Boolean Search Extension for VS Code

A powerful VS Code extension that enables searching across your workspace using boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to find files containing multiple search terms.

✨ Features

• 🔍 Boolean Operators: Use AND, OR, and NOT operators to create complex search queries
• 🎯 Multiple Operators: Support for queries like aaa AND bbb NOT ccc NOT ddd
• 📏 Search Modes: Choose between "Same File" (default) or "Same Line" matching
• 🎨 Interactive UI: Clean, modern interface with real-time results
• 👆 Click to Navigate: Click any search result to jump directly to that line in the file
• 📁 File Filtering: Filter searches by file patterns (e.g., **/*.ts, **/*.js)
• 🔠 Case Sensitivity: Toggle case-sensitive search on/off
• 📊 Visual Results: See matching lines with line numbers for easy navigation
• ⚡ Fast: Efficient search across large codebases
• 🌳 Smart Parsing: Proper operator precedence (NOT > AND > OR)

Usage

Opening the Search Panel

There are two ways to open the Boolean Search panel:

1. Keyboard Shortcut: Press Cmd+Shift+B (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows/Linux)
2. Command Palette:
   • Press Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
   • Type "Boolean Search: Search with Boolean Operators"
   • Press Enter

Search Syntax

AND Operator

Find files containing all specified terms:

function AND export

• Same File mode: Both "function" and "export" appear anywhere in the file
• Same Line mode: Both terms appear on the same line

OR Operator

Find files containing any of the specified terms:

error OR warning

This will find files where either "error" or "warning" appears.

NOT Operator

Find files containing the first term but not the others:

console NOT log

• Same File mode: "console" appears but "log" does not appear anywhere in the file
• Same Line mode: Lines where "console" appears but "log" does not

Complex Queries

Combine multiple operators in one query:

aaa AND bbb NOT ccc
aaa AND bbb AND ccc NOT ddd
aaa OR bbb AND ccc

Operator Precedence (highest to lowest):

1. NOT (highest)
2. AND
3. OR (lowest)

Example: aaa OR bbb AND ccc is evaluated as aaa OR (bbb AND ccc)

Search Modes

Same File Mode (Default)

Terms can appear anywhere in the file. Use for:

• Finding files that discuss multiple topics
• Document-level filtering
• Broad searches across file content

Same Line Mode

All terms must appear on the same line. Use for:

• Finding specific code patterns
• Precise statement matching
• Lines with multiple keywords together

Example:

• Query: function AND export
• Same File: Shows files with both words anywhere
• Same Line: Shows only lines like export function myFunc()

File Patterns

You can limit your search to specific file types using glob patterns:

• **/*.ts - Only TypeScript files
• **/*.js - Only JavaScript files
• **/*.{ts,tsx} - TypeScript and TSX files
• src/**/*.py - Python files in the src directory

Leave the file pattern field empty to search all text files.

Examples

Code Search Examples

1. Find exported functions (Same Line mode):

   function AND export
   

2. Find class implementations (Same Line mode):

   class AND implements
   

3. Find React+TypeScript files (Same File mode):

   React AND TypeScript
   

4. Find error or exception handling:

   throw OR catch OR error
   

5. Find imports without deprecated packages:

   import NOT deprecated
   

6. Find authentication without specific library:

   authentication AND password NOT bcrypt
   

Real-World Use Cases

• Finding exported constants: export AND const (Same Line)
• Security audits: password AND hash NOT encrypt (Same File)
• Finding TODO comments: TODO OR FIXME OR HACK (Same Line)
• Database queries: query AND database NOT mongodb (Same File)
• Error logs: Error AND failed AND connection (Same Line)

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X or Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Boolean Search"
4. Click Install

Or visit the VS Code Marketplace (update link after publishing).

From VSIX File

1. Download the .vsix file from Releases
2. Open VS Code
3. Go to Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X or Ctrl+Shift+X)
4. Click the "..." menu at the top of the Extensions view
5. Select "Install from VSIX..."
6. Select the downloaded .vsix file

From Source (Development)

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/boolean-search-extension.git
   cd boolean-search-extension
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Compile TypeScript:

   npm run compile
   

4. Press F5 in VS Code to open Extension Development Host

For Publishers

See PUBLISHING.md for detailed instructions on publishing this extension to the VS Code Marketplace.

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• VS Code (v1.74.0 or higher)

Building

npm install
npm run compile

Running in Development

1. Open this folder in VS Code
2. Press F5 to start debugging
3. A new VS Code window will open with the extension loaded
4. Test the extension using Cmd+Shift+B / Ctrl+Shift+B

Project Structure

boolean-search-extension/
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts      # Extension entry point
│   ├── search.ts         # Boolean search logic
│   └── searchPanel.ts    # Webview UI for search interface
├── package.json          # Extension manifest
├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration
└── README.md            # This file

Known Limitations

• Parentheses for explicit grouping not yet supported: (term1 OR term2) AND term3
• Binary files are automatically skipped
• node_modules excluded by default

Future Enhancements

• [ ] Parentheses support for explicit grouping
• [ ] Regex patterns in search terms
• [ ] Proximity search: term1 NEAR term2
• [ ] Search history
• [ ] Export results to file
• [ ] Replace functionality
• [ ] Fuzzy matching option
• [ ] Search within selection

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Release Notes

0.1.0

Initial release featuring:

Core Search Features:

• Boolean search operators (AND, OR, NOT)
• Complex queries with multiple operators
• Proper operator precedence (NOT > AND > OR)
• Two search modes: Same File and Same Line

User Interface:

• Interactive webview UI in sidebar and panel
• File pattern filtering
• Case-sensitive search option
• Click-to-navigate results
• Keyboard shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+B

Performance:

• Fast search across large codebases
• Automatic exclusion of node_modules
• Efficient file-level filtering

See CHANGELOG.md for detailed updates.