how to reduce the indents on left-side frame

Hello, I'm a brand-new heidi user, moving from MySQL-Front. I'm still learning, but HeidiSQL looks great!

Just wondering how to reduce the width of the indents on left-side frame below session name, database name, and all the tables. It's taking up too much space that I need for the right-side frame.

Next, I changed the width and position of some columns in the Data tab. How can I save those? When I clicked a different table and then returned to the table with the changed positioning, my changes were lost.

Thank you,
Leafgreen

Indentation is not confifgurable currently.

When doing changes on a table's structure, the "Save" button gets active, and you got warned about unsaved changes and clicked "no", obviously. Do not press "no" to save, press "ok" :)

i think what leafgreen meant in his 2nd comment wasn't the order of the actual columns of a table but the order of columns in the data tab...and as i see it (and corollary) its not necessary to save that order...the columns in the data tab are generated by the order they're named in the query or ordered in your saved table...so the only way to manipulate that order would be to change the position in the query or to save your favored order once and for all in the table details...thats the only logical conclusion as you obviously often change the order of the columns

Thanks for your replies. Correct, I do not want to change the structure of the table. I only want to save my preferences in viewing the data.
So Tribal, you wrote, "to save your favored order once and for all in the table details". How?
And how do I save the column widths that I've adjusted? I didn't see part that addressed.

fyi, I filed feature request 2262 for the indentation adjustment. Please support it if you think users might like to gain some data viewing space... ;)

Installed. That looks much better, Anse. Thank you. I think users with 15" monitors will appreciate the extra pixels ;)

When you get a moment, can you answer my two other questions on the previous post, please?

well, thats what i actually meant: if you often switch column orders than it would make more sense to apply that order in your table settings (by reordering them with the specified buttons)...of course this depends on how often you use a certain order...another possibility (rather quick and dirty) would be to create a view for your desired order in case you want to access that order by only one click...yeah, that should be your possibilities, i think :)

How often I use a certain order? 100% of the time. The current order is not optimal. Please confirm.
So to do that, are these the steps?
1. Click the tab for the table
2. Click the Options tab
3. Select the row (column name)
4. Click the blue up or down arrows
5. Click Save

Next a vip question for me: The db I'm using is for a shopping cart that intensively uses the db. After I follow those steps above, is the operation of the db affected, or simply the view in Heidi?

And once again, how to save the column widths in the data view? I did study every menu location for such a setting. The closest is a global setting at Tools -> Preferences -> Data -> Maximum column-width in data-grids, but that doesn't help.

Thank you.

oops disregard "Please confirm" in the first line.

Column widths are auto calculated each time you access a table, unless you are just refreshing. If you need to reorder, you should definitely adjust the order in the table itself. Your website should not be affected, unless it makes use of "SELECT *" in conjunction with numerical array based columns ($row[0]), but that's unlikely.

I understand now. Thank you. Then I would like to make two feature requests.
1. Allow user to save column-widths in data-grid view tab. Background: The auto calculation of the columns widths seem to expand the column to show the row value contents, up to the setting at Tools -> Preferences -> Data -> Maximum column-width in data-grids. The problem with this is that some columns contain row data that have wide variation in length. In my case, I have a column with 99% of the data just 30 characters, and 1% of the records at 100 characters. For efficient use of screen real-estate, it's wasteful to view that colum at 100 characters. And, there are many other reasons why a user may need to save the column widths, and not have to re-adjust every time the table is opened.

2. Allow user to save column order for viewing purposes within Heidi only, without changing the structure of the database itself. Currently saving the column order changes the structure of the database itself. In some cases, this could have effects to uses of the db that the administrator would not be able to predict or anticipate. Other db interfaces such as MySQL-Front do have various features to allow flexible viewing (only) of the data without causing any changes to the db whatsoever.

Would you allow me to enter those into the Issues tracker?

Sorry but I disagree for implementing either of these features.

