quick-reference.md

MDL Quick Reference

Complete syntax reference for MDL (Mendix Definition Language). This is the authoritative reference for all MDL statement syntax.

Entity Generalization (EXTENDS)

CRITICAL: EXTENDS goes BEFORE the opening parenthesis, not after!

-- Correct: EXTENDS before (
CREATE PERSISTENT ENTITY Module.ProductPhoto EXTENDS System.Image (
  PhotoCaption: String(200)
);

-- Wrong: EXTENDS after ) = parse error!
CREATE PERSISTENT ENTITY Module.Photo (
  PhotoCaption: String(200)
) EXTENDS System.Image;

Domain Model

Statement	Syntax	Notes
Create entity	CREATE [OR MODIFY] PERSISTENT|NON-PERSISTENT ENTITY Module.Name (attrs);	Persistent is default
Create with extends	CREATE PERSISTENT ENTITY Module.Name EXTENDS Parent.Entity (attrs);	EXTENDS before (
Create view entity	CREATE VIEW ENTITY Module.Name (attrs) AS SELECT ...;	OQL-backed read-only
Create external entity	CREATE EXTERNAL ENTITY Module.Name FROM ODATA CLIENT Module.Client (...) (attrs);	From consumed OData
Create external entities	CREATE [OR MODIFY] EXTERNAL ENTITIES FROM Module.Client [INTO Module] [ENTITIES (...)];	Bulk from $metadata
Drop entity	DROP ENTITY Module.Name;
Describe entity	DESCRIBE ENTITY Module.Name;	Full MDL output
List entities	LIST ENTITIES [IN Module];	List all or filter by module
Create enumeration	CREATE [OR MODIFY] ENUMERATION Module.Name (Value1 'Caption', ...);
Drop enumeration	DROP ENUMERATION Module.Name;
Create association	CREATE ASSOCIATION Module.Name FROM Parent TO Child TYPE Reference|ReferenceSet [OWNER Default|Both] [DELETE_BEHAVIOR ...];
Drop association	DROP ASSOCIATION Module.Name;

ALTER ENTITY

Modifies an existing entity without full replacement.

Operation	Syntax	Notes
Add attributes	ALTER ENTITY Module.Name ADD (Attr: Type [constraints]);	One or more attributes
Drop attributes	ALTER ENTITY Module.Name DROP (AttrName, ...);
Modify attributes	ALTER ENTITY Module.Name MODIFY (Attr: NewType [constraints]);	Change type/constraints
Rename attribute	ALTER ENTITY Module.Name RENAME OldName TO NewName;
Add index	ALTER ENTITY Module.Name ADD INDEX (Col1 [ASC|DESC], ...);
Drop index	ALTER ENTITY Module.Name DROP INDEX (Col1, ...);
Set documentation	ALTER ENTITY Module.Name SET DOCUMENTATION 'text';
Set position	ALTER ENTITY Module.Name SET POSITION (100, 200);	Canvas position

Example:

ALTER ENTITY Sales.Customer
  ADD (Phone: String(50), Notes: String(unlimited));

ALTER ENTITY Sales.Customer
  RENAME Phone TO PhoneNumber;

ALTER ENTITY Sales.Customer
  ADD INDEX (Email);

Constants

Statement	Syntax	Notes
List constants	LIST CONSTANTS [IN Module];	List all or filter by module
Describe constant	DESCRIBE CONSTANT Module.Name;	Full MDL output
Create constant	CREATE [OR MODIFY] CONSTANT Module.Name TYPE DataType DEFAULT 'value';	String, Integer, Boolean, etc.
Drop constant	DROP CONSTANT Module.Name;

Example:

CREATE CONSTANT MyModule.ApiBaseUrl TYPE String DEFAULT 'https://api.example.com';
CREATE CONSTANT MyModule.MaxRetries TYPE Integer DEFAULT 3;
CREATE CONSTANT MyModule.EnableLogging TYPE Boolean DEFAULT true;

