Quick Add/Edit Table Column Cheat Sheet

  1. If Adding a new Column:

    • Press "Ctrl+A" to add a Column to the bottom of the list.
    • Press "Ctrl+Shift+A" to add a Column to the top of the list.
    • Press "Ctrl+I" to add a Column under the currently selected Column.
    • Press "Ctrl+Shift+I" to add a Column above the currently selected Column.

    If Editing an existing Column:

    • Press the Enter key with the Column you wish to edit selected.
    • With the Column you wish to edit selected Single click the Column.
  2. Using a prefix from your Naming Convention  type the name of your new Column.   ie. 'strColumnName'

    Column name formats for Quick Add / Edits are:

    Format Example
    Standard <prefix><name> intValue Explain
    Length <prefix><name>(length) strColumnName(50) Explain
    Precision/Scale <prefix><name>(precision, scale) sngValue(8,0) Explain
    Identity <prefix><name>[seed, increment] idColumnID[1,1] Explain
    Remove Prefix <prefix>.<name> int.Value  =>  Value Explain

    A <prefix> is defined in the Naming Convention.   A Naming Convention can also contain default values for your column such as Length, Precision/Scale, Identity, Nullability, and more.   You can customize the Naming Convention with your own prefixes and column defautls by choosing "Tools/Naming Conventions" from the main menu.



    Standard:
    <prefix><name> Column defaults are specified with the prefix and supplied by the Naming Convention.

    For example: 'strColumnName' will give you a VarChar Column named 'strColumnName' with a Length of 50.
    This could be 'intValue', 'strValue', 'dtmValue', or any other prefix from the Naming Convention

    To specify a Column's length:
    <prefix><name>(length) length is a posative Integer (1-99999) specifying the number of character the Column can hold.

    For example: 'strColumnName(25)' will give you a VarChar Column named 'strColumnName' that can hold a maximum of 25 characters.
    * If you leave off '(length)', the default length for the specified Naming Convention prefix will be used.

    To specify Precision / Scale:
    <prefix><name>(scale,precision) precision is a posative Integer (1-99) that is the total number of significant digits to the left and right of the decimal.
    scale is a posative integer (0-99) that is the total number of sifnificant digits to the right of the decimal.

    For example: 'sngValue(8, 3)' will give you a Float Column named 'sngValue' that can have eight digits and up to 3 of them can be to the right of the decimal.
    * If you leave off '(precision,scale)', the default precision & scale for the specified Naming Convention prefix will be used.
    ** A value of zero for scale lets SQL Server decide how many digits to place to the right of the decimal.

    To specify an Identity Column:
    <prefix><name>[seed,increment] seed is a posative Integer (1-9999) specifying the Identity Column auto-numbering start point.
    increment is a posative Integer (1-9999) specifying the Identity Column auto-number increase.

    For example: 'intTableID[100,2]' will give you an Identity Column named 'intTableID' that starts auto-numbering at 100 and will increase by 2 with every insert.
    * An Identity Column must be derived from the BigInt, Decimal, Integer, Numeric, SmallInt, or TinyInt data types.

    To specify a Datatype using a prefix and then remove the prefix:
    <prefix>.<name> For example: 'int.ID' will give you an Integer Column named 'ID'.

  3. Press Enter key to submit your changes.
    - OR -
    Press Escape key to discard the changes.