Query Results Navigation

Master the art of navigating, editing, and managing query results with vim-style keybindings. Learn how to efficiently browse large datasets, edit records inline, and understand hierarchical data structures.

Vim-Style Navigation

Navigate query results using the same vim keybindings you use in the Record Editor.

Basic Movement

After executing a query, results appear in a table. Navigate with these keys:

Key	Action	Description
j	Move down	Next row
k	Move up	Previous row
h	Scroll left	View columns to the left
l	Scroll right	View columns to the right
gg	Jump to first row	Top of results
G	Jump to last row	Bottom of results

Example Navigation:

Results: 50 records

Row 1  │ 001xxx │ John Doe    │ john@example.com
Row 2  │ 001yyy │ Jane Smith  │ jane@example.com  ← Current (j to move down)
Row 3  │ 001zzz │ Bob Wilson  │ bob@example.com
...
Row 50 │ 001aaa │ Last Person │ last@example.com

Press gg → Jump to Row 1
Press G  → Jump to Row 50
Press 5j → Move down 5 rows (if supported)

Visual Feedback:

• Selected row highlighted in blue
• Row counter shows position (e.g., "Row 5/50")
• Auto-scrolls to keep selected row visible

Page Navigation

For large result sets, use page-based movement:

Key	Action	Description
Ctrl+D	Page down	Move down half a page
Ctrl+U	Page up	Move up half a page
Ctrl+F	Full page down	Move down a full page
Ctrl+B	Full page up	Move up a full page

When to Use:

• Browsing 100+ records
• Skipping sections quickly
• Reviewing data in chunks

Column Navigation

When results have many columns, scroll horizontally:

Columns: Id, Name, Email, Phone, Title, Department, Manager, ...

Press l → Scroll right to see more columns
Press h → Scroll left to previous columns

Sticky First Column: The first column (usually Id) stays visible while scrolling horizontally for context.

Navigation Speed

Holding j or k scrolls continuously through results. Release to stop. Great for quickly scanning large datasets.

Inline Editing

Edit query result values directly and save them back to Salesforce.

Entering Edit Mode

Steps:

1. Navigate to a cell with j/k/h/l
2. Press i to enter edit mode
3. Modify the value
4. Press Enter to confirm
5. Press Esc to cancel

Example:

Current cell: Email = "old@example.com"

1. Press i (enter edit mode)
2. Type: new@example.com
3. Press Enter (confirm change)
4. Cell shows orange border (unsaved change)

Editable Field Types:

• Text, Email, Phone, URL
• Number, Currency, Percent
• Date, DateTime, Time
• Boolean (Checkbox)
• Picklist (use Ctrl+K for selection)
• Textarea (Long Text Area)

Read-Only Fields:

• Id (system field)
• Formula fields
• Roll-up summary fields
• Auto-number fields
• System timestamps (CreatedDate, LastModifiedDate)

Saving Changes

After editing one or more cells, save changes back to Salesforce:

Single Record:

:w  → Save current record

All Modified Records:

:wall  → Save all changed records at once

Process:

1. Modified cells show orange border
2. Enter command mode with :
3. Type w (or wall for multiple)
4. Press Enter
5. Changes sent to Salesforce via API
6. Success message appears: "Record updated"
7. Orange borders removed

Example Session:

Query: SELECT Id, Name, Email FROM Contact LIMIT 5

Results:
Row 1: John Doe, john@old.com  → Edit to john@new.com (orange border)
Row 2: Jane Smith, jane@old.com → Edit to jane@new.com (orange border)

Type :wall
Press Enter
→ "2 records updated successfully"
→ Orange borders removed

Handling Errors

If a save fails, an error appears in the quickfix list:

Quickfix List (1 error):
1. Contact 003xxx: Field 'Email' failed validation: Invalid email format

Fix Process:

1. Read error message
2. Navigate to failing cell
3. Press i to re-edit
4. Fix the value
5. Press :w to retry save

Common Errors:

• Required field missing - Fill in the required value
• Invalid format - Check field type (email, phone, number)
• Validation rule - Ensure value meets org's validation criteria
• Field-level security - Verify edit permissions
• Picklist value invalid - Use Ctrl+K to see valid values

Data Validation

Inline editing triggers the same validation rules and triggers as the standard Salesforce UI. If a record fails to save, you'll see the exact error message in the quickfix list.

Change Tracking

The Query Tool tracks all modifications before they're saved.

