Skip to content
| Marketplace
Sign in
Visual Studio Code>Other>BacktickifyNew to Visual Studio Code? Get it now.
Backtickify

Backtickify

CoolAman9873

|
8 installs
| (1) | Free
A VS Code extension to automatically convert string literals to template literals.
Installation
Launch VS Code Quick Open (Ctrl+P), paste the following command, and press enter.
Copied to clipboard
More Info

Auto Template Literals

A Visual Studio Code extension that automatically converts string literals (with single or double quotes) to template literals (with backticks) when you type ${ inside a string. This saves you time and helps prevent syntax errors when working with JavaScript and TypeScript.

Features

  • Automatic Conversion: When you type ${ inside a string with single (') or double (") quotes, the extension automatically converts the quotes to backticks (`).
  • Multi-Cursor Support: Works with multiple cursors simultaneously - perfect for batch editing.
  • Notification: Shows a notification confirming how many strings were converted.

How It Works

  1. Start typing in a string literal with single or double quotes:

    const message = "Hello, ";
    
  2. When you want to use a template expression, type ${:

    const message = "Hello, ${
    
  3. The extension automatically converts the quotes to backticks:

    const message = `Hello, ${
    
  4. You can now complete your template expression:

    const message = `Hello, ${name}`;
    

Use Cases

  • Dynamic String Construction: When adding variables to strings
  • Multiline Strings: When you need to expand a single-line string to multiple lines
  • String Interpolation: When you need to include expressions in your strings

Requirements

  • Visual Studio Code version 1.60.0 or higher

Extension Settings

This extension does not add any settings.

Known Limitations

  • Currently works only with single-line strings
  • The string detection algorithm uses a simplified approach that might not handle all complex nested string cases
  • Does not handle strings that span multiple lines

Future Enhancements

Planned improvements:

  • Support for multi-line strings
  • Options to customize behavior
  • More robust string detection in complex code

Installation

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "Auto Template Literals"
  4. Click Install

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually:

  1. Download the .vsix file from the releases page
  2. In VS Code, open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
  3. Type "Extensions: Install from VSIX" and select it
  4. Choose the downloaded .vsix file

How It Works Under the Hood

This extension:

  1. Monitors Document Changes: Listens for text changes in the editor
  2. Detects Template Expression Start: Identifies when the user types ${
  3. Analyzes String Context: Determines if the cursor is inside a string literal
  4. Converts Quotes: Replaces the opening and closing quotes with backticks

The string detection algorithm:

  • Searches backward from the cursor to find the opening quote
  • Ensures the quote isn't escaped (e.g., \")
  • Performs a basic balance check to handle nested quotes
  • Searches forward to find the matching closing quote

Development

Want to contribute? Great! Here's how to set up the development environment:

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/AmanKumar-0/auto-template-literals.git
    
  2. Install dependencies:

    cd auto-template-literals
    npm install
    
  3. Open in VS Code:

    code .
    
  4. Press F5 to launch the extension in development mode

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Release Notes

0.0.1

  • Initial release
  • Automatic conversion of string literals to template literals
  • Multi-cursor support

0.0.2

  • Updated README.md

Enjoy! 🚀

  • Contact us
  • Jobs
  • Privacy
  • Manage cookies
  • Terms of use
  • Trademarks
© 2025 Microsoft