SOQL Explorer

SOQL Explorer is a powerful extension for running SOQL queries and editing Salesforce data directly from VS Code.

✨ Features

🔐 OAuth2 authentication (PKCE flow) with support for production, sandbox, and custom domains
🧠 Dynamic object and field suggestions while typing your query
🔎 Run SOQL queries in a dark-themed editor
📝 Interactive result table Inline edit of fields (text, picklist, lookup)
🔎 Field-level lookup support, with autocomplete and record ID input
📤 Update records directly in the table
🚽 Select and delete multiple records at once
🔁 Sort by column
📦 Support for large JSON fields and relational paths (Loan__r.Account__r.Name)
📚 Sidebar with object/field explorer and search
↻ History of executed queries with one-click restore

🆕 Recent Updates June 2025

Sticky Table Header The table header (top bar) is now fixed during vertical scroll, making it easier to interpret large result sets.
Row Highlighting on Cell Focus When a cell is focused (e.g., during editing or selection), the entire row is visually highlighted for better readability.
Resizable Table Columns All columns in the results table can now be resized manually. Column widths persist across interactions to improve customization.
Improved Column Sizing for Picklists Picklist fields and editable inputs now expand appropriately to accommodate content, resolving the issue where narrow column headers caused clipping.
Support for Aggregated Results (COUNT, MAX, etc.) SOQL queries returning AggregateResult are now fully supported in the main results table. Alias syntax (e.g., SELECT COUNT(Id) totalCount) is correctly recognized, but not required.
Enhanced SELECT Clause Parsing The logic for extracting fields from the query has been improved to handle:
- functions with or without aliases (e.g., COUNT(Id) or COUNT(Id) AS count)
- multiple clauses (ORDER BY, LIMIT, etc.)
Dynamic Field Mapping for Aggregate Output Aggregate fields like expr0, expr1, or custom aliases are now dynamically detected and displayed in the table. Previously blank cells are now rendered properly.

Got it! Here's the English version you can drop into your README.md under something like ## ✨ New Features:
🎨 Improved Suggestion Styling Autocomplete suggestions for objects, fields, and lookups now use a dark-themed background and lighter text for better readability in VSCode dark mode.
🛠️ Tooling API Support Added a checkbox to execute queries via the Salesforce Tooling API instead of the standard data API. Useful for accessing metadata objects.
🗑️ Improved Bulk Deletion Handling
- Fixed a 414 URI Too Long error when deleting too many records at once by implementing batch deletion (in groups of 200).
- Added a blocking overlay with a loading spinner while records are being deleted to clearly indicate background activity.
🔍 Nested (Subquery) Support The query engine and results table now support nested SELECT queries. Each row with subquery data shows an inline 🔍 icon to expand a nested, scrollable table with related records. Lookup fields (e.g. contact.firstname, contact.account.name) are correctly displayed.

🚀 Getting Started

1. Install Git and Node (if not already installed)

Make sure you have Git and Node.js installed on your machine.

🔐 Authentication Setup

This extension uses OAuth2 (PKCE) to connect to your Salesforce org securely. You have two options to configure authentication:

🔄 Secure Storage (Cross-platform)

This extension no longer depends on native modules like keytar. All connection data is saved using VS Code's built-in Secret Storage API, which automatically encrypts credentials per OS using native keychains (e.g., Windows Credential Manager, macOS Keychain, or GNOME Keyring on Linux).

✅ Option 1: Use the built-in Connected App (Default)

No setup required. Just click "Login to Salesforce", and authorize the SOQL Explorer extension.

The extension uses a pre-configured public Connected App.
Works with any sandbox, developer, or production org.
All credentials are stored securely using VS Code’s built-in Secret Storage API, with support for Windows, macOS and Linux — no native dependencies required.

🏢 Option 2: Use your own Connected App (Recommended for enterprise environments)

If your organization requires using a custom Connected App, follow these steps: 📖 Official Salesforce guide

Go to Setup in your Salesforce org.
Search for App Manager, then click New Connected App.

❗️ Don't see the "New Connected App" button?

