Pager

Mycli outputs query results in a pager (e.g. less, more). This allows you to easily view large result sets one page at a time.

Configuring the Pager

When starting up, mycli checks the pager config option in MySQL's option files. If it's set, then mycli uses its value as the pager. If it's blank, then mycli will use the PAGER environment variable's value.

Once mycli is started, you can use the pager command to change which pager mycli uses. Or, nopager will disable the pager.

> pager less
PAGER set to less.
> nopager
Pager disabled.

Disable Paging

You can disable the pager by adding enable_pager = False to your mycli config file. See Configuration for more information.

Pager Behavior

On macOS and Linux, the pager will default to less for most users. less sometimes has less-than-desirable behavior like clearing the screen, cutting lines off, etc. You can configure less through environment variables in your shell configuration files. Here are some common less options and configuration examples:

• -X leaves file contents on the screen when less exits.
• -F makes less quit if the entire output can be displayed on one screen.
• -R displays ANSI color escape sequences in "raw" form.
• -S disables line wrapping. Side-scroll to see long lines.

# This is a popular option among mycli users.
export LESS="-XFR"

# Some mycli users like to disable line wrapping.
export LESS="-SRXF"