harlequin 0.0.25

A terminal-based SQL IDE for DuckDB

harlequin

A Terminal-based SQL IDE for DuckDB.

(A Harlequin is also a pretty duck.)

Installing Harlequin

After installing Python 3.8 or above, install Harlequin using pip or pipx with:

pipx install harlequin

Using Harlequin

From any shell, to open one or more DuckDB database files:

harlequin "path/to/duck.db" "another_duck.db"

To open an in-memory DuckDB session, run Harlequin with no arguments:

harlequin

You can also open a database in read-only mode:

harlequin -r "path/to/duck.db"

Getting Help

To view all command-line options for Harlequin, after installation, simply type:

harlequin -h

To view a list of all key bindings (keyboard shortcuts) within the app, press F1. You can also view this list outside the app here.

Loading DuckDB Extensions

You can install and load extensions when starting Harlequin, by passing the -e flag one or more times:

harlequin -e spatial -e httpfs

If you need to load a custom or otherwise unsigned extension, you can use the -unsigned flag just as you would with the DuckDB CLI, or -u for convenience:

harlequin -u

You can also install extensions from custom repos, using the --custom-extension-repo option. For example, this combines the options above to load the unsigned prql extension:

harlequin -u -e prql --custom-extension-repo welsch.lu/duckdb/prql/latest

Using Harlequin with MotherDuck

You can use Harlequin with MotherDuck, just as you would use the DuckDB CLI:

harlequin "md:"

You can attach local databases as additional arguments (md: has to be first:)

harlequin "md:" "local_duck.db"

Authentication Options

1. Web browser: Run harlequin "md:", and Harlequin will attempt to open a web browser where you can log in.
2. Use an environment variable: Set the motherduck_token variable before running harlequin "md:", and Harlequin will authenticate with MotherDuck using your service token.
3. Use the CLI option: You can pass a service token to Harlequin with harlequin "md:" --md_token <my token>

SaaS Mode

You can run Harlequin in "SaaS Mode" by passing the md_saas option: harlequin "md:" --md_saas.

Viewing the Schema of your Database

When Harlequin is open, you can view the schema of your DuckDB database in the left sidebar. You can use your mouse or the arrow keys + enter to navigate the tree. The tree shows schemas, tables/views and their types, and columns and their types.

Editing a Query

The main query editor is a full-featured text editor, with features including syntax highlighting, auto-formatting with f4, text selection, copy/paste, and more.

Tip:

Some Linux users may need to apt-install xclip or xsel to enable copying and pasting using the system clipboard.

You can save the query currently in the editor with ctrl + s. You can open a query in any text or .sql file with ctrl + o.

Running a Query and Viewing Results

To run a query press ctrl + enter. Not all terminals support this key combination, so you can also use ctrl + j, or click the RUN QUERY button.

Up to 10k records will be loaded into the results pane below the query editor. When the focus is on the data pane, you can use your arrow keys or mouse to select different cells.

If you have selected text that makes one or more valid queries, you can run the selection in the same way. If you select multiple queries (separated by a semicolon), Harlequin will return the results in multiple tabs.

Exiting Harlequin

Press ctrl + q to quit and return to your shell.

Contributing

Thanks for your interest in Harlequin! Harlequin is primarily maintained by Ted Conbeer, but he welcomes all contributions and is looking for additional maintainers!

Providing Feedback

We'd love to hear from you! Open an Issue to request new features, report bugs, or say hello.

Setting up Your Dev Environment and Running Tests

1. Install Poetry v1.2 or higher if you don't have it already. You may also need or want pyenv, make, and gcc.
2. Fork this repo, and then clone the fork into a directory (let's call it harlequin), then cd harlequin.
3. Use poetry install --sync to install the project (editable) and its dependencies (including all test and dev dependencies) into a new virtual env.
4. Use poetry shell to spawn a subshell.
5. Type make to run all tests and linters, or run pytest, black ., ruff . --fix, and mypy individually.

Opening PRs

1. PRs should be motivated by an open issue. If there isn't already an issue describing the feature or bug, open one. Do this before you write code, so you don't waste time on something that won't get merged.
2. Ideally new features and bug fixes would be tested, to prevent future regressions. Textual provides a test harness that we use to test features of Harlequin. You can find some examples in the tests directory of this project. Please include a test in your PR, but if you can't figure it out, open a PR to ask for help.
3. Open a PR from your fork to the main branch of tconbeer/harlequin. In the PR description, link to the open issue, and then write a few sentences about why you wrote the code you did: explain your design, etc.
4. Ted may ask you to make changes, or he may make them for you. Don't take this the wrong way -- he values your contributions, but he knows this isn't your job, either, so if it's faster for him, he may push a commit to your branch or create a new branch from your commits.