Add a Database Server Connection

The Connection element comes in a variety of flavors, depending on the nature of the connection to be made. The best method of connecting is to use a vendor-specific connection element, such as Connection.Oracle, or Connection.MySQL, when you can. There are also generic connection elements. The following example uses Connection.SQLServer to connect to Microsoft SQL Server. If you're using a different database server, substitute the appropriate elements and attributes in the following discussion.

Here's how to add a Connection element:

1. In the Application Panel, double-click the _Settings definition to open it in the Workspace editor. You can see it opens in a different tab than the new definition you added earlier.
2. Select the Connections element. In the Element Toolbox panel, double-click the connection element appropriate for your database server to add it. This is the basic technique for adding elements: select a parent element and double-click a child element which is then added beneath it.
3. When the newly-added connection element is selected, its properties or "attributes" will appear in the Attributes Panel. Find its ID attribute and set it to a unique value. The example uses connNW because we're going to connect to the Northwind database.
4. In the Attributes Panel, provide the other attribute values shown above, using values appropriate for your database and server.
5. Save your _Settings definition by clicking the Save item in the main menu
6. Close the _Settings definition by clicking the "X" icon in its editor tab.

The connection is now configured and ready for use.