microsoft / microsoft/vscode-pgsql

Implement database object search functionality for improved navigation in large schemas

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#136 2 comments 4 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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enhancement
Dominant language
No language data
Stars
395
Forks
33
Avg merge
1h 46m
Merged PRs (30d)
3

Description

Problem:

When working with databases containing hundreds of tables/objects, the current explorer interface becomes inefficient:

  • No way to quickly find specific objects (tables, views, functions) by name
  • Requires manual expansion of schema trees, causing visual clutter and slowdowns
  • Significantly reduces productivity during development and debugging
Requested Solution:

Add a search bar to the database explorer (inspired by Azure Data Studio) with:

  1. Real-time filtering: Instant display of matching objects across all schemas as users type
  2. Case-insensitive partial matching: e.g. typing order shows Orders, public.order_details, tbl_orders_2024
  3. Type filtering: Ability to search specific object types:
    • Tables
    • Views
    • Functions/Procedures
    • Indexes
    • Other database objects
  4. Clean UI: Position search bar above schema tree with collapsible results
Mockup:
[ 🔍 Search objects... ]  <-- New search bar
├─ Schemas
   ├─ public             
   │  └─ orders          <-- Only visible when matching
   └─ hr  
      └─ employees       <-- Only visible when matching
Why This Is Important:
  • Time savings: Instantly locate objects like payment_history without scanning through hundreds of objects across multiple schemas
  • Industry standard: Matching functionality exists in Azure Data Studio, DBeaver, and DataGrip
  • Essential for large databases: Critical when working with complex databases containing thousands of objects distributed across numerous schemas

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

No files, tests, or entry points are named in the issue. Start by locating the database explorer implementation and its schema/object loading and rendering paths, then determine how search and object-type filtering would fit across schemas. Done means a responsive, case-insensitive search bar filters the specified object types and preserves a usable schema-tree presentation.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
postgresql
Domain
databases
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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