Autocomplete

SQLTools provides an autocomplete feature to assist with writing SQL and PL/SQL code.

Press Ctrl+Shift+Space to display a list of objects belonging to the current user. You can limit which types of objects appear — for example, only tables and views — in the Autocomplete Settings.

If the cursor is placed after a schema name followed by a dot, the autocomplete list will show the objects of that schema.

If the cursor is placed after a table name or table alias followed by a dot, the autocomplete list will show the columns of that table. SQLTools includes sophisticated alias‑resolution logic (see the linked documentation).

PL/SQL packages are handled similarly: place the cursor after a package name and a dot, and the autocomplete list will show all package procedures along with their parameters.

Normally, the autocomplete list allows you to select a single item and insert it at the cursor position by pressing Enter.

However, SQLTools also supports an advanced mode for working with table and view columns. You can select multiple columns in the desired order using Space, Ins, or Ctrl + Left Click. All selected columns will then be inserted at the cursor position. The inserted text will be formatted either as a single line or multiple lines, depending on the Autocomplete Settings.

See the example:

The SQL before (the ^ shows the cursor position):

SELECT
  b.^
FROM bonus b
  WHERE ...

The SQL after:

SELECT
  b.ename
  , b.sal
  , b.job
  , ^
FROM bonus b
  WHERE ...

Alias-Resolving Logic

When you write SQL queries in SQLTools, the editor helps you by understanding and resolving table and subquery aliases in your SQL statements. This makes writing, navigating, and understanding complex SQL much easier.

Table and Alias Resolution

When you use an alias for a table (e.g., SELECT e.name FROM employees e), SQLTools tracks which alias refers to which table.
The tool supports standard SQL aliasing patterns, such as:
- SELECT ... FROM schema.table alias
- SELECT ... FROM table AS alias
- SELECT ... FROM (SELECT ...) subquery_alias
When you reference columns using an alias (e.g., alias.column), SQLTools resolves which table or subquery that alias refers to.

Subquery Handling

SQLTools recognizes subqueries in the FROM clause, such as FROM (SELECT ...) subquery_alias.
For simple subqueries (those selecting from a single table and using SELECT * or SELECT alias.*), SQLTools can resolve the underlying table name. Even if you use an alias for the subquery, the tool can often determine which real table is being referenced.
For more complex subqueries, SQLTools maintains alias isolation: aliases defined inside a subquery are not visible outside, and outer aliases are not visible inside. This matches SQL’s scoping rules and prevents confusion between different query levels.

Alias Scope and Isolation

Each query and subquery has its own alias scope. Aliases defined in a subquery do not leak into the outer query, and outer aliases are not visible inside subqueries.
This ensures that when you reuse the same alias name in different subqueries or at different nesting levels, SQLTools keeps them separate and resolves them correctly according to SQL rules.

What You Need to Do

Use standard SQL syntax for aliases and subqueries.
Reference columns using the correct alias for the current query or subquery scope.

Example 1

SELECT e.name, d.department_name
FROM employees e
JOIN departments d ON e.department_id = d.id
WHERE e.salary > 1000

In this example, e and d are aliases for employees and departments, and SQLTools resolves them automatically.

Example 2

SELECT d.name
FROM (SELECT * FROM departments) d
WHERE d.department_id > 10

Here, d is an alias for the subquery, and SQLTools resolves that it refers to the departments table.

Example 3

SELECT d.name
FROM (
    SELECT department_id, name
    FROM departments
) d
WHERE d.department_id > 10

In this example, d is an alias for the subquery. SQLTools can extract the column list directly from the subquery and understands that there is no need to retrieve the full column list from the departments table.

Autocomplete Settings

Available from the top menu: Tools → Settings...