Azure Data Studio Column Chooser Extension

The Column Chooser extension for Azure Data Studio allows users to easily select and customize columns in SQL SELECT statements.

Features

• Displays a list of available columns in a SQL SELECT statement.
• Supports multi-column selection.
• Retrieves column information from the connected database, including column names and data types.
• Provides the option to qualify columns with their respective table or schema names.
• Automatically formats the modified SQL query for better readability.
• Support for T-SQL with other databases to come.
• Shows column description in column picker when MS_Description available.

Installation

To install the Column Chooser extension, follow these steps:

1. Open Azure Data Studio.
2. Go to the Extensions view by clicking on the square icon on the sidebar or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+X.
3. Search for "Column Chooser".
4. Click on the "Install" button next to the Column Chooser extension.

To install a .vsix (VISX) extension file in Azure Data Studio, you can follow these steps:

1. Download the VISX File: Obtain the .vsix extension file either from the extension's official website, a download todo: here, or a source like the Azure Data Studio Marketplace.

2. Open Azure Data Studio: Launch Azure Data Studio on your computer.

3. Access Extensions View:

   • Click on the "Extensions" icon on the Activity Bar on the side of the window (it looks like four squares).
   • Alternatively, press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) to open the Extensions view directly.

4. Install VISX:

   • Once the Extensions view is open, click on the ellipsis (three dots) to open the Extensions menu.
   • You will see options like "Check for Extenting Updates", "Auto Update Extensions", "Install from VISX", etc.
   • Choose "Install from VISX..." from the menu.
   • Alternativly the "Install from VISX..." may be found on the File menu.
   • Locate the .vsix file on your computer in the file picker dialog that appears, then select and open it.

5. Follow the Installation Process:

   • Azure Data Studio will start installing the extension.
   • You may be prompted to confirm that you want to install the extension. Click "Install" to proceed.

6. Restart Azure Data Studio (if required):

   • In some cases, Azure Data Studio may prompt you to restart the editor to complete the installation. If prompted, click "Restart Now" to restart the editor.

7. Verify Installation:

   • After restarting, the extension should be installed and ready to use.
   • You can verify the installation by checking if the extension appears in the list of installed extensions in the Extensions view.

That's it! You have successfully installed a VISX extension file in Azure Data Studio. You can now start using the features provided by the extension.

Usage

1. Open a SQL file in Azure Data Studio.
2. Enter a SELECT statement into the editor.
3. Press Ctrl+Shift+P or F1 to open the command palette.
4. Type "Column Chooser" and select the command.
5. Alterativly use the mapped keyboard Ctrl+Alt+C (PC) Cmd+Opt+C (Mac).
6. A list of available columns will be displayed in a quick pick menu.
7. Select the desired columns by checking the boxes next to their names.
8. Press Enter to confirm your selection or Escape to cancel.
9. The modified SQL query with the selected columns will replace the original query in the editor.

Requirements

• Azure Data Studio

Contributing

Contributions to the Column Chooser extension are welcome! If you encounter any bugs or have suggestions for improvements, please feel free to create an issue or submit a pull request.

Looking for help

• Need a cool logo.
• Need Tests.
• Any other suggestions would be great

License

The Column Chooser extension is licensed under the MIT License.

This project utilizes the following dependencies:

Thank the authors for their contributions! Consider starring their repositories on GitHub.

• node-sql-parser GitHub Repository
• sql-formatter GitHub Repository