This feature may not be enabled by default in your org. Follow the steps from the Salesforce guide to enable it: Enable the Connected App creation UI From Setup, enter External Client Apps in the Quick Find box, and then select External Client App Settings. Turn on Allow creation of connected apps. To create a connected app, select New Connected App.

Fill in the following:

Connected App Name: SOQL Explorer
API Name: SOQL_Explorer
Contact Email: your@email.com

Under API (Enable OAuth Settings):
- ✅ Enable OAuth Settings
- Callback URL: http://localhost:1717/oauth2/callback
- Selected OAuth Scopes:
  - Manage user data via APIs (api)
  - Perform requests at any time (refresh_token, offline_access)
- ✅ Require Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE)
- ✅ Enable for Device Flow

DO NOT enable:
- Require Secret for Web Server Flow
- Require Secret for Refresh Token Flow
PKCE is supported automatically — no extra setting needed

Save and wait a few minutes for the app to be available.
Once created, go to Manage → Edit Policies and set:

IP Relaxation → Relax IP restrictions (This is required to authorize from localhost.)

Then return to the App Manager, click View on your app, and click Generate to get your Consumer Key and Consumer Secret.

Step 2: Configure VS Code `settings.json`

Note: The extension works out-of-the-box using a built-in public Connected App. You only need to configure settings.json if you want to use your own custom Connected App for enterprise control or custom domains.

Open the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and select:

Preferences: Open Settings (JSON) or Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)

Then add the following settings:

{
  "soqlExplorer.clientId": "YOUR_CONSUMER_KEY",
  "soqlExplorer.clientSecret": "YOUR_CONSUMER_SECRET",
  "soqlExplorer.loginUrl": "https://login.salesforce.com",
  "soqlExplorer.redirectUri": "http://localhost:1717/oauth2/callback"
}

🔁 If you're logging into a sandbox, change "loginUrl" to https://test.salesforce.com.

✅ Example Settings for Production

{
  "soqlExplorer.clientId": "3MVG9f4Sg6xGHZ...abcXYZ",
  "soqlExplorer.clientSecret": "1A2345BC678...Z90",
  "soqlExplorer.loginUrl": "https://login.salesforce.com",
  "soqlExplorer.redirectUri": "http://localhost:1717/oauth2/callback"
}

🧪 Example Settings for Sandbox

{
  "soqlExplorer.clientId": "3MVG9f4Sg6xGHZ...abcXYZ",
  "soqlExplorer.clientSecret": "1A2345BC678...Z90",
  "soqlExplorer.loginUrl": "https://test.salesforce.com",
  "soqlExplorer.redirectUri": "http://localhost:1717/oauth2/callback"
}

🧭 Opening the Explorer

To launch the interface, open the command palette and run:

SOQL Explorer: Open

This opens the main WebView panel with the query editor, object sidebar, and result table.

🔁 Switching Org or Logging into a New One

Each time you click "Login to Salesforce", you'll be prompted to:

Use a saved connection, or
Log in to a new org (production, sandbox, or custom domain)

After login, the UI resets:

Query input is cleared
Result table is cleared
Sidebar reloads all objects and fields
The field counter (x / y objects loaded) is restarted
Toasts confirm login completion

All login sessions are securely saved via keytar.

🗑️ Deleting a Saved Connection

To remove a saved org connection, run the following command from the command palette:

SOQL Explorer: Delete Saved Connection

You’ll be asked to select the connection by name. This is helpful to clean up stale orgs or tokens.

🧠 How It Works (Advanced)

After login, all queryable sObjects are loaded and shown in the sidebar
Each object can be expanded to view fields (fetched in throttled batches of 15)
The sidebar is fully searchable (objects + fields)
Clicking a field adds it to the current query
Inline editing is supported for:
- Text fields (editable via contenteditable)
- Picklists (dropdown)
- Lookups (dynamic search by Name)
Lookup fields support ID input or remote search after 3+ characters
Query history is accessible via a popup, storing your last 20 queries (with date and object)
Sorting, filtering, multi-select and delete are supported in the results table
The UI is fully responsive and built in dark theme

Click Login to Salesforce in the extension. You’ll be prompted to:

Select an existing connection (previously saved), or
Start a new login.