Visual Indicators

Indicator	Meaning
Orange border	Cell has unsaved changes
Normal border	Cell is unchanged
Blue highlight	Currently selected cell

Example:

Before editing:
│ Id      │ Name      │ Email          │
│ 003xxx  │ John Doe  │ john@email.com │  ← All cells normal

After editing Email:
│ Id      │ Name      │ Email          │
│ 003xxx  │ John Doe  │ john@new.com   │  ← Email has orange border

After :w (save):
│ Id      │ Name      │ Email          │
│ 003xxx  │ John Doe  │ john@new.com   │  ← Orange border removed

Undo and Redo

Revert changes before saving:

Key	Action	Description
u	Undo	Revert last change
U	Redo	Restore undone change

Undo Stack:

1. Edit Email: old@email.com → new@email.com
2. Edit Phone: 555-1234 → 555-5678
3. Edit Name: John → Jonathan

Press u → Reverts Name change (Jonathan → John)
Press u → Reverts Phone change (555-5678 → 555-1234)
Press U → Restores Phone change (555-1234 → 555-5678)

Stack Limits:

• Undo stack: Last 50 changes
• Redo stack: Cleared when new change made
• Stack persists until query re-executed

Viewing Change Details

Press Ctrl+K on a modified cell to see change history:

Field: Email
Previous Value: old@example.com
Current Value:  new@example.com
Modified: 2 minutes ago
Status: Unsaved

Popup Shows:

• Field name and type
• Original value (before edit)
• Current value (after edit)
• Timestamp of change
• Save status

Press Esc to close popup

Show/Hide Columns

Customize which columns are visible in results.

Column Management

Open Column Selector:

:columns  → Opens column visibility popup

Popup Interface:

Show/Hide Columns (8 columns):

[✓] Id
[✓] Name
[✓] Email
[ ] Phone          ← Hidden
[✓] Title
[ ] Department     ← Hidden
[✓] CreatedDate
[✓] LastModifiedDate

Navigate: j/k
Toggle: Space
Close: Esc

Controls:

Key	Action
j / k	Navigate column list
Space	Toggle column visibility
Esc	Close popup and apply changes

Hiding Columns

Why Hide Columns:

• Focus on relevant fields
• Reduce horizontal scrolling
• Export only needed data
• Simplify visual analysis

Example Workflow:

Query: SELECT Id, Name, Email, Phone, Title, Department, Manager, CreatedDate FROM Contact LIMIT 50

Initial: All 8 columns visible (lots of scrolling)

1. Type :columns
2. Navigate to Phone (j key)
3. Press Space (uncheck)
4. Navigate to Department
5. Press Space (uncheck)
6. Navigate to Manager
7. Press Space (uncheck)
8. Press Esc (apply)

Result: Only 5 columns visible (easier to scan)

Restoring Columns

Hidden columns are remembered for the current query session:

Type :columns → Opens popup with checkboxes
Press Space on hidden columns to show them again
Press Esc to apply

Re-executing Query: When you re-execute the query (:refresh or Ctrl+Enter), column visibility resets to show all columns.

Export Behavior

When exporting with :exportcsv or :exportjson, only visible columns are included. Hide columns you don't need before exporting.

Related Objects Display

View and navigate hierarchical data when queries include related objects.

Understanding Related Data

When you query child relationships, results show hierarchical structure:

SELECT Id, Name,
  (SELECT FirstName, LastName, Email FROM Contacts),
  (SELECT CaseNumber, Status FROM Cases)
FROM Account
LIMIT 5

Hierarchical Display:

▶ Account: Acme Corp (001xxx)
  ├─▶ Contacts (3 records)
  │   ├─ John Doe, john@acme.com
  │   ├─ Jane Smith, jane@acme.com
  │   └─ Bob Wilson, bob@acme.com
  └─▶ Cases (2 records)
      ├─ Case-00001, New
      └─ Case-00002, In Progress

▶ Account: Global Inc (001yyy)
  ├─▶ Contacts (1 record)
  │   └─ Alice Brown, alice@global.com
  └─▶ Cases (0 records)

Expanding and Collapsing

Controls:

Key	Action
Enter	Expand/collapse current row
j / k	Navigate expanded rows
:collapseall	Collapse all expandable rows

Navigation Example:

Row 1: ▶ Account: Acme Corp
       Press Enter → Expands to show:

Row 1: ▼ Account: Acme Corp
Row 2:   ├─▶ Contacts (3)
         Press Enter on Row 2 → Expands to show:

Row 1: ▼ Account: Acme Corp
Row 2:   ├─▼ Contacts (3)
Row 3:   │  ├─ John Doe
Row 4:   │  ├─ Jane Smith
Row 5:   │  └─ Bob Wilson
Row 6:   └─▶ Cases (2)

Press j to navigate down through child rows
Press k to navigate back up

Indentation Levels

Visual hierarchy with indentation:

Level 0: Parent record (Account)
Level 1:   Related object collection (Contacts, Cases)
Level 2:     Individual child records (Contact 1, Contact 2)

Indicators:

• ▶ - Collapsed (click to expand)
• ▼ - Expanded (click to collapse)
• ├─ - Has more siblings below
• └─ - Last sibling in group

Editing Related Records

You can edit child records inline:

▼ Account: Acme Corp
  ├─▼ Contacts (3)
  │  ├─ John Doe, john@acme.com
  │  │  Navigate to Email cell
  │  │  Press i to edit
  │  │  Type new@acme.com
  │  │  Press Enter
  │  │  Orange border shows unsaved change
  │  └─ Press :w to save

Result: Contact record updated

Collapsing All

To simplify view with many expanded rows:

:collapseall  → All expandable rows collapse

Before:

▼ Account 1
  ├─▼ Contacts (5)
  │  ├─ Contact 1
  │  ├─ Contact 2
  │  └─ ...
  └─▼ Cases (3)
     ├─ Case 1
     └─ ...
▼ Account 2
  └─▼ Contacts (2)
     ├─ Contact 1
     └─ Contact 2

After :collapseall:

▶ Account 1
▶ Account 2

Result Type Checking

The Query Tool validates field types for inline editing.

