---
title: TerminusDB Web Object Query Language (WOQL) Basics
nextjs:
  metadata:
    title: TerminusDB Web Object Query Language (WOQL) Basics
    keywords: javascript datalog
    description: Learn the TerminusDB WOQL query basics for TerminusDB
    openGraph:
      images: https://assets.terminusdb.com/docs/woql-basics.png
    alternates:
      canonical: https://terminusdb.org/docs/woql-basics/
media:
  - alt: WOQL query playground in the TerminusDB dashboard
    caption: ""
    media_type: Image
    title: WOQL query playground in the TerminusDB dashboard
    value: https://assets.terminusdb.com/docs/how-to-query-woql.png
---

> To use this HowTo, first [clone the Star Wars demo](/docs/clone-a-demo-terminuscms-project/) into your team on TerminusDB. You will then have full access to the data needed for this tutorial.

![WOQL query playground in the TerminusDB dashboard](https://assets.terminusdb.com/docs/how-to-query-woql.png)

First, go to the WOQL Query Panel in the UI. Now you can type a query using the syntax of the JS client in the panel.

Queries are composed of variables, names, words and values.

Lets start with a simple query which just looks at one field.

We need to describe which variables we want to use, and we do that with `Vars`.

Next we add the `limit` word, to limit to 10 entries.

Then we complete the query with a `triple` word, using the `source` variable, the `label` field, and the `destination` variable.

```javascript
let v = Vars("source", "destination");
limit(10).triple(v.source, 'label', v.destination)
```

The results will come back in a table below in the UI. In the client it will return as a list of JSON objects, having each of the variables described in `Vars` bound.

The `destination` variable is filled with elements of type _string_, because `label` always terminates in a string. However we can also add other fields to our object, to search for more information by chaining `triple` together.

```javascript
let v = Vars("person", "eyes", "name");
limit(5)
  .triple(v.person, 'label', v.name)
  .triple(v.person, 'eye_color', v.eyes)
```

This query results in the following:

{% table %}

- Name
- Eyes
- Person

---

- Luke Skywalker
- blue
- People/1

--- 

- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- blue-gray
- People/10

---

- Anakin Skywalker
- blue
- People/11

---

- Wilhuff Tarkin
- blue
- People/12

---

- Chewbacca
- blue
- People/13

{% /table %}

## and

The `.` syntax is actually introducing an implicit `and` between `triple` words. We can rewrite our query above as:

```javascript
let v = Vars("person", "eyes", "name");
limit(5)
  .and(triple(v.person, 'label', v.name),
       triple(v.person, 'eye_color', v.eyes))
```

## select

Since we probably do not really need the `person` variable, as it is an id, and we are just using it to make sure we are talking about the _same_ person in both triples, we can use `select` to remove it.

```javascript
let v = Vars("person", "eyes", "name");
limit(5)
  .select(v.name, v.eyes)
  .and(triple(v.person, 'label', v.name),
       triple(v.person, 'eye_color', v.eyes))
```

Now we get back the table with the `person` column removed.