Xinq - SQL Query Management for VS Code

A VS Code extension for managing SQL queries in XML-based .xinq definition files. Built for .NET developers working with SQL Server and T-SQL.

This project is derived from soheilpro/Xinq, the original Visual Studio Xinq extension.

First public release: 1.0.0 — see CHANGELOG.md for the full list of features and fixes.

Features

Query management

• Custom editor for .xinq files with a query list and Monaco SQL pane
• Inline rename, comments, duplicate, and remove
• Search by query name, comment, or SQL text
• Optional grouping by regex prefix patterns
• Sort A–Z / Z–A, or drag to reorder (when ungrouped and not filtering)

SQL editing

• Monaco editor with T-SQL syntax highlighting
• Keyword completion and common SQL snippets
• Uses your VS Code editor font settings

Developer experience

• Generates C# .Designer.cs classes on save
• Updates .csproj entries for generated files
• Warnings in the Problems panel for duplicate or invalid query names
• Settings for save-time sorting and generator version
• Keyboard shortcuts for common actions

A ready-made sample file is included in the repository at examples/Queries.xinq.

Note: in untrusted workspaces the editor works read-only style — C# code generation and .csproj updates are disabled until you trust the workspace. Virtual workspaces (e.g. remote repositories without a local filesystem) are not supported.

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace (recommended)

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for Xinq
4. Click Install

Or install directly from the Visual Studio Marketplace.

Manual installation

1. Download the .vsix from GitHub Releases
2. In VS Code: Extensions → Install from VSIX...
3. Select the downloaded .vsix file

Quick Start

1. Create a New Xinq File

• Right-click a folder in the Explorer
• Select New Xinq File
• Choose a location and name for your query file

2. Add Your First Query

• Click Add Query in the toolbar (or press Shift+N)
• Enter a descriptive name
• Write SQL in the editor pane
• Optionally add a comment

3. Generate C# Code

• Save the .xinq file (Ctrl+S)
• The extension generates a matching .Designer.cs file
• Use the generated C# class in your .NET code

Usage

Creating Queries

<xinq>
  <queries>
    <query name="GetUsers">
      <comment>Get all active users from the database</comment>
      <text><![CDATA[
        SELECT UserId, UserName, Email, IsActive
        FROM Users
        WHERE IsActive = 1
        ORDER BY UserName
      ]]></text>
    </query>
  </queries>
</xinq>

Generated C# Code

namespace YourNamespace
{
    internal class Queries
    {
        private static Query _getUsers = new Query(@"SELECT UserId, UserName, Email, IsActive
FROM Users
WHERE IsActive = 1
ORDER BY UserName");

        /// <summary>
        /// Get all active users from the database
        /// </summary>
        internal static Query GetUsers {
            get { return _getUsers; }
        }
    }
}

Configuration

Extension Settings

• xinq.save.sortQueriesByName: Sort queries alphabetically when saving (default: false)
• xinq.generator.version: Version string for generated code attributes (default: "1.0.9.0")

Accessing Settings

1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,)
2. Search for xinq
3. Modify the settings as needed

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcuts work inside the Xinq editor webview:

Development

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Compile: npm run compile
4. Open in VS Code and press F5 to debug

Building and testing

• npm run compile — Compile TypeScript
• npm run watch — Watch mode compilation
• npm run lint — Run ESLint
• npm run test:unit — Run fast unit tests (no VS Code download)
• npm test — Run the full test suite in a VS Code host
• npm run package — Create a .vsix package

Requirements

• VS Code: 1.87.0 or later
• Node.js: 18.x or later (for development)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md.