OData Clients, Services & External Entities

Statement	Syntax	Notes
List OData clients	LIST ODATA CLIENTS [IN Module];	Consumed OData services
Describe OData client	DESCRIBE ODATA CLIENT Module.Name;	Full MDL output
Create OData client	CREATE [OR MODIFY] ODATA CLIENT Module.Name (...);	Version, MetadataUrl, Timeout, etc.
Alter OData client	ALTER ODATA CLIENT Module.Name SET Key = Value;
Drop OData client	DROP ODATA CLIENT Module.Name;
List OData services	LIST ODATA SERVICES [IN Module];	Published OData services
Describe OData service	DESCRIBE ODATA SERVICE Module.Name;	Full MDL output
Create OData service	CREATE [OR MODIFY] ODATA SERVICE Module.Name (...) AUTHENTICATION ... { PUBLISH ENTITY ... };
Alter OData service	ALTER ODATA SERVICE Module.Name SET Key = Value;
Drop OData service	DROP ODATA SERVICE Module.Name;
List external entities	LIST EXTERNAL ENTITIES [IN Module];	OData-backed entities
List external actions	LIST EXTERNAL ACTIONS [IN Module];	Actions used in microflows
Create external entity	CREATE [OR MODIFY] EXTERNAL ENTITY Module.Name FROM ODATA CLIENT Module.Client (...) (attrs);
Create external entities	CREATE [OR MODIFY] EXTERNAL ENTITIES FROM Module.Client [INTO Module] [ENTITIES (...)];	Bulk from $metadata
Grant OData access	GRANT ACCESS ON ODATA SERVICE Module.Name TO Module.Role, ...;
Revoke OData access	REVOKE ACCESS ON ODATA SERVICE Module.Name FROM Module.Role, ...;
List contract entities	LIST CONTRACT ENTITIES FROM Module.Client;	Browse cached $metadata
List contract actions	LIST CONTRACT ACTIONS FROM Module.Client;	Browse cached $metadata
Describe contract entity	DESCRIBE CONTRACT ENTITY Module.Client.Entity [FORMAT mdl];	Properties, types, keys
Describe contract action	DESCRIBE CONTRACT ACTION Module.Client.Action [FORMAT mdl];	Parameters, return type
List contract channels	LIST CONTRACT CHANNELS FROM Module.Service;	Browse cached AsyncAPI
List contract messages	LIST CONTRACT MESSAGES FROM Module.Service;	Browse cached AsyncAPI
Describe contract message	DESCRIBE CONTRACT MESSAGE Module.Service.Message;	Message payload properties
Query contract entities	SELECT * FROM CATALOG.CONTRACT_ENTITIES;	Requires REFRESH CATALOG
Query contract actions	SELECT * FROM CATALOG.CONTRACT_ACTIONS;	Requires REFRESH CATALOG
Query contract messages	SELECT * FROM CATALOG.CONTRACT_MESSAGES;	Requires REFRESH CATALOG

OData Client Example:

CREATE ODATA CLIENT MyModule.ExternalAPI (
  Version: '1.0',
  ODataVersion: OData4,
  MetadataUrl: 'https://api.example.com/odata/v4/$metadata',
  Timeout: 300
);

OData Service Example:

CREATE ODATA SERVICE MyModule.CustomerAPI (
  Path: '/odata/customers',
  Version: '1.0.0',
  ODataVersion: OData4,
  Namespace: 'MyModule.Customers'
)
AUTHENTICATION Basic, Session
{
  PUBLISH ENTITY MyModule.Customer AS 'Customers' (
    ReadMode: SOURCE,
    InsertMode: SOURCE,
    UpdateMode: NOT_SUPPORTED,
    DeleteMode: NOT_SUPPORTED,
    UsePaging: Yes,
    PageSize: 100
  )
  EXPOSE (Name, Email, Phone);
};

