ContextKeeper for Visual Studio

Your favorite files under your fingertips. Safely store and switch between documents sets contexts in seconds using simple JSON files 🔥

Switch between Git branches with automatically restored context.

The context is made by:

• logical state

  • your favorites files (non-solution files are also supported)
  • last opened files, order and state including last selected line&column
  • pinned tabs

• visual state

  • main IDE window position and size
  • floating windows position and size
  • docked state and horizontal/vertical orientation

Join the revolution and install it today! Save at least 3300 minutes/year = 55 hours = 2.3 days (15 mins x 20 days x 11 months). You need about 15 minutes to fully switch between contexts at the best possible scenario.

In worst case scenarios switching to detailed context could take several hours, one of the real horror stories:

"Losing this functionality interrupts my workflow beyond imagination. The opened documents represent a "bookmark" for me and I'm barely able to pick up work again without them.

Every time this happens (...) I am willing to put hours into finding a solution, because the thought of losing my opened document state once more after a work session is terrifying. But this time around (...) nothing of the usual remedies helps (...) This has added another 20 Minutes and counting to my two hours put into solving this."

With ContextKeeper you could safely store and switch between different programming contexts in seconds 🔥

All opened files, pinned tabs, documents positions and state (horizontal/vertical orientation, docked state and files order) are preserved in a simple JSON file 😍 No more dealing with broken .suo file again.

After installing VSIX package you could access your latest Mental Snapshots by navigating to

View -> Other Windows -> Mental Snapshots

By default tool window will open next to Solution Explorer

Tool

You could create a new snapshot using Create Snapshot button

and restore them quickly using few commands from right-click context menu

• Full Restore - restores all files including windows state&position, pinned tabs and current line&column for every file,
• Append Files - adds all files from a selected snapshot to the current active window,
• Restore Files - closes all tabs and restores a snapshot in the same way as Append Files,
• Update - update selected snapshot using current visual&logical state

✨Automatic snapshot switching when changing branches

When switching to another git branch ContextKeeper will automatically remember current branch snapshot and save it to .contextkeeper/.git-branches folder. Also it will be added to the "Mental Snapshots" UI list at the very top with prefix:

This is the same process that you could do manually before switching branches but now fully automated for your convenience 🔥. The current branch snapshot is always continuously auto-saved when you add, remove or change position of any document tab or window (with tabs).

Also a git branch could be changed from CLI, Visual Studio or other third-party client and ContextKeeper will detect it auto-magically 🧙‍♂️ and restore snapshot for currently selected branch.

Where the snapshots are stored?

All snapshots are stored in the .contextkeeper folder which is created in the same folder where solution file (.sln) sits. A snapshot is saved using self explanatory JSON format. You could try changing different bits manually and later checking an impact it has during restoring process.

Git worktree support

The git worktree support, introduced in v1.3, allows even more streamlined context switching. If you sometimes clone entire repository when working on a feature I recommend checking git worktree. Long story short, working tree is like clean, cloned repository but better because:

• repository "cloning" is done instantly - it's a local operation,
• worktree uses less disk space - there is a single .git folder shared across multiple working trees,
• often more convenient than stashing

Current limitations

• stored file paths in a snapshot are absolute,
• windows positions are tightly coupled to your (multi) monitor setup and switching between them are not supported yet (e. g. switching between workstation and laptop).

Roadmap for 2022:

• bookmarks
• breakpoints
• relative paths and machine-independent snapshots restore process
• storing snapshots outside of the solution folder