Variable Explorer for VS Code

A powerful variable inspection and editing tool for Python development in Visual Studio Code, inspired by Spyder's Variable Explorer.

Features

=

Variable Inspection

Real-time variable tracking: Automatically displays all variables in your Python namespace
Type information: Shows the type, size, and value of each variable
Collection support: Inspect lists, tuples, dicts, DataFrames, Series, and more
Sortable columns: Click column headers to sort by name, type, size, or value

=� Interactive Data Views

List and Tuple exploration: Click on any list or tuple to view its contents in a detailed modal
Dictionary navigation: Click through nested dictionaries to explore complex JSON-like structures
DataFrame viewer: Beautiful table view for pandas DataFrames with sortable columns
Breadcrumb navigation: Track your path through nested structures with clickable breadcrumbs

Inline Editing

Scalar editing: Double-click numbers, strings, and booleans to edit them inline
Long string editor: Strings longer than 40 characters open in a modal text editor
Type-safe updates: Automatic type validation when editing variables
Real-time updates: Changes are immediately reflected in your Python namespace

<� Modern Interface

VSCode theme integration: Automatically matches your VSCode theme
Resizable columns: Drag column borders to resize
Modal popups: Clean, focused views for exploring complex data
Syntax highlighting: Color-coded values by type

Installation

Clone this repository into your VS Code extensions folder:

git clone https://github.com/MarcoLiedecke/variable-explorer ~/.vscode/extensions/variable-explorer

Install dependencies:

cd ~/.vscode/extensions/variable-explorer
npm install

Reload VS Code

Usage

Opening the Variable Explorer

Use the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run:

"Show Variable Explorer" - Opens the Variable Explorer panel

Running Python Code

The Variable Explorer works with Python code executed through:

Run File: Execute an entire Python file
Run Code: Execute selected Python code
The extension maintains a persistent Python namespace across executions

Inspecting Variables

View all variables:

All variables in the current namespace are displayed in the main table
Click the refresh button to update the variable list

Explore collections:

Lists/Tuples: Click on the value to see all items
Dictionaries: Click to view key-value pairs, then click nested values to drill down
DataFrames: Click to see a tabular view with sortable columns
Nested structures: Use breadcrumb navigation to move back up the hierarchy

Sort data:

Click any column header in the main table or modals to sort
Click again to toggle between ascending/descending order

Editing Variables

Short strings, numbers, and booleans:

Double-click the value cell
Edit the value inline (cell turns grey)
Press Enter to save or Escape to cancel

Long strings (>40 characters):

Double-click the value cell
Edit in the modal text editor
Click "Save" or press Cmd+S / Ctrl+S

Supported types for editing:

int, float, complex - Any numeric value
bool - true, false, 1, 0, yes, no
str - Any text value

Managing Variables

Clear all variables:

Click the trash icon in the toolbar to clear the namespace
This removes all user-defined variables (built-ins are preserved)

Refresh:

Click the refresh icon to update the variable list

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Save inline edit	`Enter`
Cancel inline edit	`Escape`
Close modal	`Escape` or click outside
Save in text editor	`Cmd+S` / `Ctrl+S`

Data Type Support

Scalar Types

int, float, complex - Numeric values
str - Strings
bool - Booleans
NoneType - None values

Collection Types

list, tuple - Sequences
dict - Dictionaries (with nested navigation)
set, frozenset - Sets
pandas.DataFrame - DataFrames
pandas.Series - Series
numpy.ndarray - NumPy arrays

Configuration

The extension uses your default Python interpreter configured in VS Code:

{
  "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "/path/to/python"
}

Tips & Tricks

Nested dictionaries: Click through JSON-like structures by clicking on dict/list values in the modal
DataFrames: Shows the first 100 rows. Click column headers to sort
Large strings: Use the modal editor for multi-line strings and better formatting
Type preservation: Edited values maintain their original type
Breadcrumbs: Click any part of the path to jump back to that level

Troubleshooting

Variables not showing:

Ensure you've run Python code first
Click the refresh button
Check that Python is properly configured

Edit not working:

Verify the variable type is supported for editing
Check for validation errors in VS Code notifications

Modal not closing:

Click outside the modal or press Escape
Click the X button in the modal header

Requirements

Visual Studio Code 1.60.0 or higher
Python 3.6 or higher
pandas (for DataFrame support)
numpy (for NumPy array support)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

Inspired by the Spyder Variable Explorer, bringing similar functionality to VS Code.

Variable Explorer