Microflows - Supported Statements

Statement	Syntax	Notes
Variable declaration	DECLARE $Var Type = value;	Primitives: String, Integer, Boolean, Decimal, DateTime
Entity declaration	DECLARE $Entity Module.Entity;	No AS keyword, no = empty
List declaration	DECLARE $List List of Module.Entity = empty;
Assignment	SET $Var = expression;	Variable must be declared first
Create object	$Var = CREATE Module.Entity (Attr = value);
Change object	CHANGE $Entity (Attr = value);
Commit	COMMIT $Entity [WITH EVENTS] [REFRESH];
Delete	DELETE $Entity;
Rollback	ROLLBACK $Entity [REFRESH];	Reverts uncommitted changes
Retrieve (DB)	RETRIEVE $Var FROM Module.Entity [WHERE condition];	Database XPath retrieve
Retrieve (Assoc)	RETRIEVE $List FROM $Parent/Module.AssocName;	Retrieve by association
Call microflow	$Result = CALL MICROFLOW Module.Name (Param = $value);
Call nanoflow	$Result = CALL NANOFLOW Module.Name (Param = $value);
Show page	LIST PAGE Module.PageName ($Param = $value);	Also accepts (Param: $value)
Close page	CLOSE PAGE;
Validation	VALIDATION FEEDBACK $Entity/Attribute MESSAGE 'message';	Requires attribute path + MESSAGE
Log	LOG INFO|WARNING|ERROR [NODE 'name'] 'message';
Position	@position(x, y)	Canvas position (before activity)
Caption	@caption 'text'	Custom caption (before activity)
Color	@color Green	Background color (before activity)
Annotation	@annotation 'text'	Visual note attached to next activity
IF	IF condition THEN ... [ELSE ...] END IF;
LOOP	LOOP $Item IN $List BEGIN ... END LOOP;	FOR EACH over list
WHILE	WHILE condition BEGIN ... END WHILE;	Condition-based loop
Return	RETURN $value;	Required at end of every flow path
Execute DB query	$Result = EXECUTE DATABASE QUERY Module.Conn.Query;	3-part name; supports DYNAMIC, params, CONNECTION override
Error handling	... ON ERROR CONTINUE|ROLLBACK|{ handler };	Not supported on EXECUTE DATABASE QUERY

Microflows - NOT Supported (Will Cause Parse Errors)

Unsupported	Use Instead	Notes
CASE ... WHEN ... END CASE	Nested IF ... ELSE ... END IF	Switch not implemented
TRY ... CATCH ... END TRY	ON ERROR { ... } blocks	Use error handlers on specific activities

Notes:

• RETRIEVE ... LIMIT n IS supported. LIMIT 1 returns a single entity, otherwise returns a list.
• ROLLBACK $Entity [REFRESH]; IS supported. Rolls back uncommitted changes to an object.

Project Organization

Statement	Syntax	Notes
Microflow folder	FOLDER 'path' (before BEGIN)	CREATE MICROFLOW ... FOLDER 'ACT' BEGIN ... END;
Page folder	Folder: 'path' (in properties)	CREATE PAGE ... (Folder: 'Pages/Detail') { ... }
Move to folder	MOVE PAGE|MICROFLOW|SNIPPET|NANOFLOW|ENUMERATION Module.Name TO FOLDER 'path';	Folders created automatically
Move to module root	MOVE PAGE Module.Name TO Module;	Removes from folder
Move across modules	MOVE PAGE Old.Name TO NewModule;	Breaks by-name references -- use LIST IMPACT OF first
Move to folder in other module	MOVE PAGE Old.Name TO FOLDER 'path' IN NewModule;
Move entity to module	MOVE ENTITY Old.Name TO NewModule;	Entities don't support folders

Nested folders use / separator: 'Parent/Child/Grandchild'. Missing folders are auto-created.

