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(DOCSP-10995): Allow both .help and .help() in shell (#19)
* (DOCS-10995): checkpoint * (DOCS-10995): first draft * (DOCS-10995): copy review feedback * (DOCS-10995): copy review pt 2
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‎source/reference.txt

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/reference/options
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/reference/methods
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/reference/access-mdb-shell-help

‎source/reference/access-mdb-shell-help.txt

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.. _mdb-shell-help:
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===========================
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Access the |mdb-shell| Help
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===========================
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.. default-domain:: mongodb
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.. contents:: On this page
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:local:
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:backlinks: none
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:depth: 1
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:class: singlecol
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``mongosh`` provides additional help information in its help system.
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This document provides an overview of accessing this help
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information.
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.. tip::
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When accessing :ref:`database <mdb-shell-help-db>` and
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:ref:`collection <mdb-shell-help-collection>` help in ``mongosh``,
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you can use the ``.help()`` and ``.help`` syntaxes interchangeably.
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.. _mdb-shell-help-command-line:
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Command Line Help
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-----------------
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To see the list of options and help for starting ``mongosh``, use the
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``--help`` option from the command line:
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.. code-block:: sh
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mongosh --help
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Shell Help
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----------
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To see a basic list of commands you can run, in ``mongosh``, type
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``help``:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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help
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.. _mdb-shell-help-db:
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Database Help
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-------------
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Show List of Databases
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To see the list of databases on the server, use the ``show dbs``
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command:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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show dbs
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``show databases`` is an alias for ``show dbs``.
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Show List of Database Methods
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To see the list of methods you can use on the ``db``
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object, call the ``db.help()`` method or run the ``db.help`` command:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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db.help()
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The output resembles the following:
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.. code-block:: none
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:copyable: false
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Database Class:
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getMongo Returns the current database connection
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getCollectionNames Returns an array containing the names of
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all collections in the current database.
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getCollectionInfos Returns an array of documents with
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collection information, i.e. collection
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name and options, for the current
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database.
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runCommand Runs an arbitrary command on the
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database.
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adminCommand Runs an arbitrary command against the
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admin database.
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aggregate Runs a specified admin/diagnostic
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pipeline which does not require an
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underlying collection.
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getSiblingDB Returns another database without
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modifying the db variable in the shell
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environment.
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getCollection Removes the current database, deleting
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the associated data files.
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dropDatabase Removes the current database, deleting
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the associated data files.
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Show Help for Specific Database Method
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To see help for a specific database method in ``mongosh``, type the
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``db.<method name>``, followed by ``.help`` or ``.help()``. The
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following example returns help for the :method:`db.adminCommand()`
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method:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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db.adminCommand.help()
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The output resembles the following:
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.. code-block:: none
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db.adminCommand({ serverStatus: 1 }):
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Runs an arbitrary command against the admin database.
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For more information on usage: https://docs.mongodb.com/manual/reference/method/db.adminCommand
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Show Additional Usage Details for a Database Method
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To see additional usage details for a database method in ``mongosh``,
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type the ``db.<method name>`` without the parenthesis (``()``). The
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following example returns details about the
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:method:`db.adminCommand()` method:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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db.adminCommand
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The output resembles the following:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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:copyable: false
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[Function] {
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serverVersions: [ '3.4.0', '4.4.0' ],
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returnsPromise: true,
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topologies: [ 0, 2, 1 ],
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returnType: { type: 'unknown', attributes: {} },
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platforms: [ 0, 1, 2 ],
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help: [Function] Help
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}
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.. _mdb-shell-help-collection:
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Collection Help
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---------------
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Show List of Collections
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To see the list of collections in the current database, use the
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``show collections`` command:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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show collections
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Show List of Collection Methods
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To see the list of methods available on the collection objects
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(e.g. ``db.<collection>``), use the ``db.<collection>.help()``
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method:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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db.collection.help()
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``<collection>`` can be the name of an existing or nonexistent
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collection.
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The output resembles the following:
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.. code-block:: none
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:copyable: false
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Collection Class:
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aggregate Calculates aggregate values for the
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data in a collection or a view.
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bulkWrite Performs multiple write operations
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with controls for order of execution.
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count Returns the count of documents that
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would match a find() query for the
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collection or view.
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countDocuments Returns the count of documents that
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match the query for a collection or view.
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deleteMany Removes all documents that match the
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filter from a collection.
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deleteOne Removes a single document from a
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collection.
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distinct Finds the distinct values for a specified
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field across a single collection or view
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and returns the results in an array.
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estimatedDocumentCount Returns the count of all documents in a
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collection or view.
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find Selects documents in a collection or view.
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...
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Show Help for Specific Collection Method
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To see help for a specific collection method in ``mongosh``, type the
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``db.<collection>.<method name>``, followed by ``.help`` or
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``.help()``. The following example returns help for the
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:method:`db.collection.insertOne()` method:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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db.collection.insertOne.help()
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The output resembles the following:
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.. code-block:: none
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:copyable: false
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db.collection.insertOne(document, options):
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Inserts a document into a collection.
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For more information on usage: https://docs.mongodb.com/manual/reference/method/db.collection.insertOne
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Show Additional Usage Details for a Collection Method
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To see additional usage details for a collection method in
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``mongosh``, type the ``db.<collection>.<method>`` name without the
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parenthesis (``()``) The following example returns
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details about the :method:`~db.collection.insertOne()` method:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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db.collection.insertOne
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The output resembles the following:
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.. code-block:: javascript
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:copyable: false
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[Function] {
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serverVersions: [ '3.2.0', '4.4.0' ],
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returnsPromise: true,
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topologies: [ 0, 2, 1 ],
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returnType: { type: 'unknown', attributes: {} },
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platforms: [ 0, 1, 2 ],
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help: [Function] Help
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}
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.. didn't include the cursor details from the manual help page as
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it seems as if most of it doesn't apply for ``mongosh``

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