What problem are you trying to solve?

Focus on the what and why of the need you have, not the how you'd like it solved.

The Data Explorer query input field is constrained to a fixed height and width. When a query exceeds the visible area, horizontal scroll bars appear and consume most of the input space. This makes the query text effectively unreadable and difficult to edit. Since MongoDB queries are JSON-based and commonly multi-line, the current single-line, fixed-size input is fundamentally mismatched to real-world usage.

What would you like to see happen?

Describe the desired outcome or enhancement.

Replace the fixed-size query input with a multiline, resizable text area that:

• Supports multi-line JSON natively

• Expands vertically (auto-grow) as content increases

• Allows manual resizing (browser-default behavior)

• Minimizes or eliminates horizontal scrolling

• Preserves formatting and indentation for readability

Optionally, enhance it further with:

• JSON formatting/pretty-print support

• Syntax highlighting

• Monospace font for alignment and clarity

Why is this important to you or your team?

Explain how the request adds value or solves a business need.

For teams that regularly write, debug, and share non-trivial MongoDB queries, the current UI significantly slows productivity and increases error risk. Poor visibility makes it hard to reason about query structure, especially with nested operators like $and, $or, $lookup, or $expr.

As a result:

• Query review and troubleshooting take longer

• Simple edits become frustrating and error-prone

For engineers, DBAs, and support teams who rely on Data Explorer daily, this is a usability blocker rather than a minor inconvenience

What steps, if any, are you taking today to manage this problem?

Currently, we work around the limitation by:

• Writing queries in external editors (VS Code, mongosh, Notepad++)

• Copy-pasting queries into Data Explorer blindly

• Iteratively running queries with limited visibility

• Avoiding Data Explorer altogether for complex queries and switching to shell or Compass

These are inefficient workarounds and defeat the purpose of having a capable web-based query interface.