Security Management

Statement	Syntax	Notes
List project security	LIST PROJECT SECURITY;	Displays security level, admin, demo users
List module roles	LIST MODULE ROLES [IN Module];	All roles or filtered by module
List user roles	LIST USER ROLES;	Project-level user roles
List demo users	LIST DEMO USERS;	Configured demo users
List access on element	LIST ACCESS ON MICROFLOW|PAGE|Entity Mod.Name;	Which roles can access
List security matrix	LIST SECURITY MATRIX [IN Module];	Full access overview
Create module role	CREATE MODULE ROLE Mod.Role [DESCRIPTION 'text'];
Drop module role	DROP MODULE ROLE Mod.Role;
Create user role	CREATE USER ROLE Name (Mod.Role, ...) [MANAGE ALL ROLES];	Aggregates module roles
Alter user role	ALTER USER ROLE Name ADD|REMOVE MODULE ROLES (Mod.Role, ...);
Drop user role	DROP USER ROLE Name;
Grant microflow access	GRANT EXECUTE ON MICROFLOW Mod.MF TO Mod.Role, ...;
Revoke microflow access	REVOKE EXECUTE ON MICROFLOW Mod.MF FROM Mod.Role, ...;
Grant page access	GRANT VIEW ON PAGE Mod.Page TO Mod.Role, ...;
Revoke page access	REVOKE VIEW ON PAGE Mod.Page FROM Mod.Role, ...;
Grant entity access	GRANT Mod.Role ON Mod.Entity (CREATE, DELETE, READ *, WRITE *);	Supports member lists and WHERE
Revoke entity access	REVOKE Mod.Role ON Mod.Entity;
Set security level	ALTER PROJECT SECURITY LEVEL OFF|PROTOTYPE|PRODUCTION;
Toggle demo users	ALTER PROJECT SECURITY DEMO USERS ON|OFF;
Create demo user	CREATE DEMO USER 'name' PASSWORD 'pass' [ENTITY Module.Entity] (UserRole, ...);
Drop demo user	DROP DEMO USER 'name';

Workflows

Statement	Syntax	Notes
List workflows	LIST WORKFLOWS [IN Module];	List all or filter by module
Describe workflow	DESCRIBE WORKFLOW Module.Name;	Full MDL output
Create workflow	CREATE [OR MODIFY] WORKFLOW Module.Name PARAMETER $Ctx: Module.Entity BEGIN ... END WORKFLOW;	See activity types below
Drop workflow	DROP WORKFLOW Module.Name;

Workflow Activity Types:

• USER TASK <name> '<caption>' [PAGE Mod.Page] [TARGETING MICROFLOW Mod.MF] [OUTCOMES '<out>' { } ...];
• CALL MICROFLOW Mod.MF [COMMENT '<text>'] [OUTCOMES '<out>' { } ...];
• CALL WORKFLOW Mod.WF [COMMENT '<text>'];
• DECISION ['<caption>'] OUTCOMES '<out>' { } ...;
• PARALLEL SPLIT PATH 1 { } PATH 2 { };
• JUMP TO <activity-name>;
• WAIT FOR TIMER ['<expr>'];
• WAIT FOR NOTIFICATION;
• END;

Example:

CREATE WORKFLOW Module.ApprovalFlow
  PARAMETER $Context: Module.Request
  OVERVIEW PAGE Module.WorkflowOverview
BEGIN
  USER TASK ReviewTask 'Review the request'
    PAGE Module.ReviewPage
    OUTCOMES 'Approve' { } 'Reject' { };
END WORKFLOW;

Project Structure

Statement	Syntax	Notes
Structure overview	LIST STRUCTURE;	Depth 2 (elements with signatures), user modules only
Module counts	LIST STRUCTURE DEPTH 1;	One line per module with element counts
Full types	LIST STRUCTURE DEPTH 3;	Typed attributes, named parameters
Filter by module	LIST STRUCTURE IN ModuleName;	Single module only
Include all modules	LIST STRUCTURE DEPTH 1 ALL;	Include system/marketplace modules

