Data Editing

DB Table provides a powerful, intuitive editing system that lets you modify your data with confidence. With type-specific editors, real-time validation, and comprehensive change tracking, you can make precise edits while maintaining data integrity.

Editing Basics

Enabling Edit Mode

Before you can edit data, you need to enable editing:

1. Click "Enable Editing" in the toolbar
2. Edit mode activates - cells become clickable
3. Visual indicators show editable state
4. Click any cell to start editing

Cell Selection and Navigation

Mouse Navigation

• Click any cell to start editing
• Click outside to save and exit edit mode
• Click another cell to save current and edit new cell

Keyboard Navigation

• Tab - Move to next cell and save current
• Shift+Tab - Move to previous cell and save current
• Enter - Save current cell and move down
• Escape - Cancel current edit and exit

Edit Mode Indicators

Visual cues help you understand the editing state:

• Blue border - Cell is selected for editing
• Yellow background - Cell has unsaved changes
• Red border - Cell has validation errors
• Green checkmark - Cell was successfully saved

Type-Specific Editors

DB Table provides specialized editing interfaces for each data type:

🔤 Text Editor

For: String/text columns

Features:

• Standard text input field
• Multi-line support for long text
• Auto-resize based on content
• No validation constraints

Usage:

• Type directly into the field
• Use Ctrl+A to select all text
• Supports copy/paste operations

🔢 Number Editor

For: Numeric columns

Features:

• Numeric input with validation
• Decimal point support
• Negative number handling
• Scientific notation support

Validation:

• Must be a valid number
• Rejects non-numeric input
• Preserves decimal precision
• Handles very large/small numbers

Usage:

Valid: 42, -17.5, 1234.56, 0.001, 1e6
Invalid: "abc", "12.34.56", "not a number"

📅 Date Editor

For: Date columns

Features:

• Interactive date picker
• Calendar interface
• Multiple input formats
• Timezone handling

Supported Input Formats:

2024-01-15        (ISO format)
01/15/2024        (US format)
15/01/2024        (European format)
Jan 15, 2024      (Long format)

Usage:

• Click calendar icon to open picker
• Type date directly in various formats
• Use arrow keys to navigate calendar
• Click outside to close picker

✅ Boolean Editor

For: Boolean (Yes/No) columns

Features:

• Dropdown selection
• Clear Yes/No options
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Consistent formatting

Accepted Values:

Yes: true, yes, y, 1, True, YES
No: false, no, n, 0, False, NO

Usage:

• Select from dropdown menu
• Type 'y' or 'n' for quick entry
• Use arrow keys to change selection

📊 Percentage Editor

For: Percentage columns

Features:

• Numeric input with % symbol
• Automatic percentage conversion
• Decimal support
• Range validation

Input Handling:

• Values 0-1 are multiplied by 100
• Values >1 are treated as percentages
• Automatically adds % symbol
• Supports negative percentages

Examples:

Input: 0.25 → Display: 25%
Input: 75 → Display: 75%
Input: 1.5 → Display: 150%

💰 Currency Editor

For: Currency columns

Features:

• Currency symbol prefix
• Numeric validation
• Decimal precision
• Thousand separators

Formatting:

• Automatically adds currency symbol
• Preserves decimal places
• Formats large numbers with commas
• Supports negative amounts

Examples:

Input: 25.99 → Display: $25.99
Input: 1234.5 → Display: $1,234.50
Input: -50 → Display: -$50.00

Data Validation

Real-Time Validation

DB Table validates your input as you type:

• Immediate feedback - Errors shown instantly
• Visual indicators - Red borders for invalid data
• Error messages - Helpful tooltips explain issues
• Prevention - Can't save invalid data

Validation Rules

Each data type has specific validation rules:

Numbers

• Must be valid numeric values
• No text or special characters
• Supports scientific notation
• Handles infinity and NaN

Dates

• Must create valid Date objects
• Year must be between 1900-2100
• Handles various date formats
• Rejects impossible dates (Feb 30, etc.)

