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Every Rey project includes a built-in database that lets you store, organize, and retrieve structured data directly inside your app. Think of it as a lightweight spreadsheet that lives alongside your UI — you can read from it, write to it, and display its contents on the canvas without ever leaving Rey or connecting to an outside service.

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Open the Data panel

Click the database icon in the top toolbar to open the Data panel. From here you can see every table in your app, add new ones, and edit entries.
Data panel showing sample tables
New projects come with two sample tables — Actors (Sample) and Movies (Sample) — that you can inspect, edit, or delete.

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Edit mode vs. live app

You work with data inside edit mode, which is sandboxed from your published app:
  • Table setup (new tables, fields, permissions) is promoted to the live app the next time you publish.
  • Entries and changes you make in edit mode are sandboxed — they do not affect the data in your live app.
See Edit mode & Live mode for the full breakdown.

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Tables, entries, and fields

Data in Rey is organized into tables. Each table has:
  • Entries — individual records (rows).
  • Fields — the typed columns that describe each entry.
  • Permissions — who can read and write entries at runtime.
To create your first table, see Tables.

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Add entries manually

You can populate your table directly in the Data panel without writing any code.
1

Select your table

In the Data panel, click the table you want to edit. The table grid opens on the right.
2

Add an entry

Click + New entry. A new empty row appears.
3

Fill in field values

Click any cell and type a value. Press Tab to move to the next field, or Enter to move down to the next entry.
4

Save your changes

Rey saves entries automatically as you type.
Add a handful of realistic sample entries before building your UI. Seeing real content in your list components makes it much easier to design and test layouts.

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Bind a table to a List component

Once your table has data, you can display its entries on the canvas by binding the table to a List component.
1

Add a List component

Click the + button in the bottom-right of the canvas, open the Layout category, and choose List.
2

Connect the List to a data table

Click the List to select it, open the property toolbar above it, and choose Data. Select your table — Rey immediately populates the list with one item per entry.
3

Select an element inside the List

Tap any element inside the List — for example, a Text label in the item template — and open its property toolbar.
4

Pick the data field

Choose Data field in the property toolbar, then pick the field to display (e.g., Users > display_name). The element now renders real data from that field and updates automatically when entries change.

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Read and write data with actions

Use database actions in your app’s logic to interact with the database at runtime.

Create entry

Creates a new entry in a table. Map form inputs or variables to each field you want to populate.

Update entry

Edits an existing entry. Specify the entry and provide the new field values.

Delete entry

Removes an entry permanently — typically passed from the item the user tapped.
To add a database action, select a component, open the Logic tab in the property toolbar, click + Add action, and choose the database action you need. See Logic for the full flow.

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Filter and sort a List

You can narrow and reorder the entries displayed in a List component without writing any queries. Select the List, choose Data in the property toolbar, and use + Add filter and + Add sort to configure them. Rey applies filters and sorts live on the canvas.