Type Validation

When you edit a cell, the tool checks the field type:

Text Fields:

Field: Name
Type: String(80)
Validation: Max length 80 characters

Number Fields:

Field: Amount
Type: Currency(16,2)
Validation: Numbers only, max 16 digits, 2 decimal places

Date Fields:

Field: CloseDate
Type: Date
Validation: YYYY-MM-DD format or date picker

Boolean Fields:

Field: IsActive
Type: Checkbox
Validation: true, false, or empty (case-insensitive)

Picklist Type Checking

For picklist fields, only valid values are allowed:

Standard Picklist:

Field: LeadSource
Type: Picklist
Valid Values: Web, Phone Inquiry, Partner Referral, Purchased List

Press Ctrl+K to see and select valid values

Multi-Select Picklist:

Field: Interests
Type: Multi-Select Picklist
Valid Values: Technology, Finance, Healthcare, Education

Press Ctrl+K, use Space to select multiple, Enter to apply

Dependent Picklist:

Field: SubCategory (depends on Category)
Type: Picklist
Valid Values: (filtered based on Category value)

Example:
  If Category = "Electronics"
    SubCategory values: TV, Computer, Phone
  If Category = "Clothing"
    SubCategory values: Shirts, Pants, Shoes

Reference Field Checking

For lookup fields, the tool validates Salesforce IDs:

Field: AccountId
Type: Reference(Account)
Validation: Must be 15 or 18 character Salesforce ID
Valid: 001xx000003DH1QAAW ✓
Invalid: InvalidID123 ✗

Opening Referenced Record:

1. Navigate to reference field cell (AccountId)
2. Press Ctrl+K to view record details popup
3. Click ID link to open in split-screen editor
   OR
   Type :editinsplitscreen to open in right pane

Block Editing for Readonly Fields

Prevent accidental edits to system and calculated fields.

Readonly Field Protection

Certain fields cannot be edited:

System Fields:

• Id - Record identifier
• CreatedDate - Creation timestamp
• CreatedById - Creator user ID
• LastModifiedDate - Last update timestamp
• LastModifiedById - Last modifier user ID
• SystemModstamp - System timestamp

Calculated Fields:

• Formula fields (computed from other fields)
• Roll-up summary fields (aggregated from child records)
• Auto-number fields (system-generated sequences)

Visual Indicators

Readonly fields are visually distinct:

│ Id (readonly)   │ Name (editable)  │ CreatedDate (readonly) │
│ 003xxx          │ John Doe         │ 2025-01-15             │
   ↑ Gray text       ↑ White text       ↑ Gray text

Indicators:

• Gray text color
• Lock icon (optional)
• No edit cursor on hover
• Pressing i shows message: "Field is read-only"

Edit Attempt Blocking

If you try to edit a readonly field:

1. Navigate to Id field
2. Press i
3. Message appears: "Cannot edit read-only field: Id"
4. Focus returns to navigation mode

Error Types:

Formula Field:
"Cannot edit formula field: Total_Amount__c"

Roll-up Summary:
"Cannot edit roll-up summary field: Total_Opportunities"

System Field:
"Cannot edit system field: CreatedDate"

Identifying Editable Fields

In the Type column, check for indicators:

│ Field           │ Type                    │ Value      │
├─────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Id              │ id (readonly)           │ 003xxx     │
│ Name            │ string(80)              │ John Doe   │
│ Email           │ email(80)               │ j@email    │
│ Total_Amount__c │ currency(16,2) (formula)│ $1,250.00  │
│ CreatedDate     │ datetime (readonly)     │ 2025-01-15 │

Legend:

• (readonly) - System field, cannot edit
• (formula) - Calculated field, cannot edit
• No indicator - Editable field

Focus on Editable Fields

Use the Type column to quickly identify which fields you can edit. Gray text and "(readonly)" or "(formula)" indicators mean the field is protected.

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Shortcut	Action
j / k	Navigate rows
h / l	Scroll columns
gg / G	Jump to first/last row
Ctrl+D / Ctrl+U	Page down/up
i	Edit cell
Enter	Confirm edit or expand/collapse
Esc	Cancel edit
u / U	Undo/redo
Ctrl+K	View cell details
:w	Save current record
:wall	Save all records
:columns	Show/hide columns
:collapseall	Collapse all rows

Next Steps

• Variables - Use variables in queries and edits
• Export - Export results to JSON or CSV
• Query Basics - Learn SOQL fundamentals
• Workflows - Real-world query workflows

Practice Navigation

Load a query with 50+ records and practice navigating with j, k, gg, and G. Then try editing a few cells and saving with :w. The more you practice, the faster you'll become.