XQuery + MarkLogic — VSCode Extension

Rich XQuery editing support for Visual Studio Code, with full coverage of the MarkLogic 1.0-ml dialect alongside W3C XQuery 3.0/3.1.

Features

Feature	Details
Syntax highlighting	Keywords, operators, strings, numbers, variables, XML literals, comments, annotations, pragmas
MarkLogic dialect	`xquery version "1.0-ml"`, `declare private function`, `xdmp:`/`cts:`/`sem:`/`json:` namespaces
Code completion	Namespace-triggered (`xdmp:`, `cts:`, `fn:`…), variable scan, keyword and type completions
Hover documentation	Full signature, parameter table, return type, and "available since" for all built-in functions
Signature help	Active-parameter highlighting inside function argument lists, triggered on `(` and `,`
Go to Definition	Ctrl+Click on local functions, variables, and `import module … at "path"` — resolves relative and server-absolute paths
Document Symbols	Outline panel and breadcrumb navigation for functions, variables, and namespace declarations
Diagnostics / Linting	Real-time and on-save checks for syntax errors, undeclared variables, unused declarations, deprecated functions, cross-file conflicts, and more
Code snippets	`xqversion`, `module`, `import`, `fn`, `var`, `flwor`, `if`, `typeswitch`, `try`, `log`, `search`, `eval`
Language configuration	XQuery block comments `(: :)`, bracket matching, auto-close pairs

Supported file extensions

.xq · .xqy · .xquery · .xqm · .xql

Supported dialects

Dialect	Version string
W3C XQuery 3.0	`xquery version "3.0"`
W3C XQuery 3.1	`xquery version "3.1"`
MarkLogic extended	`xquery version "1.0-ml"`

Installation

From the VS Code Marketplace

Open VS Code
Press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on macOS)
Run ext install ppfjuni.marklogic-xquery-vscode-extension

From a `.vsix` file

Download the latest .vsix from the Releases page
In VS Code open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
Run Extensions: Install from VSIX… and select the downloaded file

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/marklogic-xquery/marklogic-xquery-vscode.git
cd marklogic-xquery-vscode
npm install
npm run build
# Then package the extension:
npx vsce package

Install the generated .vsix via Extensions: Install from VSIX… as above.

Usage

Open any .xqy (or other supported extension) file — the extension activates automatically.

Completions

Trigger	What you get
Type `xdmp:`	All `xdmp:` functions with snippet insertion
Type `cts:`	All `cts:` search functions
Type `fn:`	W3C standard `fn:` functions
Type `xs:`	All `xs:` constructor functions
Type `$`	Variables declared above the cursor
Type `%`	XQuery 3.0 annotation names
After `as`	Built-in types (`xs:string`, `item()`, `node()`…)

Snippets

Prefix	Expands to
`xqversion`	`xquery version "1.0-ml";`
`module`	Module namespace declaration
`import`	Import module statement
`fn`	Declare function scaffold
`var`	Declare variable
`flwor`	Full FLWOR expression
`if`	If-then-else
`typeswitch`	Typeswitch with cases
`try`	Try-catch block
`log`	`xdmp:log(…)`
`search`	`cts:search(…)`
`eval`	`xdmp:eval(…)`

Go to Definition

Ctrl+Click (or F12) on a local function call → jumps to its declare function
Ctrl+Click on a $variable → jumps to its let, for, or declare variable binding
Ctrl+Click on a namespace prefix in import module namespace pfx = … at "path.xqy" → opens the target file if it exists in the workspace (supports both relative and server-absolute paths)

Diagnostics

The extension runs a multi-phase linting engine automatically as you type and on save.

Real-time checks (debounced, 500 ms):

Check	What it catches
Unclosed comment	Unmatched `(:` / `:)`
Unclosed string	Unclosed `"` or `'` (handles doubled-delimiter escapes)
Unmatched brackets	Unmatched `{` `}` and `(` `)`
Unclosed XML element	Tags opened but never closed
Missing semicolon	Declaration or statement missing `;`
Invalid version	Version string other than `"1.0"`, `"1.0-ml"`, `"3.0"`, `"3.1"`
Variable before declaration	Using `$var` before it is declared
Duplicate functions	Same function declared twice in the same file
Unused declared variables	`declare variable` never referenced
Unused functions	`declare function` never called
Unused function parameters	Parameter declared but not used in its function body
Empty catch	`catch` block with no error handling
Deprecated functions	Calls to deprecated MarkLogic functions
Unused namespace declarations	`declare namespace` prefix never used
Namespace conflict	Conflicting `declare default function namespace`
Missing return type	`declare function` without an explicit return type
MarkLogic in standard mode	MarkLogic-specific constructs in a non-`1.0-ml` file
Unresolved variables	Reference to an undefined variable
Unresolved functions	Call to a function not declared or imported
Unresolved XML namespaces	XML element/attribute prefix not declared

On-save checks (cross-file):

Check	What it catches
Cross-file duplicate functions	Function name conflicts across imported modules
Cross-file unresolved functions	Calls to functions not found in any imported module

Scope

This extension covers language editing only: syntax highlighting, completions, hover, signature help, go-to-definition, document symbols, diagnostics, and snippets.

The following are out of scope for this extension:

Database connections and query execution
Debugging
Cross-file import resolution without a local at "..." path

Not yet implemented:

Code folding (planned)

Contributing

Fork the repository
npm install
Open in VS Code and press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host
Make changes, run npm run compile to type-check, npm run build to bundle
Submit a pull request

License

Apache 2.0 — see LICENSE and NOTICE.

This project is a derivative work of the marklogic-intellij-plugin by Grzegorz Ligas and contributors, also licensed under Apache 2.0.

"MarkLogic" is a registered trademark of Progress Software Corporation. This is an independent community project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Progress Software Corporation.

XQuery + MarkLogic

ppfjuni