Booleans

• Must match recognized boolean values
• Case-insensitive matching
• Rejects ambiguous values

Currency

• Must be numeric after symbol removal
• Supports negative values
• Validates decimal precision

Percentages

• Must be numeric values
• Can be negative or >100%
• Handles decimal percentages

Error Handling

When validation fails:

1. Visual feedback - Cell border turns red
2. Error message - Tooltip explains the problem
3. Save prevention - Cannot save invalid data
4. Correction prompt - Suggests valid formats
5. Cancel option - Revert to original value

Change Management

Change Tracking

DB Table tracks all your modifications:

• Visual indicators - Yellow highlighting for changed cells
• Change counter - Shows number of unsaved changes
• Original values - Preserved for comparison
• Undo capability - Revert individual or all changes

Saving Changes

Individual Cell Saves

• Automatic when moving to another cell
• Manual with Enter key or click outside
• Validation must pass before saving
• Immediate visual feedback

Bulk Save Operations

• "Save Changes" button in toolbar
• Saves all modified cells at once
• Shows progress for large datasets
• Confirms successful save

Unsaved Changes Protection

DB Table prevents accidental data loss:

Warning Dialogs

• Shown when switching sheets with unsaved changes
• Displayed when toggling format view
• Triggered when disabling edit mode
• Prevents navigation away from page

Dialog Options

• Save and Continue - Saves changes and proceeds
• Discard Changes - Reverts all modifications
• Cancel - Stays on current view

Discarding Changes

Multiple ways to revert modifications:

Individual Cell

• Press Escape while editing
• Click cancel button in cell editor
• Reverts to original value

All Changes

• "Discard Changes" button in toolbar
• Confirmation dialog prevents accidents
• Reverts entire dataset to original state

Advanced Editing Features

Bulk Operations

Copy and Paste

• Standard Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V support
• Preserves data types when possible
• Validates pasted data
• Handles multi-cell selections

Find and Replace (Coming Soon)

• Search for specific values
• Replace across multiple cells
• Type-aware replacements
• Preview before applying

Keyboard Shortcuts

Performance Optimization

For large datasets:

• Lazy validation - Validates only visible cells
• Batch saves - Groups multiple changes
• Memory management - Efficient change tracking
• Progressive rendering - Smooth scrolling during edits

Best Practices

Before Editing

1. Backup your data - Export original before major changes
2. Understand data types - Know what each column represents
3. Plan your changes - Identify what needs modification
4. Check validation rules - Understand type constraints

During Editing

1. Save frequently - Don't accumulate too many changes
2. Validate as you go - Fix errors immediately
3. Use appropriate editors - Let type-specific editors help
4. Double-check critical data - Verify important changes

After Editing

1. Review changes - Check modified cells before final save
2. Test data integrity - Ensure relationships are maintained
3. Export results - Save your work to CSV
4. Document changes - Note what was modified and why

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Cannot save invalid data"

• Cause: Validation error in current cell
• Solution: Fix the validation error or press Escape to cancel

"Changes not saving"

• Cause: Network issues or validation errors
• Solution: Check for red-bordered cells and fix validation issues

"Lost my changes"

• Cause: Accidentally discarded or browser refresh
• Solution: Changes are only permanent after explicit save

"Editor not responding"

• Cause: Browser performance issues with large datasets
• Solution: Save current changes and refresh the page

Performance Tips

1. Limit simultaneous edits - Work on small sections at a time
2. Save regularly - Don't accumulate hundreds of changes
3. Close other browser tabs - Free up memory for editing
4. Use appropriate data types - Proper types improve performance

Data Integrity

Maintaining Relationships

When editing related data:

• Check dependencies - Ensure changes don't break relationships
• Validate references - Verify IDs and keys remain valid
• Test calculations - Recalculate derived values
• Document assumptions - Note any business rules

Quality Assurance

1. Spot check changes - Review a sample of modifications
2. Validate totals - Ensure sums and counts are correct
3. Check edge cases - Verify unusual values are intentional
4. Test with original - Compare against source data

Next steps: After editing your data, learn how to export your work to save your changes, or explore data viewing to better analyze your updated dataset.