Editing and moving data safely

Petti 1.4 · User documentation

Unlocking gives Petti write access to the actual SQLite file. Edits save immediately; closing the window is not a way to discard them.

Edit a cell

Activate your editing license, select a table and click the lock to unlock.
Double-click an editable cell. Change the value and press Return or Tab to save.
Check the result, then lock the database again when you finish.

SQLite constraints still apply. Views, query results, generated columns and rows without a usable identity may not be editable. A writable connection does not make every result writable. If a cell refuses editing, see Troubleshooting.

Undo is not a backup

Use Edit → Undo for supported cell edits. Relocking clears the cell-edit undo history. Do not assume that SQL, imports, schema changes or plugin jobs can be reversed with cell Undo. Before a significant change, create a snapshot. Do not edit a framework-managed or production database unless you understand the owning application’s rules.

Copy, paste and import

Use normal copy/paste shortcuts for spreadsheet cells. Pasting writes data, so it requires a license and unlocked database. For a CSV file, choose File → Import CSV…, select the file and review the import before committing. CSV import puts data into SQLite; it does not turn a CSV file into a directly queryable database.

Export the right scope

Choose File → Export → CSV, JSON or SQL, then choose the scope:

Entire Table: the table without your browse filters.
Filtered Result: all matching rows, not only the pages currently visible.
Selected Rows: the selected rows.

Export is available in read-only mode and streams data rather than loading a whole large result into memory. A CSV export does not preserve indexes, constraints or the complete database schema. Use a SQLite snapshot when you need a database copy.

Create or change structure

File → New Table… creates a table in an unlocked database. Petti’s schema-editing operations create a backup first. Review the proposed change and any error before continuing. For a separate new file, use File → New Database….