Directory Digest

Directory Digest is a Visual Studio Code extension that adds powerful directory content management capabilities. It allows you to combine text files within a directory into a single digest file or create an organized structure of your directory contents—all with just three clicks.

Features

Combine Files

--Description:-- Appends the content of all text files within a selected directory (recursively) into a new file named after the directory (e.g., .MyDirectory.txt). Non-text files and specified directories are excluded.

--How to Use:--

1. Left-click to select a directory in the Explorer pane.
2. Right-click to open the context menu.
3. Left-click on "Directory Digest: Combine Files".

Concatenate Entirety

--Description:-- Recursively processes all subdirectories and files within a selected directory, creating a tree structure file and saving the directory contents to an organized output directory named after the selected directory with a dot prefix (e.g., .MyDirectory).

--How to Use:--

1. Left-click to select a directory in the Explorer pane.
2. Right-click to open the context menu.
3. Left-click on "Directory Digest: Concatenate Entirety".

New Configuration-Based Functionality

1. Multiple Output Formats

• Text (default): Traditional text format with headers
• Markdown: GitHub-flavored markdown with syntax highlighting
• JSON: Structured JSON output for programmatic use

2. Pattern Matching & Filtering

• Glob pattern support via minimatch library
• Include patterns: directoryDigest.includePatterns
• Exclude patterns: directoryDigest.excludePatterns
• Example: ["*.ts", "*.js", "src/**/*.py"]

3. Configurable Limits

• Max File Size: directoryDigest.maxFileSize (default: 1MB)
• Max Depth: directoryDigest.maxDepth (default: 10 levels)
• Prevents system overload on large directories

4. .ddconfig File Support

Project-specific configuration file with additional settings:

{
  "includeDirectories": ["src", "docs"],
  "excludeDirectories": ["temp", "cache"],
  "includeFiles": ["README.md", "CHANGELOG.md"],
  "excludeFiles": ["package-lock.json"],
  "includePatterns": ["*.ts", "*.js", "*.md"],
  "excludePatterns": ["*.test.*", "*.spec.*", "**/node_modules/**"]
}

5. Progress Indicators

• Real-time progress tracking with file count
• Cancellation support for long operations
• Visual progress bars in VS Code notifications

6. Enhanced Error Handling

• User-friendly error messages
• Retry functionality with progress indicators
• Comprehensive logging and error recovery

7. Command Updates

• Combine Files: Creates output in .{FolderName}Files/ directory
• Create Structure: Maintains existing 0L directory behavior

Backward Compatibility

All existing functionality is preserved with sensible defaults. No breaking changes to existing workflows.

Logging

Uses winston for logging, with logs saved to extension.log in the workspace directory.

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code version 1.95.0 or higher
• Node.js 16.0 or higher (for development)
• pnpm package manager (for development)

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

directoryDigest.outputFormat

• --Type:-- string
• --Description:-- Specify the output format for directory digest files
• --Default:-- "Text"
• --Enum:-- ["Text", "Markdown", "JSON"]

directoryDigest.maxFileSize

• --Type:-- number
• --Description:-- Maximum file size in bytes to process (default: 1MB)
• --Default:-- 1048576

directoryDigest.maxDepth

• --Type:-- number
• --Description:-- Maximum directory depth to traverse
• --Default:-- 10

directoryDigest.includePatterns

• --Type:-- string[]
• --Description:-- Glob patterns for files to include (empty array includes all)
• --Default:-- []
• --Examples:-- ["*.ts", "*.js", "src/**/*.py"]

directoryDigest.excludePatterns

• --Type:-- string[]
• --Description:-- Glob patterns for files to exclude
• --Default:-- []
• --Examples:-- ["*.test.*", "*.spec.*", "**/node_modules/**"]

directoryDigest.configFilePath

• --Type:-- string
• --Description:-- Path to the optional configuration file for include/exclude settings
• --Default:-- ".ddconfig"

directoryDigest.appendContent.excludedFileExtensions

• --Type:-- string[]
• --Description:-- Specify file extensions to exclude from processing (e.g., binaries, images, documents)
• --Default:-- [".env", ".ini", ".cfg", ".config", ".lock", ".toml", ".yaml", ".yml", ".exe", ".dll", ".so", ".dylib", ".class", ".pyc", ".pyo", ".pyd", ".obj", ".o", ".a", ".lib", ".out", ".rlib", ".rmeta", ".jar", ".war", ".ear", ".egg", ".wheel", ".whl", ".gem", ".ttf", ".otf", ".woff", ".woff2", ".eot", ".swp", ".cache", ".tmp", ".temp", ".swo", ".bin", ".dat", ".db", ".sqlite", ".sqlite3", ".mdb", ".pdb", ".ilk", ".exp", ".map", ".pdf", ".doc", ".docx", ".xls", ".xlsx", ".ppt", ".pptx", ".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif", ".bmp", ".ico", ".mp3", ".mp4", ".wav", ".avi", ".mov", ".zip", ".rar", ".7z", ".tar", ".gz", ".tgz", ".bz2", ".iml", ".idea", ".project", ".classpath", ".settings", ".vscode", ".vs", ".suo", ".user", ".sln", ".xcodeproj", ".xcworkspace", ".DS_Store"]
• --Examples:-- [".exe", ".pdf", ".jpg"]

