JSON Query Plugin for VS Code

A powerful, standalone VS Code extension for uploading, exploring, and querying JSON files with advanced multi-field selection and deep nested field discovery up to 9 levels.

🚀 Key Features

Core Capabilities

🔄 Standalone Operation: No external servers required - works entirely within VS Code
📁 JSON File Support: Upload and query JSON files of any size and complexity
🕳️ Deep Nesting: Explore nested fields up to 9 levels deep
🎯 Multi-Field Selection: Select and view multiple fields in tabular format
📊 CSV Export: Export query results to CSV with VS Code's native save dialog
🔍 Smart Query Assistant: Intelligent field discovery and selection

Advanced Features

📋 Comprehensive Schema Discovery: Automatically discovers ALL nested fields
📄 Pagination: Handle large datasets with customizable rows per page (10, 25, 50, 100, 200)
🗂️ Raw Data View: View complete JSON with pagination controls
⚡ Real-time Query: Instant results as you select fields
🎨 Material-UI Interface: Professional, user-friendly interface

📦 Installation

From VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "JSON Query Plugin"
Click Install on the extension by DigitalCloudAI

Manual Installation

# Download the latest .vsix file and install
code --install-extension json-query-plugin-1.4.0.vsix

🎯 Usage Guide

Opening the Plugin

Method 1: Command Palette (Recommended)

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
Type "JSON Query: Open JSON Query Panel"
Press Enter

Right-click on any .json file in Explorer
Select "Query Current JSON File"
The file will automatically load in the query panel

Open a .json file in the editor
Right-click in the editor
Select "Query Current JSON File"

Working with JSON Data

1. Upload JSON File

Click "Choose JSON File" button
Select your JSON file from the file browser
Click "Upload & Process" to load the data
Watch the debug info show: Schema, Available Fields count, and upload status

2. Smart Query Assistant

After uploading, the Smart Query Assistant will show:

Total available fields discovered (up to 9 levels deep)
Multi-select dropdown with all field paths
Real-time field count as you make selections

3. Multi-Field Table View

Select multiple fields using the dropdown
Click "Query Selected Fields"
View results in a professional table with:
- Pagination controls (10/25/50/100/200 rows per page)
- Navigation arrows (Previous/Next)
- Row counter showing current view
- CSV export button (download arrow icon)

4. Raw JSON View

Switch to "Raw JSON" tab
View the complete JSON data with:
- Per-page dropdown (10/25/50/100/200 records)
- Navigation controls
- Syntax highlighting

5. CSV Export

Click the download arrow icon in any results view
Choose save location using VS Code's native file dialog
Export supports all data types with proper CSV formatting

📊 Example Usage

Sample JSON Structure

{
  "vulnerabilities": [
    {
      "cve": {
        "id": "CVE-2021-44228",
        "sourceIdentifier": "cve@mitre.org",
        "published": "2021-12-10T10:15Z",
        "metrics": {
          "cvssMetricV31": [
            {
              "cvssData": {
                "baseScore": 10.0,
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
              }
            }
          ]
        },
        "weaknesses": [
          {
            "description": {
              "value": "CWE-502",
              "lang": "en"
            },
            "type": "Primary"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "totalResults": 2268,
    "lastModified": "2024-01-15T08:30:00Z"
  }
}

Available Fields Discovered (Up to 9 Levels)

The plugin will automatically discover and make available:

vulnerabilities.cve.id
vulnerabilities.cve.sourceIdentifier
vulnerabilities.cve.published
vulnerabilities.cve.metrics.cvssMetricV31.cvssData.baseScore
vulnerabilities.cve.metrics.cvssMetricV31.cvssData.vectorString
vulnerabilities.cve.weaknesses.description.value
vulnerabilities.cve.weaknesses.description.lang
vulnerabilities.cve.weaknesses.type
metadata.totalResults
metadata.lastModified

