DuckDB R Editor (Positron)

Warning

Beta version. Report issues on GitHub.

Note

Positron IDE Only - Requires Positron. Will not work in VS Code.

SQL syntax highlighting and intelligent autocomplete for DuckDB in R files.

Write DuckDB SQL with full IDE support right inside R strings. Take full advantage of expressive SQL expressions within your R scripts!

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Demo

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Key Features

• 🎨 SQL Syntax Highlighting - Context-aware highlighting in R strings
• 🧠 Smart Autocomplete - 900+ DuckDB functions + live schema from R session
• 🔌 R Connection Picker - Select specific connection objects (supports :memory:)
• 🔄 Auto-Refresh - Detects schema changes automatically
• 🌈 Visual Distinction - Themed background colors for SQL strings
• ✨ SQL Auto-Format - Format SQL with glue interpolation support
• ✈️ Air Formatter Support - Works with multi-line SQL

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Quick Start

1. Install

Download Release (Recommended)

1. Download .vsix from Releases
2. Positron: Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX

Or Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/belian-earth/duckdb-r-editor.git
cd duckdb-r-editor
npm install

With Make (Linux/Mac/WSL - recommended):

make              # Build and package
make quick        # Quick build (skip linting)
make help         # See all commands

Without Make (universal):

npm run compile            # Compile TypeScript
npm run lint               # Run linter
npm run vsce:package       # Create .vsix file

The .vsix file will be created in the project root. Install it via Positron: Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX

Note: Windows users can install Make via Chocolatey (choco install make) or use WSL

2. Connect in R

library(DBI)
library(duckdb)

con <- dbConnect(duckdb(), "mydata.duckdb")
# Or in-memory: dbConnect(duckdb(), ":memory:")

3. Connect the extension to the database

1. Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P)
2. "DuckDB R Editor: Connect to DuckDB Database"
3. Select your R connection (e.g., "con")
4. Write SQL with autocomplete!

4. Write SQL

Autocomplete works in:

dbGetQuery(con, "SELECT * FROM ...")
dbExecute(con, "CREATE TABLE ...")
sql("SELECT ...")                   # dbplyr
glue_sql("...", .con = con)         # glue
read_sql_duckdb("SELECT ...")       # duckplyr
db_exec("SET threads TO 2")         # duckplyr

Tip

Completions appear as you type. Use Ctrl+Space (Cmd+Space on Mac) to manually trigger suggestions at any position inside a SQL string.

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Configuration

Optional settings (.vscode/settings.json):

{
  "duckdb-r-editor.enableAutoComplete": true,
  "duckdb-r-editor.enableSQLHighlighting": true,
  "duckdb-r-editor.enableSQLBackgroundColor": true,
  "duckdb-r-editor.autoRefreshSchema": true,
  "duckdb-r-editor.sqlFormattingStyle": "standard",
  "duckdb-r-editor.sqlKeywordCase": "upper"
}

Available Settings:

• enableAutoComplete - Enable autocomplete (default: true)
• enableSQLHighlighting - SQL keyword/function highlighting in R strings (default: true)
• enableSQLBackgroundColor - Background color for SQL strings (default: true)
• autoRefreshSchema - Auto-detect schema changes (default: true)
• sqlFormattingStyle - Format style: standard, tabularLeft, tabularRight (default: standard)
• sqlKeywordCase - Keyword case: preserve, upper, lower (default: preserve)

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Commands

Access via Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P):

• Connect to DuckDB Database - Select R connection for schema
• Disconnect from Database - Clear connection
• Refresh DuckDB Schema - Manually update schema
• Format SQL in R String - Format SQL at cursor (preserves glue interpolations)
• Debug SQL Detection at Cursor - Diagnose autocomplete issues at cursor position (logs to Output panel)

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Extension Loading

Load DuckDB extensions in your R session — the extension picks up new functions automatically via auto-refresh:

dbExecute(con, "INSTALL spatial; LOAD spatial;")
# -> Functions automatically available for autocomplete

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Auto-Refresh

Schema and functions refresh automatically when:

• Creating/dropping tables: CREATE TABLE, DROP TABLE
• Modifying data: INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
• Loading extensions: INSTALL, LOAD

Notifications show what changed:

✓ 2 new tables added to 'con' (Total: 5 tables)
✓ 45 new functions loaded in 'con' (Total: 945 functions)

* Disable in settings: "autoRefreshSchema": false

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Why This Extension?

Writing SQL in R strings without IDE support means:

• Guessing table/column names
• No syntax validation until runtime
• Constant context switching to check schema

This extension provides:

• ✅ Real-time autocomplete from your active R session
• ✅ Syntax highlighting and validation
• ✅ Seamless workflow - stay in your code

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Acknowledgments

• DuckDB - Analytical database
• Positron - Data science IDE
• Air formatter - R code formatting
• R packages: DBI, duckdb, dbplyr, duckplyr, glue

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Contributing

Contributions welcome! See DEVELOPMENT.md for build instructions and development workflow.

To contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes and test thoroughly
4. Ensure code passes linting: make build or npm run lint
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

Open an issue on GitHub for bug reports or feature requests.