directoryDigest.appendContent.excludedDirectories

• --Type:-- string[]
• --Description:-- Specify directories to exclude from processing (e.g., version control, dependencies)
• --Default:-- [ ".git", ".svn", ".hg", ".bzr", "CVS", "node_modules", "target", "build", "dist", "bin", "obj", "out", "__pycache__", ".pytest_cache", ".tox", ".venv", "venv", "env", "Lib", "Scripts", "site-packages", "classes", "META-INF", "WEB-INF", "bower_components", "jspm_packages", ".npm", ".yarn", "vendor/bundle", ".bundle", "packages", "Debug", "Release", "x86", "x64", "AnyCPU", ".idea", ".vscode", ".vs", ".settings", ".project", ".classpath", "logs", "log", "tmp", "temp", "cache", ".cache", "docs", "doc", "documentation", "coverage", ".nyc_output", "htmlcov", ".github", ".gitlab", ".circleci", ".jenkins", ".docker", ".history", ".grunt", ".sass-cache", "bower_components", "jspm_packages", "public/hot", "storage", "compiled", "uploads", "vendor", "Cargo.lock", "Cargo.toml"]
• --Examples:-- ["node_modules", ".git", "dist"]

Configuring Exclusions

You can customize these settings in your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "directoryDigest.appendContent.excludedFileExtensions": [".log", ".tmp"],
  "directoryDigest.appendContent.excludedDirectories": ["node_modules", "dist"]
}

Usage

Accessing the Extension

The primary way to use Directory Digest is through the Explorer context menu:

1. Left-click to select a directory in the Explorer pane.
2. Right-click to open the context menu.
3. Left-click on one of the Directory Digest options:
   • --Directory Digest: Combine Files--
   • --Directory Digest: Concatenate Entirety--

Commands (For Advanced Users)

While the extension is primarily intended to be used via the context menu, commands are available via the Command Palette:

• --Combine Files:-- Directory Digest: Combine Files
• --Concatenate Entirety:-- Directory Digest: Concatenate Entirety

Keybindings (Not Recommended)

Keybindings are available, but using the context menu is the recommended approach. They are only active when a folder is selected in the Explorer.

• --Combine Files:--
  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+D
  • macOS: Cmd+Shift+D
• --Concatenate Entirety:--
  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+O
  • macOS: Cmd+Shift+O

Demo

Watch this short demo video to see Directory Digest in action:

If the thumbnail doesn't play in your browser, open the raw video directly:

Direct demo video link

Development

This extension is built with modern TypeScript and uses:

• --TypeScript 5.9.2-- with Node16 module resolution
• --ESLint 9.36.0-- with flat config format
• --pnpm-- for package management
• --esbuild-- for bundling
• --Mocha-- for testing

Building from Source

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Compile TypeScript
pnpm run compile

# Run linting
pnpm run lint

# Bundle for production
pnpm run bundle

# Run tests (requires closing VS Code first)
pnpm run test

# Full build pipeline
pnpm run vscode:prepublish

Technical Notes

• The extension uses CommonJS module format for VS Code compatibility
• All imports use explicit .js extensions for proper module resolution
• Cross-platform compatibility ensured with rimraf for file operations
• Modern ESLint v9 flat configuration eliminates deprecation warnings

Known Issues

• --Maximum Directory Depth:-- The extension processes directories up to a depth of 10 levels to prevent infinite recursion.
• --Large Directories:-- Processing very large directories may impact performance.
• --Test Execution:-- Extension tests require closing all VS Code instances before running.

Release Notes

0.2.3 (Latest)

Critical bug fix release:

• Fixed TypeScript syntax error in extension code that prevented proper compilation
• Resolved missing comma in file extensions array that caused build failures
• Ensures extension loads and functions correctly in VS Code

0.2.2

Enhanced file support and demo improvements:

• Added support for modern JavaScript/TypeScript file extensions (.mjs, .cjs, .jsx, .tsx)
• Improved README with embedded GIF demo for better user experience
• Updated documentation and GitHub Pages demo site
• Optimized package size and distribution

0.2.0

Major technical improvements and bug fixes:

• Fixed critical VS Code extension activation issues
• Migrated to modern ESLint v9 configuration
• Updated TypeScript to use non-deprecated module resolution
• Improved cross-platform compatibility
• Enhanced build pipeline reliability

0.1.3

Added multiple output formats, pattern matching, and configuration options.

0.1.1

Updated README.md with proper commands and technical usage.

0.1.0

Initial release of Directory Digest.

All detailed changes are documented in CHANGELOG.md.