Navigation

Statement	Syntax	Notes
List navigation	LIST NAVIGATION;	Summary of all profiles
List menu tree	LIST NAVIGATION MENU [Profile];	Menu tree for profile or all
List home pages	LIST NAVIGATION HOMES;	Home page assignments across profiles
Describe navigation	DESCRIBE NAVIGATION [Profile];	Full MDL output (round-trippable)
Create/replace navigation	CREATE OR REPLACE NAVIGATION Profile ...;	Full replacement of profile

Navigation Example:

CREATE OR REPLACE NAVIGATION Responsive
  HOME PAGE MyModule.Home_Web
  HOME PAGE MyModule.AdminHome FOR MyModule.Administrator
  LOGIN PAGE Administration.Login
  NOT FOUND PAGE MyModule.Custom404
  MENU (
    MENU ITEM 'Home' PAGE MyModule.Home_Web;
    MENU 'Admin' (
      MENU ITEM 'Users' PAGE Administration.Account_Overview;
    );
  );

Project Settings

Statement	Syntax	Notes
List settings	LIST SETTINGS;	Overview of all settings parts
Describe settings	DESCRIBE SETTINGS;	Full MDL output (round-trippable)
Alter model settings	ALTER SETTINGS MODEL Key = Value;	AfterStartupMicroflow, HashAlgorithm, JavaVersion, etc.
Alter configuration	ALTER SETTINGS CONFIGURATION 'Name' Key = Value;	DatabaseType, DatabaseUrl, HttpPortNumber, etc.
Alter constant	ALTER SETTINGS CONSTANT 'Name' VALUE 'val' IN CONFIGURATION 'cfg';	Override constant per configuration
Alter language	ALTER SETTINGS LANGUAGE Key = Value;	DefaultLanguageCode
Alter workflows	ALTER SETTINGS WORKFLOWS Key = Value;	UserEntity, DefaultTaskParallelism

Business Events

Statement	Syntax	Notes
List services	LIST BUSINESS EVENTS;	List all business event services
List in module	LIST BUSINESS EVENTS IN Module;	Filter by module
Describe service	DESCRIBE BUSINESS EVENT SERVICE Module.Name;	Full MDL output
Create service	CREATE BUSINESS EVENT SERVICE Module.Name (...) { MESSAGE ... };	See help topic for full syntax
Drop service	DROP BUSINESS EVENT SERVICE Module.Name;	Delete a service

Java Actions

Statement	Syntax	Notes
List Java actions	LIST JAVA ACTIONS [IN Module];	List all or filtered by module
Describe Java action	DESCRIBE JAVA ACTION Module.Name;	Full MDL output with signature
Create Java action	CREATE JAVA ACTION Module.Name(params) RETURNS type AS $$ ... $$;	Inline Java code
Create with type params	CREATE JAVA ACTION Module.Name(EntityType: ENTITY <pEntity>, Obj: pEntity) ...;	Generic type parameters
Create exposed action	... EXPOSED AS 'Caption' IN 'Category' AS $$ ... $$;	Toolbox-visible in Studio Pro
Drop Java action	DROP JAVA ACTION Module.Name;	Delete a Java action
Call from microflow	$Result = CALL JAVA ACTION Module.Name(Param = value);	Inside BEGIN...END

Parameter Types: String, Integer, Long, Decimal, Boolean, DateTime, Module.Entity, List of Module.Entity, ENUM Module.EnumName, Enumeration(Module.EnumName), StringTemplate(Sql), StringTemplate(Oql), ENTITY <pEntity> (type parameter declaration), bare pEntity (type parameter reference).

