SQL IN Clause Generator for VS Code

Description

SQL IN Clause Generator is a powerful extension for VS Code that streamlines the creation of SQL IN and NOT IN clauses. Instantly generate SQL IN/NOT IN clauses from lists, Excel, or tabular data. It supports smart data type detection, batch processing, deduplication, and advanced formatting, making it ideal for working with large datasets and complex queries.

Note: Azure Data Studio was retired on February 28, 2026. This extension now focuses exclusively on VS Code. Existing users can continue using the extension in VS Code with identical functionality.

What's New In v0.16.4

• Fixed silent truncation for comma-rich pasted values that were previously cut off at the first unquoted comma.
• Made comma and semicolon parsing parenthesis-aware so descriptions like Fixed plant (electrical, mechanical) no longer inflate column counts.
• Added headerless table picker options to either keep each original line as one value or flatten every detected field into one value list, with visible value counts in the picker.
• Added clipboard-preparation source telemetry for SQL generation events and kept cancellation of the new picker silent.
• Preserved the 0.16.3 reverse workflow, walkthrough, and dialect-demand instrumentation while extending the clipboard path safely.

Feature Overview

Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "SQL IN Clause Generator"
4. Click Install

How to Use

1. Paste as IN Statement

• Copy values from a table, spreadsheet, or any source.
• In your SQL editor, right-click and select Paste IN Statement (or use Ctrl+Shift+V).
• The extension formats and inserts the values as an SQL IN clause.

2. Copy as IN Statement

• Select values in your editor.
• Right-click and select Copy as IN Statement (or use Ctrl+Shift+I).
• Preview the generated IN clause and choose to copy or insert it.

3. Paste Special In Statement (2-Stage Flow)

• Right-click and select Paste Special In Statement (or use Ctrl+Alt+V) for advanced options with a 2-stage workflow:

  Stage 1: Action Selection

  • The menu defaults to your configured inQueryGenerator.distinctValues setting.
  • Use the first row in the list to switch between Distinct values and All values for the current run only.
  • Paste IN Statement: Standard IN clause.
  • Paste NOT IN Statement: Standard NOT IN clause.
  • Paste Column + IN Statement: Select a column from tabular data (with headers).
  • Paste Column + NOT IN Statement: Same as above, but for NOT IN.

  Stage 2: Data Type Override

  • Auto-detect (Smart): Default behavior - automatically detects and formats numbers, dates, GUIDs, and text appropriately.
  • Force Text (Quote All): Forces ALL values to be quoted as text - perfect for numeric IDs like 123 that should be '123'.
  • Force Number (Unquote All): Forces all values to be unquoted as numbers (non-numeric values are automatically quoted as fallback).

4. Explode IN Clause to Lines

• Select an existing SQL IN (...) or NOT IN (...) clause in the editor.
• Run Explode IN Clause to Lines from the Command Palette or editor context menu.
• The selected clause is replaced with one raw value per line, preserving SQL string escaping and NULL entries sensibly.

5. Process Table Data as IN Statement

• Select tabular data (with headers) in your editor.
• Open the Command Palette and run Process Table Data as IN Statement.
• Select the column for the IN clause and optionally specify a column name.

Data Type Override ✨ Introduced in v0.14.0

The Data Type Override feature gives you precise control over how values are formatted in SQL IN clauses. This is especially useful when working with numeric IDs or values that need special formatting.

Use Cases

1. Numeric IDs that should be text: Some databases store IDs as VARCHAR even though they look like numbers (123, 456). Use Force Text to ensure they're quoted: IN ('123', '456', '789').

2. Mixed data with specific requirements: When you have data that auto-detection doesn't handle correctly, you can override the behavior.

3. Consistency requirements: Ensure all values follow the same formatting pattern regardless of their content.

How It Works

When using Paste Special In Statement, you'll be prompted to choose a data type mode:

• Auto-detect (Smart) - Default behavior:

  • Numbers: 123 → 123 (unquoted)
  • Dates: 2024-01-15 → '2024-01-15' (quoted)
  • GUIDs: 550e8400-... → '550e8400-...' (quoted)
  • Text: abc → 'abc' (quoted)
  • NULL: NULL or empty → NULL (always unquoted)

• Force Text (Quote All):

  • Everything: 123 → '123' (quoted)
  • NULL still handled: NULL → NULL (unquoted)

• Force Number (Unquote All):

  • Valid numbers: 123 → 123 (unquoted)
  • Non-numeric values: abc → 'abc' (automatic fallback to quoted)
  • NULL still handled: NULL → NULL (unquoted)

Analytics & Telemetry

When telemetry is enabled, the extension records limited aggregate usage around this workflow:

• Which SQL-generation command path was used
• Which clause type and data type mode were selected
• Whether deduplication was used and how many duplicates were removed
• A coarse bucket for unique value count rather than the exact count
• Aggregate session summaries and classified error events

It does not send SQL values, clipboard contents, file names, workspace identifiers, raw error messages, or raw error stacks.

You can disable telemetry at any time via inQueryGenerator.telemetry.enabled. For the current policy, see docs/PrivacyStatement.md.

