- tl;dr
- Hotkeys
IntelliShell is the built-in mongo shell with smart autocompletion of JavaScript standard library functions, shell-specific types and methods, operators, collection names, field names, shell helper commands, and more.
Open IntelliShell – Ctrl + L (⌘+ L)
Trigger autocompletion – Ctrl + Space (^ + Space)
Find – Ctrl + F (⌘+ F)
Replace – Ctrl + H (Shift + ⌘ + F)
Comment with line comment – Ctrl + / (⌘+ /)
Open script – Ctrl + O (⌘+ O)
Save script – Ctrl + S (⌘+ S)
Save script as – Shift + Ctrl + S (Shift + ⌘+ S)
Execute entire script – F5
Execute statement at cursor – F6
Execute selection – F9
Prerequisites
IntelliShell requires the mongo shell executable, one of the mongo client tools bundled when downloading MongoDB.
Windows and Mac
No additional configuration is needed for Windows and Mac installations. The mongo shell executable is bundled with Studio 3T on these systems.
Linux
Linux requires the manual installation of the mongo shell executable.
To install the mongo client tools, download the latest MongoDB version here.
Once the mongo client tools are installed:
- Go to Studio 3T > Preferences
- Click on the IntelliShell tab
- Insert the path of where the
mongoshell executable is located.
On Linux, this will be a binary file calledmongolocated in the ‘bin’ directory where the distribution was unpacked. - Click OK
Basics
There are three ways to open IntelliShell:
Click on the IntelliShell button in the global toolbar
Right-click on a target collection and choose Open IntelliShell
Press Ctrl + L (⌘+ L)
IntelliShell has two main sections: the Editor where queries are written in a standard command line interface, and the Result Tab where results can be viewed and edited.
Need to download Studio 3T? Get the latest version.
Preferences
Code reformatting
You can define your Editor tab width preferences under Studio 3T > Preferences > General:
The default editor tab width setting is 4 spaces.
Once set, you can easily apply your chosen setting to reformat your IntelliShell code, simply by:
- Right-clicking and choosing Format code, or
- Pressing the hotkey Ctrl + Alt + L (or ⌥ + ⌘ + L on Mac):
Write a query
Users with the knowledge of the MongoDB query language can write queries directly in the Editor area.
The full list of MongoDB shell operators can be found here, which is also directly accessible within Studio 3T through the Shell Methods Reference link in the toolbar.
Autocomplete a query
IntelliShell detects and autosuggests JavaScript standard library functions, shell-specific types and methods, operators, collection names, field names and shell helper commands as they are typed:
Autocompletion should be automatic, but it can also be triggered manually:
Right-click anywhere in the Editor and choose Open Autocompletion
Press Ctrl + Space (^ + Space)
Still learning the MongoDB query language? Build queries via drag-and-drop instead with Visual Query Builder.
Execute a query
Queries can be executed entirely, at cursor, or as selected.
To execute an entire script:
Click on the Run (play) button
Right-click anywhere in the Editor and choose Execute Entire Script
Press F5
To execute a script at cursor, place the cursor at the target query and:
Click on the second Run (play) button
Right-click anywhere in the Editor and choose Execute Statement at Cursor
Press F6
To execute a selection, highlight the part of the query to be executed and:
Click on the third Run (play) button
Right-click anywhere in the Editor and choose Execute Selection
Press F9
Check query results
Results can be viewed in the Result Tab in either raw shell mode or the standard three views (Table, Tree, and JSON).
Enable raw shell mode
Raw shell mode displays query results in the usual mongo shell format.
To enable raw shell mode, click on the shell icon in the toolbar:
View multiple tabs
Multiple result tabs can only be viewed when raw shell mode is disabled.
The Result Tab can display either a single tab, meaning results from previous queries are replaced by new ones, or multiple tabs, which is similar to how a browser works.
To view multiple tabs, click on the Retain button in the toolbar. Unclick it to revert to a single tab view.
Clear all result tabs
To close all result tabs:
Click on the Clear button in the toolbar
Right-click anywhere in the Editor and choose Clear Result Tabs
Insert and remove comments
It is also possible to comment and uncomment with a line comment.
Place the cursor on the line to be made into a comment and:
Right-click anywhere in the Editor and choose Comment with Line Comment. Repeat to remove the comment.
Press Ctrl + / (⌘+ /). Repeat to remove the comment.
Open and save queries
To save your MongoDB query as a JavaScript file:
Click on the Save icon. Alternatively, click on the arrow to find the Save As function.
Right-click anywhere in the Editor and choose Save Script (As)
Save Script – Ctrl + S (⌘+ S)
Save Script As – Shift + Ctrl + S (Shift + ⌘+ S)
To open saved queries:
Click on the Open icon
Right-click anywhere in the Editor and choose Open Script
Press Ctrl + O (⌘+ O)
IntelliShell got even better and faster with Studio 3T 2018.4, which now supports autocompletion on JavaScript standard library functions, shell methods, more robust autosuggestion of field names and shell helper commands. Find the release notes here.
Use IntelliShell and Visual Query Builder side by side
With Studio 3T 2018.5, you can use Visual Query Builder – our drag-and-drop MongoDB query builder – alongside our smart mongo shell.
Simply click on the Visual Query Builder button on the toolbar:
This way, you can skip the command line writing and build queries visually, which could come in handy especially as your MongoDB queries get more complex.
Want to extend your use of the mongo shell? Read on:
- Discover the Aggregation Editor and break down the MongoDB aggregation pipeline into stages as you build your queries
- Learn how to create a view in MongoDB (or read our practical introduction to MongoDB views)
