# Viewing a Collection

Explorer presents collections in an intuitive card layout on the landing and search pages. Each collection shows key information and its access level: Open Access, Registered Access, or Controlled Access.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Collections marked as [Registered Access](/products/publisher/access-policies.md) or [Controlled Access](/products/publisher/access-policies.md) require [Passport](https://github.com/DNAstack/dnastack-product-docs/blob/main/docs/explorer/broken-reference/README.md) authentication before viewing. Open Access collections are available without logging in.
{% endhint %}

## Accessing Collection Details

Navigate to any collection by selecting its card from the main view. The collection details page provides two main sections:

1. **Overview** - Contains collection metadata and description
2. **Data Tables** - Presents the actual collection data in an interactive tabbed interface

## Working with Data Tables

### Viewing and Filtering Data

* Select the desired data table from the available tabs
* Use the filter sidebar on the left to narrow down results
* Toggle the filter sidebar using the menu icon for a full-width view
* Scroll horizontally and vertically to explore all data points

### Customizing Your View

* Adjust column widths by dragging the column headers
* Manage visible columns through the Columns menu:
  * Show/hide specific columns using checkboxes
  * Reorder columns using drag handles
  * Reset to default view as needed

### Downloading Data

* Click "Download" to export up to 1,000 rows in CSV format
* Select specific rows before downloading to export just those records
* Downloaded files include all currently visible columns

## Programmatic Access

For advanced data exploration, [Explorer](https://github.com/DNAstack/dnastack-product-docs/blob/main/docs/explorer/broken-reference/README.md) offers several programmatic access methods by clicking "View Query":

### Command Line Interface (CLI)

View CLI commands through the View Query button and follow the [CLI installation documentation](/products/command-line-interface/installation.md) for setup instructions.

### Python

Access the Python code snippet in the View Query dialog's Python tab. Refer to the [Python Library](/products/analysis/python-library.md) documentation for implementation details.

### SQL

Write custom SQL queries using the SQL interface in the View Query dialog.

### Signed URLs

Generate shareable URLs that provide temporary access to query results:

* URLs inherit your access permissions
* Valid for 15 minutes from generation
* Ideal for quick data sharing with collaborators


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.omics.ai/products/explorer/viewing-a-collection.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.