Deduplication (Distinct Values)

• Global Setting:

  • inQueryGenerator.distinctValues (default: true): Remove duplicate values before generating statements.
  • inQueryGenerator.distinctCaseSensitive: Treat values as distinct if their case differs.
  • inQueryGenerator.distinctTrimWhitespace: Ignore leading/trailing whitespace when deduplicating.

• Per-Use Override:

  • When using Paste Special In Statement, the first row in the Stage 1 menu lets you switch between distinct and all values for that operation without changing your saved setting.

• Feedback:

  • The extension displays a message indicating how many duplicates were removed.

Status Bar Customization

• The status bar provides quick access to extension features.
• Use inQueryGenerator.statusBarActions to show the default dropdown or pin a specific command.
• If you provide multiple command IDs, the current implementation displays the first configured pinned action.

Get Started Walkthrough

• The extension contributes a Get Started With SQL IN Clause Generator walkthrough in VS Code's Get Started view.
• It highlights the main workflows: Paste Special generation, reversing an existing clause back to lines, and building a clause from tabular data.

Configuration

This extension contributes the following settings:

• inQueryGenerator.telemetry.enabled: Enable or disable telemetry data collection for SQL IN Clause Generator. If disabled, no usage data will be sent.
• inQueryGenerator.splitOnWhitespace: Split values on whitespace when generating IN statements.
• inQueryGenerator.useNotIn: Generate NOT IN statements instead of IN statements.
• inQueryGenerator.defaultColumnName: Default column name to use in the IN clause.
• inQueryGenerator.detectDataTypes: Automatically detect and format dates, GUIDs, and numeric values.
• inQueryGenerator.alwaysShowPreview: Always show a preview of the generated IN statement before inserting or copying.
• inQueryGenerator.formatOptions: Formatting options for IN statements:
  • oneValuePerLine: Put each value on a separate line.
  • maxValuesPerLine: Maximum number of values per line when not using oneValuePerLine.
  • indentSize: Number of spaces to use for indentation in multi-line format.
• inQueryGenerator.statusBarActions: Status bar mode. Use ["dropdown"] for the default menu, or put a command ID first to pin that action. If you provide multiple command IDs, only the first is currently used.
• inQueryGenerator.distinctValues: Remove duplicate values before generating statements.
• inQueryGenerator.distinctCaseSensitive: Case sensitivity for deduplication.
• inQueryGenerator.distinctTrimWhitespace: Ignore whitespace when deduplicating.
• inQueryGenerator.globalKeybindings: Enable shortcuts in all file types instead of only SQL-family editors.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Shift+I): Copy selected text as IN statement in SQL-family editors
• Ctrl+Shift+V (Cmd+Shift+V): Paste clipboard content as IN statement in SQL-family editors
• Ctrl+Alt+V (Cmd+Alt+V): Paste Special In Statement - Access the 2-stage workflow with inline deduplication toggle and data type override in SQL-family editors
• No default shortcut is assigned to Process Table Data as IN Statement

By default, shortcuts apply only in SQL-family editors so they do not override VS Code shortcuts in other languages. If you also use the extension in untitled or plain-text tabs, enable inQueryGenerator.globalKeybindings to restore the old global shortcut behaviour.

Examples

Basic Example

Input:

123
456
789

Output:

IN (123, 456, 789)

Example with Duplicates

Input:

A
B
A
C
B

Output (Distinct ON):

IN ('A', 'B', 'C')

Message: "2 duplicates removed."

Output (Distinct OFF):

IN ('A', 'B', 'A', 'C', 'B')

Data Type Override Example

Input (numeric IDs stored as VARCHAR):

123
456
789

Output with Auto-detect (default):

IN (123, 456, 789)

Output with Force Text (Quote All):

IN ('123', '456', '789')

Perfect for numeric IDs that should be treated as text in your database!

Column-Based Example

Input (copied with header):

Asset_Number
1336
138804
8869

• Use Paste Column + IN Statement and select "Asset_Number".
• Output:

Asset_Number IN (1336, 138804, 8869)

Best Practices & Tips

• Copy with headers for best results when using column-based features.
• Use the Paste Special In Statement for advanced options and deduplication control.
• When headerless pasted data is detected as multi-column, you can choose Each line as one value to ignore commas inside copied result rows, or All values (flatten every field into the list) to turn wrapped records into one flat value list.
• If you are generating a NOT IN clause, leave blank rows out of the source data where possible; the extension will drop them and warn when needed.
• Adjust configuration settings to match your workflow and data conventions.
• The extension provides feedback on duplicates removed and errors encountered.

Troubleshooting

• If you see "Clipboard data does not appear to be tabular with headers," ensure you copied both the header and data rows.
• Commas inside parentheses are treated as part of the value during comma-delimited parsing, which improves handling for descriptions such as Fixed plant (electrical, mechanical).
• If you copied a single SQL result column whose values themselves contain commas, choose Each line as one value in the headerless picker. Clipboard text does not preserve the original result-grid column metadata.
• For large datasets, the extension will warn you if processing may take time.
• If a NOT IN clause would contain blank or NULL-like values, the extension removes them because NOT IN (..., NULL, ...) can return no rows.
• If you encounter issues, check your configuration settings and review the feedback messages.

