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The : Prefix

All OmniQL queries start with a colon (:). 
:GET User WHERE id = 1

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Why the Prefix?

OmniQL and native SQL share many keywords (CREATE, UPDATE, SELECT). The prefix acts as a switch, telling the system exactly how to handle the string.
QueryBehavior
:GET User...✅ Parsed and translated to target DB
SELECT * ...❌ Error - missing : prefix
All queries must use OmniQL syntax. For native database commands, use your database driver directly.

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Parser Behavior

The oql.Parse() function uses this prefix to determine if it should engage the compiler. 
import "github.com/omniql-engine/omniql"

// 1. OmniQL Query (Starts with :)
query, isOQL, err := oql.Parse(":GET User WHERE id = 1")
// isOQL = true
// query = *models.Query (AST)

// 2. Query without prefix = Error
query, isOQL, err := oql.Parse("SELECT * FROM users")
// isOQL = false
// client.Query() will return error: "OmniQL syntax required"

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Syntax Pattern

An OmniQL command follows this structure: 
:OPERATION Entity [clauses]
PartDescriptionExample
:Required Prefix:
OPERATIONAction to performGET, CREATE, UPDATE, DELETE
EntityTarget Table/CollectionUser, Product, Order
[clauses]Optional modifiersWHERE, ORDER BY, LIMIT

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Entity Naming

OmniQL uses PascalCase entity names. The translator automatically lowercases and pluralizes them:
You WriteOutput
Userusers
Productproducts
OrderItemorderitems
Note: The engine lowercases then pluralizes. It does not add underscores (snake_case).

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Examples

-- Queries
:GET User WHERE age > 21
:GET id, name, price FROM Product WHERE active = true

-- Mutations
:CREATE User WITH name:"John", age:30
:UPDATE User SET verified:true WHERE id = 1
:DELETE User WHERE status = "inactive"

-- Schema DDL
:CREATE TABLE User WITH id:AUTO, name:STRING, email:STRING
:CREATE INDEX idx_email ON User (email)

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