Query Result

Selecting fields like vulnerabilities.cve.id, vulnerabilities.cve.sourceIdentifier, and vulnerabilities.cve.weaknesses.description.value will produce a table:

vulnerabilities.cve.id	vulnerabilities.cve.sourceIdentifier	vulnerabilities.cve.weaknesses.description.value
CVE-2021-44228	cve@mitre.org	CWE-502

🔧 Query Types Supported

1. Multi-Field Selection (Recommended)

Use Case: Extract specific fields for analysis
How: Use the Smart Query Assistant dropdown
Best For: Creating reports, data analysis, CSV exports

2. JSONPath Queries

Syntax: $.vulnerabilities[*].cve.id
Use Case: Advanced filtering and array operations
Best For: Complex data extraction

Syntax: vulnerabilities.cve.id
Use Case: Direct field access
Best For: Quick field lookups

⚙️ Advanced Configuration

Depth Limit

Maximum nesting depth: 9 levels
Performance: Optimized for complex JSON structures
Memory: Efficient handling of large nested datasets

Pagination Options

Table View: 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 rows per page
Raw View: 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 records per page
Default: 25 items per page

CSV Export Features

File Naming: Auto-generated with timestamp
Format: Proper CSV escaping for special characters
Size: Handles large datasets efficiently
Save Location: User-selectable via VS Code dialog

🐛 Troubleshooting

Extension Not Loading

Check VS Code Version: Requires VS Code ^1.75.0
Restart VS Code: Close and reopen VS Code
Check Extension: Ensure extension is enabled in Extensions panel

No Fields Showing in Smart Query Assistant

Valid JSON: Ensure uploaded file is valid JSON
Debug Info: Check "Available Fields" count in debug section
File Size: Very large files may take time to process
Refresh: Try uploading the file again

CSV Export Not Working

Update Extension: Ensure you have version 1.3.9 or later
File Permissions: Check write permissions in target directory
Large Files: For very large exports, wait for processing to complete
Developer Console: Check for error messages (Help → Toggle Developer Tools)

Performance Issues

File Size: Consider breaking large JSON files into smaller chunks
Depth Limit: Very deep nesting (>9 levels) is automatically limited
Pagination: Use smaller page sizes for better performance
Memory: Close other extensions if experiencing slowdowns

🔍 Debug Information

The extension provides real-time debug information:

In VS Code: Shows whether running in VS Code environment
Schema: Indicates if JSON schema was generated
Available Fields: Count of discovered field paths
Uploaded Data: Confirms successful file upload

📋 Technical Specifications

Requirements

VS Code: Version 1.75.0 or higher
File Types: .json files
File Size: No hard limit (performance may vary)
Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux

Performance

Field Discovery: Up to 9 levels deep
Array Processing: Analyzes up to 20 items per array for schema discovery
Memory Usage: Optimized for large JSON files
Response Time: Real-time for most operations

Architecture

Standalone: No external dependencies or servers
Webview: React-based UI with Material-UI components
TypeScript: Fully typed extension code
VS Code API: Native integration with VS Code features

🤝 Support

Getting Help

GitHub Issues: Report bugs and feature requests
VS Code Marketplace: Rate and review the extension
Documentation: This README covers all features

Known Limitations

Circular References: Automatically detected and handled
Very Large Files: May require patience for initial processing
Complex Queries: JSONPath support is basic (not full specification)

📝 Changelog

Version 1.4.0 (Latest)

🆕 Increased nested field depth to 9 levels
📚 Updated comprehensive README documentation
🐛 Enhanced error handling and debugging

Version 1.3.9

🐛 Fixed CSV export functionality with VS Code native save dialog
🔍 Added extensive debug logging
📋 Improved Raw view pagination

Version 1.3.8

📄 Added pagination to Raw JSON view
💾 Implemented CSV export via VS Code file system API
🎨 Enhanced UI consistency across views

📄 License

This extension is released under the MIT License. See the project repository for full license details.

Developed by DigitalCloudAI | Available on VS Code Marketplace

JSON Query Plugin

Digital Cloud AI