Documentation & Support

• All features and configuration options are documented in this ReadMe and in the extension's settings UI.
• For further help or to report issues, visit the GitHub repository.
• 📄 Privacy Statement — Learn what data we collect, what we don’t, and how you can control your privacy.

Changelog

Version 0.16.4 - July 2026

Clipboard Parsing Hardening

• Fixed silent truncation for comma-rich pasted values that were previously cut off at the first unquoted comma.
• Made comma and semicolon parsing parenthesis-aware so descriptions like Fixed plant (electrical, mechanical) no longer inflate column counts.
• Added headerless table picker options to either keep each original line as one value or flatten every detected field into one value list, with visible value counts in the picker.
• Made direct-paste cancel silent when the column picker is dismissed, instead of warning unnecessarily.
• Added clipboard-preparation source telemetry for sql_generation events and covered it with tests.

Version 0.16.3 - July 2026

Reverse Workflow And Onboarding

• Added Explode IN Clause to Lines to convert a selected SQL IN (...) or NOT IN (...) clause back into one raw value per line.
• Added a VS Code Get Started With SQL IN Clause Generator walkthrough covering Paste Special, reverse conversion, and batch/table generation.
• Added parser and extension-host regression coverage for the new reverse command.

Dialect Demand Instrumentation

• Added an allow-listed dialect_family telemetry property to sql_generation events, inferred from the active editor language.
• Updated the privacy statement to disclose the new dialect-family signal.
• Added a checked-in decision gate document for any future dialect-specific formatting slices.

Version 0.16.2 - July 2026

Paste Special Flow

• Collapsed Paste Special from a 3-stage flow to a 2-stage flow by defaulting to the configured inQueryGenerator.distinctValues setting.
• Added an inline Stage 1 modifier row so users can switch between distinct and all values for the current run only.
• Preserved focus-safe quick-pick behaviour in both stages and added regression coverage for the new interaction.

Documentation And Packaging

• Updated the README, settings text, and privacy statement to reflect the new Paste Special flow and current status bar behaviour.
• Synced package metadata for the 0.16.2 release package.

Version 0.16.1 - July 2026

Keyboard Shortcut Polishing

• Scoped default keyboard shortcuts to SQL-family editors so they no longer override common VS Code shortcuts in unrelated languages.
• Added the inQueryGenerator.globalKeybindings setting for users who want the old everywhere behaviour back with one toggle.
• Removed the conflicting default Ctrl+Shift+B binding while keeping the batch command available from the command palette.
• Added a one-time upgrade notice explaining the shortcut scope change and how to re-enable global bindings.

Telemetry And Reliability

• Hardened Supabase telemetry delivery with a bounded in-memory queue, retry limit, permanent-error drop behaviour, and a re-entrancy-safe flush path.
• Added privacy-safe per-generation telemetry for command path, clause type, data type mode, deduplication, and coarse value-count buckets.
• Persisted session summaries locally during use so aggregate session events can be recovered on the next activation instead of depending on shutdown-time network I/O.
• Added schema-contract tests that assert the telemetry insert payload matches the checked-in Supabase table contract.

SQL Correctness

• NOT IN generation now removes blank and NULL-like values that would otherwise make the predicate return no rows.
• Added clearer user warnings when copied data contains NULL-like values.

Version 0.16.0 - May 2026

Hardening And Reliability

• Repaired the Windows extension-host test runner and made the local quality gate reliable.
• Removed duplicate legacy coverage helper scripts and simplified the supported test path.
• Reduced direct dependencies by removing unused legacy packages.

SQL And Clipboard Handling

• Hardened parsing for pasted SQL IN (...) and NOT IN (...) fragments, including quoted values, escaped quotes and bracketed identifiers.
• Preserved blank positions more faithfully in copied lists instead of silently collapsing them.
• Improved handling for leading-zero IDs so auto-detection does not misclassify them as numeric.
• Tightened table and header inference for copied tabular data, especially where the first row is real data rather than a header.

Privacy And Telemetry

• Replaced the previous weak anonymous identifier approach with a one-way hash.
• Corrected Sydney timestamp handling for daylight saving time.
• Reduced telemetry detail so raw error messages and stacks are not sent.
• Updated the privacy statement to match the implementation.

Version 0.14.0 - January 2026 ✨

New Feature: Data Type Override

• Added 3-stage workflow for Paste Special with data type control
• Three data type modes:
  • Auto-detect (Smart) - Intelligent detection of numbers, dates, GUIDs, and text
  • Force Text (Quote All) - Perfect for numeric IDs that should be quoted
  • Force Number (Unquote All) - Force numeric formatting with automatic fallback
• NULL values always handled correctly regardless of mode
• Enhanced telemetry to track feature usage and improve user experience

Other Changes

• Improved pure function architecture with TypeScript enum for type safety
• Added comprehensive unit tests (51 tests passing)
• Added exhaustive switch pattern for compile-time safety
• Enhanced documentation with use cases and examples

See the GitHub Releases for complete version history.