OpenEdge DataDigger — Quick Start
Browse, query and edit your OpenEdge databases without leaving VS Code.
It is inspired by the classic DataDigger tool by Patrick Tingen.
Prerequisites
| Requirement |
Details |
| VS Code |
1.96 or newer |
| Node.js |
v20 or newer — required to run the DataDigger backend server |
| OpenEdge |
Any supported Progress OpenEdge installation |
| ABL extension |
The OpenEdge ABL VS Code extension must be installed and abl.configuration.runtimes must point to your DLC directory |
Install
Install OpenEdge DataDigger from the VS Code Marketplace or from the .vsix file provided by your team.
Connections can be set up in three scopes:
| Scope |
Where |
Use case |
| Project |
openedge-project.json in your project root |
Shared with the team via source control |
| Workspace |
VS Code workspace settings |
Shared across all folders in a .code-workspace |
| User |
VS Code user settings |
Personal / machine-specific connections |
| Folder |
Per-folder VS Code settings |
Per-project overrides inside a multi-folder workspace |
Project scope example — add to openedge-project.json:
{
"dbConnections": [
{
"name": "sports2020",
"connect": "-db sports2020 -H localhost -S 10001"
}
]
}
User / Workspace / Folder scope — manage connections directly inside DataDigger via Settings → Connections (no file editing required).
For full details on connection scopes see docs/USERGUIDE.md → Connection scopes.
Open DataDigger
Three ways to launch it:
- Click the DataDigger icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar).
- Right-click any
.p / .cls file in the Explorer → 🔍 DataDigger.
- Run the command palette command
DataDigger.
The backend starts automatically. The first launch may take a few seconds while OpenEdge initialises.
What you can do
- Browse tables and fields across all connected databases.
- Query data with a custom WHERE clause and navigate results.
- Add / Edit / Delete records directly from the data grid.
- Export data to a
.d dump file or copy it to the clipboard.
- Import
.d dump files back into a table.
- Favorite tables for quick access.
- Switch between project, workspace and user-level connection scopes.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom |
Fix |
| Backend fails to start |
Check the DataDigger Backend output channel |
| "No OpenEdge runtime configured" |
Set abl.configuration.runtimes in VS Code settings |
"No openedge-project.json found" |
Create the file with a valid dbConnections entry |
See docs/USERGUIDE.md for a full feature reference.
| |
