Side Bar Container

The Sidebar provides hierarchical navigation through your MongoDB connections, databases, collections, and views. Browse your database structure, access context menus for common operations, and use powerful search capabilities to quickly find any database object in your workspace.

Core Features

Connection Tree

Navigate through your database connections with a hierarchical tree structure.

• Expand/collapse connections, databases, and collections
• Visual icons for different object types (DB, collection, view, GridFS)
• Color-coded connection status indicators
• Nested hierarchy showing database relationships
• Click to open objects in their respective activities

Search & Filter

Quickly find databases, collections, and views across all connections.

• Real-time search as you type
• Search across all connections simultaneously
• Match counter showing results (e.g., "3 / 15")
• Navigate through matches with Enter (next) and Shift+Enter (previous)
• Arrow key navigation through search results
• Highlight matching items in the tree

Context Menus

Right-click context menus provide quick access to common operations.

• Collection operations (query, aggregate, export, etc.)
• Database management (create collection, statistics, etc.)
• Connection actions (refresh, disconnect, settings)
• View management (query view, view definition)
• GridFS operations (browse files, upload, manage)

Object Hierarchy

Clear visualization of your MongoDB structure from connections down to collections.

• Connections at the top level
• Databases nested under connections
• Collections, views, and GridFS under databases
• Visual distinction between object types
• Expandable/collapsible nodes for navigation

Connection Tree Navigation

Hierarchy Structure

The sidebar organizes your MongoDB environment in a clear hierarchy:

Level	Icon	Description	Click Action
Connection		MongoDB server connection (Standalone, Replica Set, Sharded)	Expand to show databases
Database		Individual database within a connection	Expand to show collections, views, GridFS
Collection		Data collection (similar to a table in SQL)	Open in Collection Activity
View		Read-only view based on aggregation pipeline	Open in Collection Activity (read-only)
GridFS		File storage system for large binary objects	Open in GridFS Activity

Expanding and Collapsing

• Expand: Click the arrow icon or the item name to expand a node
• Collapse: Click the down arrow to collapse an expanded node
• Auto-Expand: Clicking on a connection automatically expands it and loads databases
• Visual Feedback: Expanded nodes show a down arrow, collapsed nodes show a right arrow

Search and Filter

Search Features

• Real-Time Search: Results update as you type
• Match Counter: Shows current match and total matches (e.g., "2 / 5")
• Navigation Arrows: Click up/down arrows to navigate through matches
• Keyboard Navigation: Press Enter for next match, Shift+Enter for previous
• Arrow Keys: Use up/down arrow keys to navigate through results
• Highlight Matches: Matching items are highlighted in the tree
• Auto-Expand: Parent nodes expand automatically to show matching children

Search Behavior

The search function scans through:

• Connection names
• Database names
• Collection names
• View names
• GridFS bucket names

Context Menu Options

Right-click on any item in the sidebar to access context-specific operations:

Connection Context Menu

• Refresh: Reload databases and collections from server
• Disconnect: Close the connection
• Edit Connection: Modify connection settings
• Create Database: Create a new database on this connection
• Server Info: View server build information and statistics
• Clone Connection: Duplicate connection configuration

Database Context Menu

• Create Collection: Add a new collection to this database
• Database Statistics: View storage size, collections count, indexes
• Drop Database: Delete the database (with confirmation)
• Refresh: Reload collections and views
• Export Database: Export all collections in the database

Collection Context Menu

• Query Collection: Open in Collection Activity
• Aggregation Pipeline: Open in Aggregation Activity
• MongoDB Shell: Open shell with this collection selected
• Export Data: Export collection data to various formats
• Import Data: Import data into this collection
• Collection Statistics: View detailed collection metrics
• Manage Indexes: Create, view, or delete indexes
• Schema Viewer: View or edit JSON schema
• Drop Collection: Delete the collection (with confirmation)
• Rename Collection: Change the collection name

View Context Menu

• Query View: Open view in Collection Activity (read-only)
• View Definition: Show the aggregation pipeline that defines the view
• Export View Data: Export the view's data
• Drop View: Delete the view (with confirmation)

GridFS Context Menu

• Browse Files: Open GridFS Activity to view files
• Upload Files: Add files to GridFS
• GridFS Statistics: View storage usage and file count
• Export GridFS: Export files from GridFS

Sidebar Controls

Header Actions

• Connections Title + Plus Icon: Click to open Connection Manager and add new connections
• Refresh Button: Reload all connections and their databases
• Close Button (X): Hide the sidebar to maximize workspace

Resizing the Sidebar

Adjust the sidebar width to fit your workflow:

1. Position your cursor over the right edge of the sidebar
2. The cursor changes to a resize indicator
3. Click and drag left or right to adjust width
4. Release to set the new width
5. Minimum width: 200px, Maximum width: 1000px

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + F	Focus sidebar search box
Enter	Navigate to next search result
Shift + Enter	Navigate to previous search result
Down Arrow	Move to next item in search results
Up Arrow	Move to previous item in search results
Esc	Clear search and blur search box

Note: On macOS, use Cmd instead of Ctrl

Pro Tips

1. Use Ctrl+F to quickly jump to the sidebar search box from anywhere in the application. This is the fastest way to locate a specific collection across multiple databases.
2. Double-click on a collection to open it in the Collection Activity. Right-click for a menu of all available operations like aggregation, export, and schema management.
3. Resize the sidebar to your preferred width and it will remember your preference for the current session. Wider sidebars make it easier to read long collection names.
4. When searching, use Enter and Shift+Enter to cycle through matches quickly. The current match number helps you track your position in large result sets.
5. Keep the sidebar open while working with multiple collections to easily switch between them. Close it when you need maximum screen space for data viewing.
6. Use the refresh button in the sidebar header to reload all connections if you've made changes outside of VisualLeaf or need to sync with the latest database state.

Related Features

• Connection Manager - Add and configure new database connections
• Collection Activity - Query and manage collection data
• Aggregation Activity - Build aggregation pipelines
• GridFS Activity - Manage large files in MongoDB
• Layout System - Work with multiple activities in split panels