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Mathesar 0.2.1

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Summary

Mathesar 0.2.1 addresses a number of bug fixes identified by members of our community during our beta release. This release also includes some quality-of-life improvements to Mathesar like nicknames for databases, persisted column widths, and the ability to connect databases without a password.

We also have a new form to allow users to submit suggestions and feedback about Mathesar to our team.

This page provides a comprehensive list of all changes since version 0.2.0.

Improvements

Database nicknames

Users can now assign nicknames to their configured databases, making it easier to identify and organize connections. Instead of relying on technical database names, users can set meaningful labels that will be used throughout Mathesar.

A screenshot of Mathesar's UI showing a list of grant proposal databases with clear nicknames.

This is especially useful when managing multiple databases with identical names, or when connecting to external services where database names are automated.

A screenshot of Mathesar's UI showing the "Connect Database" modal, with the option to set a nickname configured.

In addition to nickname support, all database connection values can now be edited.

#4262 #4244 #4261

In-app feedback

Users can now provide direct feedback within the app using a built-in feedback form. This simple input allows users to share thoughts, report issues, or suggest improvements without leaving the interface.

A screenshot of Mathesar's UI with the new in-app feedback form open.

#4241

Column widths are persisted

Column widths in table views are now automatically saved, ensuring a consistent layout across sessions. Users no longer need to manually adjust column sizes every time they revisit a table, improving usability and efficiency when working with columns of varied lengths.

A screenshot of a table of grant allocations with customized column widths tailored to the data.

#4257 #4248

Drop schema contents when deleting

Mathesar now automatically drops all objects within a schema before deleting the schema itself, without relying on CASCADE. This ensures a safer and more controlled deletion process, preventing unintended removal of external dependencies while still allowing users to delete schemas that contain objects.

A screenshot of a table of grant allocations with customized column widths tailored to the data.

This strikes a unique balance between safety and convenience, making it easier to manage schemas while reducing the risk of accidental data loss. It also provides greater confidence when granting database access to users, as deletions remain contained and predictable.

#4251

Docker Compose installs are updated to Postgres 17

For existing users

See the upgrading Postgres section for instructions on safely upgrading your Postgres version.

New installs of Mathesar using our recommended Docker Compose installation will now use Postgres 17. Prior to 1.2.1, Mathesar installs configured via our docker compose file used version 13.

#4263

Support connections without a database password

Mathesar now allows users to configure database connections without requiring a password. This provides greater flexibility for users relying on secure, passwordless authentication mechanisms while maintaining compatibility with a variety of database configurations.

A screenshot of a table of grant allocations with customized column widths tailored to the data.

#4252 #4255

Additional features

  • Backend changes to support CSV file imports with an id column #4269
  • Allow patching records in tables with non-integer primary keys #4246

Bug fixes

  • Fix UnicodeEncodeError during connection attempt #4254 #4272
  • Remove unnecessary loading spinner from table widget during refresh #4222

Documentation

  • Update documentation styling #4227
  • README improvements #4208 #4212 #4184
  • Documentation cleanup #4205 #4201 #4203
  • Small docs improvement to collaborators #4225
  • Updated Mathesar description to align with messaging. #4213
  • Add simple analytics to docs #4217

Maintenance

The following PRs represent work done to reduce technical debt, update dependencies, improve developer documentation, and maintain our workflows.

#4259 #4266 #4265 #4230 #4146 #4253 #4209

Upgrading to Postgres 17

Follow these steps to upgrade Postgres to the latest version. Note that this upgrade is only necessary for existing Mathesar users who would like to switch to the latest version of Postgres.

  1. Navigate to your installation directory.
  2. Shut down Mathesar with docker compose down.
  3. Create a backup of your installation with cp -r msar msar.backup. Keep the msar.backup folder in a safe location.
  4. Back up your existing Docker Compose configuration with cp docker-compose.yml docker-compose.yml.backup.
  5. Download the latest Docker Compose file with: 
    wget https://github.com/mathesar-foundation/mathesar/raw/0.2.1/docker-compose.yml
  6. Edit the new docker-compose.yml file to restore any personal variables or custom configurations from your backup.
  7. Restart Mathesar with the latest images: 
    docker compose up --pull always -d
  8. Once you’ve confirmed everything is working correctly, you can delete the backup files.

Troubleshooting & rolling back

If you encounter issues or the upgrade fails:

  1. Restore the previous docker-compose.yml: 
    mv docker-compose.yml.backup docker-compose.yml
  2. Restore your Mathesar installation: 
    rm -rf msar && mv msar.backup msar
  3. Start Mathesar again: 
    docker compose up -d

For additional support, reach out to the Mathesar team via a GitHub issue or in the general channel of our Matrix chat.

Upgrading to 0.2.1

For installations using Docker Compose

If you have a Docker compose installation (including one from the guided script), run the command below:

docker compose -f /etc/mathesar/docker-compose.yml up --pull always -d

Your installation directory may be different

You may need to change /etc/mathesar/ in the command above if you chose to install Mathesar to a different directory.

For installations done from scratch

If you installed Mathesar from scratch, then use these steps to upgrade your installation to 0.2.1.

  1. Go to your Mathesar installation directory

    cd xMATHESAR_INSTALLATION_DIRx

    Note

    Your installation directory may be different from above if you used a different directory when installing Mathesar.

  2. Pull version 0.2.1 from the repository

    git pull https://github.com/mathesar-foundation/mathesar.git
git checkout 0.2.1

  3. Update Python dependencies

    pip install -r requirements.txt

  4. Activate our virtual environment

    source ./mathesar-venv/bin/activate

  5. Run Django migrations

    python manage.py migrate

  6. Download and extract frontend assets

    wget https://github.com/mathesar-foundation/mathesar/releases/download/0.2.1/static_files.zip
unzip static_files.zip && mv static_files mathesar/static/mathesar && rm static_files.zip

  7. Compile Mathesar translation files

    python manage.py compilemessages

  8. Update Mathesar functions on the database:

    python -m mathesar.install --skip-confirm | tee /tmp/install.py.log

  9. Restart the gunicorn server

    systemctl restart gunicorn