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
Drop entity	`DROP ENTITY Module.Name;`
Describe entity	`DESCRIBE ENTITY Module.Name;`	Full MDL output
Show entities	`SHOW 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';`

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
Show constants	`SHOW 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
Show OData clients	`SHOW 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;`
Show OData services	`SHOW 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;`
Show external entities	`SHOW EXTERNAL ENTITIES [IN Module];`	OData-backed entities
Create external entity	`CREATE [OR MODIFY] EXTERNAL ENTITY Module.Name FROM ODATA CLIENT Module.Client (...) (attrs);`
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, ...;`

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 = $value);`
Show page	`SHOW PAGE Module.PageName ($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 `SHOW 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
Show project security	`SHOW PROJECT SECURITY;`	Displays security level, admin, demo users
Show module roles	`SHOW MODULE ROLES [IN Module];`	All roles or filtered by module
Show user roles	`SHOW USER ROLES;`	Project-level user roles
Show demo users	`SHOW DEMO USERS;`	Configured demo users
Show access on element	`SHOW ACCESS ON MICROFLOW\|PAGE\|Entity Mod.Name;`	Which roles can access
Show security matrix	`SHOW 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
Show workflows	`SHOW 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;`
Grant workflow access	`GRANT EXECUTE ON WORKFLOW Module.Name TO Mod.Role, ...;`
Revoke workflow access	`REVOKE EXECUTE ON WORKFLOW Module.Name FROM Mod.Role, ...;`

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

Statement	Syntax	Notes
Show navigation	`SHOW NAVIGATION;`	Summary of all profiles
Show menu tree	`SHOW NAVIGATION MENU [Profile];`	Menu tree for profile or all
Show home pages	`SHOW 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
Show settings	`SHOW 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
Show services	`SHOW BUSINESS EVENTS;`	List all business event services
Show in module	`SHOW 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
Show Java actions	`SHOW 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
Show catalog tables	`SHOW CATALOG TABLES;`	List available queryable tables
Query catalog	`SELECT ... FROM CATALOG.<table> [WHERE ...];`	SQL against project metadata
Show callers	`SHOW CALLERS OF Module.Name;`	What calls this element
Show callees	`SHOW CALLEES OF Module.Name;`	What this element calls
Show references	`SHOW REFERENCES OF Module.Name;`	All references to/from
Show impact	`SHOW IMPACT OF Module.Name;`	Impact analysis
Show context	`SHOW 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
Execute command	`mxcli -p app.mpr -c "SHOW ENTITIES"`	Single command
Execute script	`mxcli exec script.mdl -p app.mpr`	Script file
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
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
Init project	`mxcli init -p app.mpr`	Create `.claude/` folder with skills
LSP server	`mxcli lsp --stdio`	Language server for VS Code

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