1. Column widths are auto not recalculated when you refresh the grid. A second click on that table is often days, months or even years after the first click, and you would wonder about having the old widths, and not some automatic value - regardles of the fact that this calculation may have room for enhancement.

2. If you need a different order at 100% of the time, the only logical consequence is to adjust the column order in the table. In the data tab, most users - including me - want the original table layout to be displayed. I would not want Heidi to keep some order which I had set at some point, forever.

Understand that my db has 185 tables, many with around 30 columns. For each point:

1. Therefore, it takes significant time to set the optimal widths. I like my software to save my time, not waste it.

2. I only want to adjust the table order for viewing. I do NOT want to change the structure, for the reason previously explained.

You're making assumptions about the way you work with dbs that you have. Others have many other needs with interfacing with tables. But it's your project. Do what you want. In the meantime, back to that other program that does both these things.

I meant "about the way others work".
Just to add, Heidi has many great features. I just wish it had two more that are critical for me as I work on my db many hours per day.

No need to get emotional here. I'm not only talking about me, I'm guessing about all other HeidiSQL users.

I recall there were discussions about both things in the past, and there was some kind of agree for all involved people who liked it the way it is now. I'm very sure if I now go and change the logic for column widths and ordering the same people will go and kill me.

EMOTIONAL?? NO ONE IS EMOTIONAL! lol ;)

Adding a setting to adjust and save preferences or current view for each would never even be noticed by anyone unless they accessed the menu location for saving such.

btw, here is a screenshot of the way that Heidi displays a table every time I click to open it (regardless of how I have previously adjust the column width): http://comforta.net/heidi1.png , and the way the other program displays the same table every time I click to open it: http://comforta.net/heidi2.png
Very different view, right? That's my point.

I didn't address "and you would wonder about having the old widths". I'm in and out of lots of tables every hour. Perhaps that wasn't clear. Now I think you understand the difference...

Screenshots are helpful, yes. Looks like HeidiSQL adds some extra horizontal space to the columns which I can probably remove without breaking anything. Could you just redo the HeidiSQL screenie and before you do that:
- apply the same font/size as in MySQL-Front (Tools > Preferences > Data)
- apply the same sorting so you see the same rows (id DESC)
Thanks!

Ok done http://comforta.net/heidi1.png
But I wouldn't want Heidi to guess or arbitrarily use a width that I didn't select. I still want to choose the width myself. I don't want it chosen for me. That, actually, would surely get you killed by those users you mentioned before.

Leafgreen, please try out r3636 - should help you as I minimized the auto calculated column widths, adding less extra space.

I agree with Leafgreen, remembering column widths would be a time saver in many cases. And it's weird that you think that another click on the same table is often days or months after the first click - maybe that's the way you work with databases but it's far from some other people do. I often need to come back to the same table many times during the same day and losing column widths only adds time to my work. This is especially important now that Heidi lacks fetures to have separate data grid views for multiple tables (apart from separate program instances) and makes coming back to the same table common necessity. I don't see what's wrong with adding this feature as an option to keep other people happy as well?

Hi Anse: I looked at r3636. Yes, this is certainly an improvement. However, I still stand by my previous recommendations. Again:
1. I still have different column width preferences that I wish to be preserved, different from that which is displayed with r3636.
2. Again with saving a different column order view, I do not want to change my db structure.

Well, then we still disagree in both points. r3636 was my idea to come the half way to point 1.

It looks like the change at r3636 caused one unwanted side effect. Try creating this table:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `test_table` (
`id` int(10) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
`str` char(1) collate utf8_general_ci NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8 COLLATE=utf8_general_ci;

and go to the data grid and try inserting a value into the `str` column. The problem is that the button with three dots covers the field content completely so the cursor and the text I'm typing are invisible. The problem goes away when I enlarge the column but at default width I can't see what I'm typing.

D'oh.. just reverted r3636 so the button should again be visible.