Hide tables starting with an _, refs #2104

datasette/database.py

@@ -469,6 +469,7 @@ async def hidden_table_names(self):
                 and (
                     sql like '%VIRTUAL TABLE%USING FTS%'
                 ) or name in ('sqlite_stat1', 'sqlite_stat2', 'sqlite_stat3', 'sqlite_stat4')
+                or name like '\\_%' escape '\\'
             """
                 )
             ).rows

docs/pages.rst

@@ -40,6 +40,21 @@ The JSON version of this page provides programmatic access to the underlying dat
 * `fivethirtyeight.datasettes.com/fivethirtyeight.json <https://fivethirtyeight.datasettes.com/fivethirtyeight.json>`_
 * `global-power-plants.datasettes.com/global-power-plants.json <https://global-power-plants.datasettes.com/global-power-plants.json>`_
 
+.. _DatabaseView_hidden:
+
+Hidden tables
+-------------
+
+Some tables listed on the database page are treated as hidden. Hidden tables are not completely invisible - they can be accessed through the "hidden tables" link at the bottom of the page. They are hidden because they represent low-level implementation details which are generally not useful to end-users of Datasette.
+
+The following tables are hidden by default:
+
+- Any table with a name that starts with an underscore - this is a Datasette convention to help plugins easily hide their own internal tables.
+- Tables that have been configured as ``"hidden": true`` using :ref:`metadata_hiding_tables`.
+- ``*_fts`` tables that implement SQLite full-text search indexes.
+- Tables relating to the inner workings of the SpatiaLite SQLite extension.
+- ``sqlite_stat`` tables used to store statistics used by the query optimizer.
+
 .. _TableView:
 
 Table

tests/test_api.py

@@ -1018,6 +1018,21 @@ async def test_hidden_sqlite_stat1_table():
     )
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_hide_tables_starting_with_underscore():
+    ds = Datasette()
+    db = ds.add_memory_database("test_hide_tables_starting_with_underscore")
+    await db.execute_write("create table normal (id integer primary key, name text)")
+    await db.execute_write("create table _hidden (id integer primary key, name text)")
+    data = (
+        await ds.client.get(
+            "/test_hide_tables_starting_with_underscore.json?_show_hidden=1"
+        )
+    ).json()
+    tables = [(t["name"], t["hidden"]) for t in data["tables"]]
+    assert tables == [("normal", False), ("_hidden", True)]
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("db_name", ("foo", r"fo%o", "f~/c.d"))
 async def test_tilde_encoded_database_names(db_name):