer values	Determines which objects in JSON will be collapsed (hidden) if their nesting level exceeds a specified threshold.
dataformat.type.number.nativeSpecialValues	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Instructs the data editor to utilize the native formatting for special values.
dataformat.type.number.useGrouping	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Indicates whether grouping is used to display numbers.
dataformat.type.number.useTypeScale	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Uses column/attribute data type scale as minimum fraction digits number.
dataformat.type.number.roundingMode	string	`UNNECESSARY`	`UP`, `DOWN`, `CEILING`, `FLOOR`, `HALF_UP`, `HALF_DOWN`, `HALF_EVEN`, `UNNECESSARY`	Determines the rounding mode used for numerical values.
dataformat.type.number.minIntegerDigits	integer	`1`	integer values	Determines the minimum number of digits to display for integer values.
dataformat.type.number.minFractionDigits	integer	`0`	integer values	Determines the minimum number of fractional digits displayed.
dataformat.type.number.maxIntegerDigits	integer	`2147483647`	integer values	Defines the maximum number of digits allowed for an integer value.
dataformat.type.number.maxFractionDigits	integer	`10`	integer values	Specifies the maximum number of fraction digits allowed.
dataformat.type.number.groupingSize	integer	`3`	integer values	Determines the grouping size for displaying numeric values.
dataformat.type.timestamp.pattern	string	`yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSSS`	timestamp format	Determines the format for displaying and editing timestamp data.
dataformat.type.timestamptz.pattern	string	`yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS Z`	timestamp with timezone format	Determines the format for displaying timestamp values with timezone information.
dataformat.type.date.pattern	string	`yyyy-MM-dd`	date format	Determines the format used for displaying and editing dates.
dataformat.type.time.pattern	string	`HH:mm:ss`	time format	Determines the format used for displaying and editing time.
dataformat.type.timetz.pattern	string	`HH:mm:ss Z`	time with timezone format	Determines the format used for displaying and editing time with timezone.

The preferences of GIS Viewer from Data Editor you can find in the org.jkiss.dbeaver.data.gis.view.prefs file:

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
gis.view.minZoomLevel	integer	`0`	integer values	Determines the maximum level of zoom.
gis.view.maxObjectsRender	integer	`10000`	integer values	Determines the maximum number of objects that can be displayed.
gis.view.defaultSRID	integer	`4326`	integer values	Determines the default Spatial Reference Identifier (SRID).

Drivers settings

Name	Type	Default Value	Allowed Values	Description
ui.drivers.home	string	`path/to/DBeaverData/drivers`	string values	Specifies the local folder for driver storage.
ui.proxy.host	string	``	string values	Identifies the host for the HTTP proxy when downloading drivers.
ui.proxy.port	integer	`1080`	integer values	Specifies the port number used by the HTTP proxy during driver downloads.
ui.proxy.user	string	``	string values	Determines the username for accessing proxy during driver downloads.
ui.proxy.password	string	``	string values	Sets the password required for the proxy during driver downloads.
ui.drivers.sources	string	`https://dbeaver.io/files/jdbc/`	string values	Provides the URL where driver files can be downloaded.
ui.drivers.global.libraries	string	``	string values	Defines the global classpath from which global libraries can be loaded.
ui.drivers.version.update	boolean	`false`	`true`, `false`	Determines whether the system checks for new driver versions.

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