IDE Interface

Focus: Learn how to navigate and use the 5X IDE interface effectively, including VS Code features, database explorer, source control, and session management. The 5X IDE provides a full-featured VS Code experience directly in your browser, with specialized tools for data development. This guide covers all interface components and how to use them effectively for your data projects.

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Starting IDE sessions

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Session initialization

Starting your IDE session is straightforward and takes about 30 seconds:

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Session lifecycle management

Understanding session behavior helps you work efficiently: Session characteristics:

• Auto-termination: Sessions end after 30 minutes of inactivity
• Persistent state: Environment configurations and saved changes persist between sessions
• Manual restart: Use IDE controls to restart or reset when needed
• Resource management: Sessions are optimized for data development workloads

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Core interface components

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File explorer

The File Explorer displays all repositories created through the 5X platform, providing intuitive navigation and file management capabilities. Key features:

• Repository navigation - Browse file trees and project structures across all integrated repositories
• File operations - Create, edit, delete, and organize files with standard operations
• Project documentation - Access README files, configuration files, and project documentation
• Drag-and-drop support - Organize files and folders within projects
• Multi-repository view - Work with multiple projects simultaneously

File explorer benefits:

• Integrated repositories - All your 5X-managed repositories appear automatically
• Version control integration - See Git status indicators for files and folders
• Search functionality - Find files quickly across all repositories
• Context menus - Right-click for file operations and Git commands

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Source control integration

Comprehensive Git workflow management directly within the IDE environment: Available operations:

• Commit changes with descriptive commit messages and staged/unstaged file management
• Branch management - Create, switch, and merge branches with visual branch management
• Remote operations - Pull and push changes to remote repositories
• Change tracking - View file changes, diffs, and commit history with side-by-side comparison
• Conflict resolution - Resolve merge conflicts with visual merge tools and guided resolution

Git workflow features:

• Visual diff viewer - See exactly what changed in each file
• Commit history - Browse commit history with detailed commit information
• Branch visualization - Understand branch relationships and merge history
• Staging area - Stage specific changes or entire files for commit
• Commit templates - Use predefined commit message templates for consistency

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Database explorer

Automatically connects to your configured data warehouse, providing direct data access and query capabilities: Functionality:

• Schema browsing - Browse datasets, schemas, and tables in your data warehouse
• Query execution - Execute ad-hoc SQL queries with syntax highlighting and autocomplete
• Data preview - Preview table data and examine schema information with pagination
• Result export - Export query results in multiple formats (CSV, JSON, Excel)
• Query management - Save frequently used queries for reuse and organization

Database explorer benefits:

• Real-time data access - Query live data during development and testing
• Schema inspection - Understand table structures and relationships
• Data validation - Verify data quality and transformations during development
• Performance insights - Monitor query performance and optimization opportunities

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dbt Power User extension

Pre-installed extension providing comprehensive dbt development capabilities with seamless integration to your configured dbt environment: Core features:

• Model execution - Run individual models, selections, or entire dbt projects with integrated test runner
• Interactive lineage - Visualize model dependencies with clickable graphs and impact analysis
• Documentation generation - Create and view dbt docs with integrated preview and automatic refresh
• Test execution - Run dbt tests with detailed results and error reporting
• SQL compilation - Preview compiled SQL queries before execution

dbt development workflow:

• One-click execution - Run models directly from the file explorer or editor
• Dependency resolution - Automatically handle model dependencies and execution order
• Error handling - Clear error messages and debugging information
• Performance monitoring - Track model execution times and resource usage

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IDE controls and session management

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Session control options

Located in the top-left corner, IDE controls provide session management options for maintaining optimal development environment performance:

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Restart session

When to restart:

• After updating credentials or dbt configuration in Settings
• When IDE becomes unresponsive or sluggish
• To refresh environment variables and connections

What happens during restart:

• Environment refresh - Reloads all environment variables and configurations
• Connection re-establishment - Reconnects to data warehouse and repositories
• State preservation - Maintains open files and unsaved changes

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Reset IDE ⚠️

Use with caution:

• Complete environment reset - Returns IDE to default state
• Data loss warning - Permanently deletes all custom settings and uncommitted changes
• Extension removal - Uninstalls all custom extensions and configurations

When to consider reset:

• Severe environment corruption - When restart doesn’t resolve issues
• Extension conflicts - When multiple extensions cause instability
• Configuration errors - When settings become corrupted and unrecoverable
• Clean slate development - Starting fresh with a new project setup

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Terminal and command line

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Terminal access

The IDE provides full command-line access with some important differences from standard terminals: Important terminal shortcuts:

• Paste into terminal: Cmd + Shift + V (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + V (Windows/Linux)
• Standard Ctrl+V / Cmd+V does not work in the browser-based terminal
• Copy from terminal: Select text and Cmd + C / Ctrl + C

Terminal capabilities:

• Full shell access - Use bash, zsh, or other available shells
• Package management - Install Python packages, system tools, and development utilities
• Git operations - Execute Git commands directly from the terminal
• Environment management - Activate virtual environments and manage Python versions

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Customization and extensions

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Extension marketplace

Install additional VS Code extensions to customize your development environment: Popular extensions for data development:

• SQL formatters - Consistent code formatting for SQL queries
• YAML validators - Validate dbt configuration files and YAML syntax
• Language-specific syntax highlighters - Enhanced syntax support for various file types
• Git tools - Enhanced version control workflows and visualizations
• Python extensions - Improved Python development experience with IntelliSense
• Database tools - Additional database connection and query tools

Installing extensions:

1. Open the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X)
2. Search for the extension you want
3. Click Install to add it to your IDE
4. Restart the session if required by the extension

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Workspace customization

Customizable settings:

• Themes and color schemes - Personalize the visual appearance
• Editor preferences - Font size, tab settings, word wrap, and more
• Keyboard shortcuts - Customize shortcuts for common operations
• File associations - Set default applications for different file types
• Terminal preferences - Shell selection, font, and color schemes

Settings persistence:

• User settings - Apply to all your IDE sessions
• Workspace settings - Specific to individual projects
• Extension settings - Configure individual extension behavior

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Performance optimization

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Maintaining IDE responsiveness

Best practices for optimal performance:

• Close unused files - Keep only necessary files open to free up memory
• Limit large query results - Use pagination in database explorer for large datasets
• Restart sessions periodically - Refresh the environment during long development sessions

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Memory management

Signs of memory issues:

• Sluggish performance - IDE becomes slow to respond
• High memory usage - Browser shows high memory consumption
• Extension errors - Extensions fail to load or function properly
• Session timeouts - Frequent session restarts or crashes

Resolution strategies:

• Restart session - Refresh the environment and clear memory
• Close unused tabs - Reduce the number of open files
• Disable heavy extensions - Temporarily disable resource-intensive extensions
• Clear browser cache - Reset browser data if issues persist

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Next steps

Now that you understand the IDE interface, you’re ready to start developing: