# Retrieving Entities

Once you have an entity and its associated database table you can start retrieving data from your database.

## Active Record

You start every interaction with Quick with an instance of an entity. The easiest way to do this is using WireBox. `getInstance` is available in all handlers by default. WireBox can easily be injected in to any other class you need using `inject="wirebox"`.

Quick is backed by qb, a CFML Query Builder. With this in mind, think of retrieving records for your entities like interacting with qb. For example:

```javascript
var users = getInstance("User").all();

for (var user in users) {
    writeOutput(user.getUsername());
}
```

In addition to using `for` you can utilize the `each` function on arrays. For example:

```javascript
var users = getInstance("User").all();

prc.users.each(function(user) {
    writeOutput(user.getUsername());
});
```

You can add constraints to the query just the same as you would using qb directly:

```javascript
var users = getInstance("User")
    .where("active", 1)
    .orderBy("username", "desc")
    .limit(10)
    .get();
```

> For more information on what is possible with qb, check out the [qb documentation](https://qb.ortusbooks.com).

## Quick Service

A second way to retrieve results is to use a Quick Service. It is similar to a `VirtualEntityService` from cborm.

The easiest way to create a Quick Service is to inject it using the `quickService:` dsl:

```javascript
component {
    property name="userService" inject="quickService:User"
}
```

Any method you can call on an entity can be called on the service:

```javascript
var users = userService
    .where("active", 1)
    .orderBy("username", "desc")
    .limit(10)
    .get();
```

## Aggregates

Calling qb's aggregate methods (`count`, `max`, etc.) will return the appropriate value instead of an entity or collection of entities.

## Custom Quick Retrieval Methods

There are a few custom retrieval methods for Quick:

### all

Retrieves all the records for an entity. Calling `all` will ignore any constraints on the query.

### findOrFail & firstOrFail

These two methods will throw a `EntityNotFound` exception if the query returns no results.

The `findOrFail` method should be used in place of `find`, passing an id in to retrieve.

The `firstOrFail` method should be used in place of `first`, being called after constraining a query.


---

# 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://quick.ortusbooks.com/2.0.0/getting-started/retrieving-entities.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.