Type Parameters allow generic entity handling. ENTITY <pEntity> declares the type parameter inline and becomes the entity type selector; bare pEntity parameters receive entity instances:

CREATE JAVA ACTION Module.Validate(
  EntityType: ENTITY <pEntity> NOT NULL,
  InputObject: pEntity NOT NULL
) RETURNS Boolean
EXPOSED AS 'Validate Entity' IN 'Validation'
AS $$
return InputObject != null;
$$;

Pages

MDL uses explicit property declarations for pages:

Element	Syntax	Example
Page properties	(Key: value, ...)	(Title: 'Edit', Layout: Atlas_Core.Atlas_Default)
Page variables	Variables: { $name: Type = 'expr' }	Variables: { $show: Boolean = 'true' }
Widget name	Required after type	TEXTBOX txtName (...)
Attribute binding	Attribute: AttrName	TEXTBOX txt (Label: 'Name', Attribute: Name)
Variable binding	DataSource: $Var	DATAVIEW dv (DataSource: $Product) { ... }
Action binding	Action: TYPE	ACTIONBUTTON btn (Caption: 'Save', Action: SAVE_CHANGES)
Microflow action	Action: MICROFLOW Name(Param: val)	Action: MICROFLOW Mod.ACT_Process(Order: $Order)
Database source	DataSource: DATABASE Entity	DATAGRID dg (DataSource: DATABASE Module.Entity)
Selection binding	DataSource: SELECTION widget	DATAVIEW dv (DataSource: SELECTION galleryList)
CSS class	Class: 'classes'	CONTAINER c (Class: 'card mx-spacing-top-large')
Inline style	Style: 'css'	CONTAINER c (Style: 'padding: 16px;')
Design properties	DesignProperties: [...]	CONTAINER c (DesignProperties: ['Spacing top': 'Large', 'Full width': ON])
Width (pixels)	Width: integer	IMAGE img (Width: 200)
Height (pixels)	Height: integer	IMAGE img (Height: 150)
Page size	PageSize: integer	DATAGRID dg (PageSize: 25)
Pagination mode	Pagination: mode	DATAGRID dg (Pagination: virtualScrolling)
Paging position	PagingPosition: pos	DATAGRID dg (PagingPosition: both)
Paging buttons	ShowPagingButtons: mode	DATAGRID dg (ShowPagingButtons: auto)

DataGrid Column Properties:

Property	Values	Default	Example
Attribute	attribute name	(required)	Attribute: Price
Caption	string	attribute name	Caption: 'Unit Price'
Alignment	left, center, right	left	Alignment: right
WrapText	true, false	false	WrapText: true
Sortable	true, false	true/false	Sortable: false
Resizable	true, false	true	Resizable: false
Draggable	true, false	true	Draggable: false
Hidable	yes, hidden, no	yes	Hidable: no
ColumnWidth	autoFill, autoFit, manual	autoFill	ColumnWidth: manual
Size	integer (px)	1	Size: 200
Visible	expression string	true	Visible: '$showColumn' (page variable, not $currentObject)
DynamicCellClass	expression string	(empty)	DynamicCellClass: 'if(...) then ... else ...'
Tooltip	text string	(empty)	Tooltip: 'Price in USD'

Page Example:

CREATE PAGE MyModule.Customer_Edit
(
  Params: { $Customer: MyModule.Customer },
  Title: 'Edit Customer',
  Layout: Atlas_Core.PopupLayout
)
{
  DATAVIEW dvCustomer (DataSource: $Customer) {
    TEXTBOX txtName (Label: 'Name', Attribute: Name)
    TEXTBOX txtEmail (Label: 'Email', Attribute: Email)
    COMBOBOX cbStatus (Label: 'Status', Attribute: Status)

    FOOTER footer1 {
      ACTIONBUTTON btnSave (Caption: 'Save', Action: SAVE_CHANGES, ButtonStyle: Primary)
      ACTIONBUTTON btnCancel (Caption: 'Cancel', Action: CANCEL_CHANGES)
    }
  }
}

Supported Widgets:

