Oracle has recently introduced some goodies for developers working with VS Code. This is an extension that integrates  SQL Developer within VS Code.

The battle between the IDEs has been fierce, with everybody  out to win the hearts and minds of the developer republic. As such they are continuously getting pumped up with new functionality that addresses any kind of developer groups, be it Java heads, Pythonistas, C# aficionados, and so on.

VS Code is of course one of the most popular IDEs out there and it does already come with quite some neat functionality. We've explored that in VS Code Can Do More Than You Imagine
where we relay some distinct examples of its capabilities :

• Refactor Promises to Async/Await
  VS Code can refactor promises in TypeScript into Async/Await. This includes multiple then statements, Promise. all() and Promise. race().
  
  
• Pull Requests
  The Github Pull Requests extension from Github allows you to view and interact with your Pull Requests directly from within VS Code.
  
  
• Share your localhost
  VS Code Live Share enables you to share any TCP process on your computer with people who are currently connected to your Live Share session. Choose "Share Server" from the Command Palette and select a port to share. Now they can access your localhost like it's their localhost.

and so on. For more details make sure to go through that article.

Lately VS Code has begun to incorporate plugins made by Oracle, and one of them being the Oracle Java Platform Extension, which besides of adding functionality to make coding in Java more profitable, the major enchantment it offered was that VS Code could now offer IDE support for new JDK features as soon as they are introduced, even during Early Access. This means that the VS Code Extension could now support the current JDK release as well as the next upcoming JDK version.

Oracle is at it again, this time causing something of a stir with its newest extension which integrates SQL Developer within VS Code. SQL Developer is of course the defacto query, development, and administration tool for Oracle Database professionals and integrating it with VS Code makes for effortlessly managing the entire development cycle. This means that you can now execute your SQL queries and scripts, perform PL/SQL development, and interact with your database schema objects within VS Code.

Oracle has made a big effort to keep the interface and shortcuts (you can view them by going to Code > Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts) as-is so that people who have been using SQL Developer for a long time will find the transition to VS Code as easy as it gets.

As such its core features are :

• It is free
  
  
• It includes the modern Oracle SQLcl command-line interface
  
  
• It is self-contained with no installation prerequisites
  
  
• It has got more than 20 application commands available from Command Palette
  
  
• In-place application updates will be released quarterly, using a YY.Q numbering scheme, e.g. 23.4, 24.1, 24.2
  
  
• Oracle Database customers with valid support and maintenance contracts can open Services Requests for SQL Developer for VS Code via My Oracle Support

Coding-wise, it offers:

• Connectivity
  Everything required to connect to your database is included in the extension.
  
  
• Schema navigation
  Your connection can be expanded to display a tree representation of your schema and of the other schemas in your database.
  
  
• SQL worksheet
  The worksheet is where most of your work as an Oracle Database professional will take place. Running ad hoc queries or even complex SQL scripts can easily be achieved using productivity features such as completion insight, SQL History, and our code snippets.
  
  
• Data grids
  Browsing data and/or query results becomes a breeze with friendly spreadsheet-style displays.
  
  
• PL/SQL Code Editor
  Whether you're working directly with PL/SQL programs in your database, or working from your local workspace, SQL Developer makes it easy to develop your stored procedures, functions, packages, triggers, and more.
  
  
• Code snippets
  All your favorite analytic functions, date format options, and conversion functions with examples are at your fingertips via VS Code's integrated code completion support for your active extension's code snippets.
  
  
• Integrated command line interface via Oracle SQLcl
  For those loving the commandline, connections defined in the extension can also be used to spawn command line sessions to your database.

The extension is available from the VS Code marketplace and supports any Oracle Database from version 11g onwards, which run on-premises, in a VM, in a container, and on the cloud.

More Information 

SQL Developer for VS Code

Oracle SQL Developer Extension for VSCode-marketplace

Related Articles

The Visual Studio Code Oracle Java Platform Extension

VSCode Can Do More Than You Imagine

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