If you choose a new login:

You will be redirected to Salesforce’s login screen
After authentication, you’ll be brought back and the connection will be saved with a friendly name
This session is cached securely using the VS Code Secret Storage, fully cross-platform and managed by the editor.

🧼 Switching Orgs

Clicking Login to Salesforce again will allow you to:

Choose a previously saved connection
Or log into a new org

💡 After logging into a new org, the result table and loaded fields are automatically reset.

Upon successful login:

The extension fetches all accessible Salesforce objects (via /sobjects)
It loads the fields of each object in batches (15 objects at a time with delay)
A counter like 233 / 2565 objects loaded keeps track of progress
After all fields are loaded, the sidebar collapses automatically

Objects are shown in a searchable, collapsible list with ＋/− toggles. Clicking a field adds it to the current query.

🧪 Query Editor

The query editor supports:

Field suggestions after SELECT
Object suggestions after FROM
Multi-line support with nested fields like Loan__r.Name
Pressing Run Query fetches records and displays them in the result table

Queries are stored in a local history (max 20), accessible via the Query History button.

📝 Inline Editing

Fields editable include: plain text, picklists, and lookups
Lookup fields support typing Name or pasting a valid Salesforce ID
Press ESC to cancel an edit and revert the value

After editing, the change is saved immediately via Salesforce REST API.

🧹 Mass Delete

Use checkboxes on the result table to select records
Click Delete Selected to delete them in bulk
Deletion uses DELETE API calls on selected record Ids
Supported only for top-level queried objects

🛟 Tips

Use the Collapse All button in the sidebar to hide expanded objects
Hover a truncated query in Query History to see the full text
Use keyboard ESC to close popups or cancel lookup editing
Multi-record delete works only if at least one row is selected

⚠️ Notes

Field metadata (describe) is cached per session, but refreshed on each login
If multiple fieldsSuggestion messages are received, the extension avoids double-counting using a Set
The object and field list auto-highlights matches in the sidebar when filtering
Lookup search only fires after typing 3+ characters

🛠️ Contributing

Pull requests welcome! Make sure to lint and test thoroughly.

📬 Feedback

If you find bugs or have feature requests, please open an issue on GitHub.

Built with ❤️ for Salesforce devs.

SOQL Explorer

Andrea Lavatore

SOQL Explorer

✨ Features

🆕 Recent Updates June 2025

🚀 Getting Started

1. Install Git and Node (if not already installed)

🔐 Authentication Setup

🔄 Secure Storage (Cross-platform)

✅ Option 1: Use the built-in Connected App (Default)

🏢 Option 2: Use your own Connected App (Recommended for enterprise environments)

Step 2: Configure VS Code `settings.json`

✅ Example Settings for Production

🧪 Example Settings for Sandbox

🧭 Opening the Explorer

🔁 Switching Org or Logging into a New One

🗑️ Deleting a Saved Connection

🧠 How It Works (Advanced)

🧼 Switching Orgs

🧠 Sidebar Loading

🧪 Query Editor

📝 Inline Editing

🧹 Mass Delete

🛟 Tips

⚠️ Notes

🛠️ Contributing

📬 Feedback

SOQL Explorer

Andrea Lavatore

SOQL Explorer

✨ Features

🆕 Recent Updates June 2025

🚀 Getting Started

1. Install Git and Node (if not already installed)

🔐 Authentication Setup

🔄 Secure Storage (Cross-platform)

✅ Option 1: Use the built-in Connected App (Default)

🏢 Option 2: Use your own Connected App (Recommended for enterprise environments)

Step 2: Configure VS Code settings.json

✅ Example Settings for Production

🧪 Example Settings for Sandbox

🧭 Opening the Explorer

🔁 Switching Org or Logging into a New One

🗑️ Deleting a Saved Connection

🧠 How It Works (Advanced)

🔑 Login Flow

🧼 Switching Orgs

🧠 Sidebar Loading

🧪 Query Editor

📝 Inline Editing

🧹 Mass Delete

🛟 Tips

⚠️ Notes

🛠️ Contributing

📬 Feedback

Step 2: Configure VS Code `settings.json`