• Layout: LAYOUTGRID, ROW, COLUMN, CONTAINER, CUSTOMCONTAINER
• Input: TEXTBOX, TEXTAREA, CHECKBOX, RADIOBUTTONS, DATEPICKER, COMBOBOX
• Display: DYNAMICTEXT, DATAGRID, GALLERY, LISTVIEW, IMAGE, STATICIMAGE, DYNAMICIMAGE
• Actions: ACTIONBUTTON, LINKBUTTON, NAVIGATIONLIST
• Structure: DATAVIEW, HEADER, FOOTER, CONTROLBAR, SNIPPETCALL

ALTER PAGE / ALTER SNIPPET

Modify an existing page or snippet's widget tree in-place without full CREATE OR REPLACE. Works directly on the raw BSON tree, preserving unsupported widget types.

Operation	Syntax	Notes
Set property	SET Caption = 'New' ON widgetName	Single property on a widget
Set multiple	SET (Caption = 'Save', ButtonStyle = Success) ON btn	Multiple properties at once
Page-level set	SET Title = 'New Title'	No ON clause for page properties
Insert after	INSERT AFTER widgetName { widgets }	Add widgets after target
Insert before	INSERT BEFORE widgetName { widgets }	Add widgets before target
Drop widgets	DROP WIDGET name1, name2	Remove widgets by name
Replace widget	REPLACE widgetName WITH { widgets }	Replace widget subtree
Pluggable prop	SET 'showLabel' = false ON cbStatus	Quoted name for pluggable widgets
Add variable	ADD Variables $name: Type = 'expr'	Add a page variable
Drop variable	DROP Variables $name	Remove a page variable

Supported SET properties: Caption, Label, ButtonStyle, Class, Style, Editable, Visible, Name, Title (page-level), and quoted pluggable widget properties.

Example:

ALTER PAGE Module.EditPage {
  SET (Caption = 'Save & Close', ButtonStyle = Success) ON btnSave;
  DROP WIDGET txtUnused;
  INSERT AFTER txtEmail {
    TEXTBOX txtPhone (Label: 'Phone', Attribute: Phone)
  }
};

ALTER SNIPPET Module.NavMenu {
  SET Caption = 'Dashboard' ON btnHome
};

Tip: Run DESCRIBE PAGE Module.PageName first to see widget names.

External SQL Statements

Direct SQL query execution against external databases (PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server). Credentials are isolated -- DSN never appears in session output or logs.

Statement	Syntax	Notes
Connect	SQL CONNECT <driver> '<dsn>' AS <alias>;	Drivers: postgres, oracle, sqlserver
Disconnect	SQL DISCONNECT <alias>;	Closes connection
List connections	SQL CONNECTIONS;	Shows alias + driver only (no DSN)
Show tables	SQL <alias> SHOW TABLES;	Lists user tables
Show views	SQL <alias> SHOW VIEWS;	Lists user views
Show functions	SQL <alias> SHOW FUNCTIONS;	Lists functions and procedures
Describe table	SQL <alias> DESCRIBE <table>;	Shows columns, types, nullability
Query	SQL <alias> <any-sql>;	Raw SQL passthrough
Import	IMPORT FROM <alias> QUERY '<sql>' INTO Module.Entity MAP (...) [LINK (...)] [BATCH n] [LIMIT n];	Insert external data into Mendix app DB
Generate connector	SQL <alias> GENERATE CONNECTOR INTO <module> [TABLES (...)] [VIEWS (...)] [EXEC];	Generate Database Connector MDL from schema

-- Connect to PostgreSQL
SQL CONNECT postgres 'postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb' AS source;

-- Explore schema
SQL source SHOW TABLES;
SQL source DESCRIBE users;

-- Query data
SQL source SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = true LIMIT 10;

-- Import external data into Mendix app database
IMPORT FROM source QUERY 'SELECT name, email FROM employees'
  INTO HRModule.Employee
  MAP (name AS Name, email AS Email);

-- Import with association linking
IMPORT FROM source QUERY 'SELECT name, dept_name FROM employees'
  INTO HR.Employee
  MAP (name AS Name)
  LINK (dept_name TO Employee_Department ON Name);

-- Generate Database Connector from schema
SQL source GENERATE CONNECTOR INTO HRModule;
SQL source GENERATE CONNECTOR INTO HRModule TABLES (employees, departments) EXEC;

-- Manage connections
SQL CONNECTIONS;
SQL DISCONNECT source;

CLI subcommand: mxcli sql --driver postgres --dsn '...' "SELECT 1" (see mxcli syntax sql). Supported drivers: postgres (pg, postgresql), oracle (ora), sqlserver (mssql).

Catalog & Search

Statement	Syntax	Notes
Refresh catalog	REFRESH CATALOG;	Rebuild basic metadata tables
Refresh with refs	REFRESH CATALOG FULL;	Include cross-references and source
List catalog tables	LIST CATALOG TABLES;	List available queryable tables
Query catalog	SELECT ... FROM CATALOG.<table> [WHERE ...];	SQL against project metadata
List callers	LIST CALLERS OF Module.Name;	What calls this element
List callees	LIST CALLEES OF Module.Name;	What this element calls
List references	LIST REFERENCES OF Module.Name;	All references to/from
List impact	LIST IMPACT OF Module.Name;	Impact analysis
List context	LIST CONTEXT OF Module.Name;	Surrounding context
Full-text search	SEARCH '<keyword>';	Search across all strings and source

Cross-reference commands require REFRESH CATALOG FULL to populate reference data.

Connection & Session

Statement	Syntax	Notes
Connect	CONNECT LOCAL '/path/to/app.mpr';	Open a Mendix project
Disconnect	DISCONNECT;	Close current project
Status	STATUS;	Show connection info
Refresh	REFRESH;	Reload project from disk
Commit	COMMIT [MESSAGE 'text'];	Save changes to MPR
Set variable	SET key = value;	Session variable (e.g., output_format = 'json')
Exit	EXIT;	Close REPL session

CLI Commands

Command	Syntax	Notes
Interactive REPL	mxcli	Interactive MDL shell
Inline commands	mxcli -p app.mpr -c "CMD1; CMD2; CMD3"	Semicolons batch multiple commands
Execute script	mxcli exec script.mdl -p app.mpr	Script file
Stdin piping	echo "CMD" | mxcli -p app.mpr	Quiet mode, pipe-friendly
Check syntax	mxcli check script.mdl	Parse-only validation
Check references	mxcli check script.mdl -p app.mpr --references	With reference validation
Lint project	mxcli lint -p app.mpr [--format json|sarif]	14 built-in + 27 Starlark rules
Report	mxcli report -p app.mpr [--format markdown|json|html]	Best practices report
Test	mxcli test tests/ -p app.mpr	.test.mdl / .test.md files
Diff script	mxcli diff -p app.mpr changes.mdl	Compare script vs project
Diff local	mxcli diff-local -p app.mpr --ref HEAD	Git diff for MPR v2
Diff revisions	mxcli diff-local -p app.mpr --ref main..feature	Compare two git revisions
OQL	mxcli oql -p app.mpr "SELECT ..."	Query running Mendix runtime
External SQL	mxcli sql --driver postgres --dsn '...' "SELECT 1"	Direct database query
Docker build	mxcli docker build -p app.mpr	Build with PAD patching
Docker check	mxcli docker check -p app.mpr	Validate with mx check
Diagnostics	mxcli diag [--bundle]	Session logs, version info
New project	mxcli new <name> --version X.Y.Z	Create project from scratch with all tooling
Init project	mxcli init /path/to/project	Add AI tooling to existing project
Setup mxcli	mxcli setup mxcli [--os linux]	Download platform-specific mxcli binary
LSP server	mxcli lsp --stdio	Language server for VS Code