Path Upward Definition Provider

VS Code extension that enables Go to Definition (F12 / Ctrl+Click) for file paths embedded in plain text.

The extension resolves relative paths by traversing parent directories upward until it finds a matching root folder name.

Features

• Supports Go to Definition on file paths inside text

• Works even when files are located outside the current workspace

• Supports:

  • relative paths
  • absolute paths
  • quoted paths

• Integrates with:

  • F12
  • Ctrl+Click
  • context menu → Go to Definition

Resolution Algorithm

For relative paths:

1. Take the first directory name from the path

2. Start from the current file directory

3. Traverse upward through parent directories

4. When a directory name matches the first path segment:

   • attempt to resolve the remaining relative path

5. If the file does not exist:

   • continue traversing upward

6. Stop on the first successful match

Example

Current file:

/test/test1/test2/test3/test.txt

Referenced path:

test1/file.txt

Resolved target:

/test/test1/file.txt

Absolute Paths

Absolute paths are opened directly if the target file exists.

Example:

/home/user/project/file.txt

or

C:\Projects\app\file.txt

Supported Path Formats

test1/file.txt
"test1/file.txt"
'test1/file.txt'

Installation

From VSIX

code --install-extension path-upward-definition-provider.vsix

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Compile:

npm run compile

Run extension host:

• Press F5
• or use Run Extension from the Debug panel

Configuration

The list of supported file extensions is configurable. You can customize which file types the definition provider should work with by modifying the pathUpwardDefinitionProvider.fileExtensions setting in your VS Code settings.json.

Default Configuration

By default, the extension works with the following file extensions:

"pathUpwardDefinitionProvider.fileExtensions": [
  ".proto",
  ".nlg"
]

Custom Configuration

To add or modify the supported file extensions, add this to your user or workspace settings:

{
  "pathUpwardDefinitionProvider.fileExtensions": [
    ".proto",
    ".nlg",
    ".txt",
    ".md",
    ".json"
  ]
}

Usage

1. Open any file with a supported extension (by default: .proto, .nlg)
2. Place cursor on a path
3. Press:
   • F12
   • or Ctrl+Click

The extension will attempt to resolve and open the referenced file.

Limitations

• Currently opens only existing files
• Does not resolve glob patterns
• Does not support archive/virtual filesystems
• First successful match wins

Possible Future Improvements

• Line/column support (file.txt:42)
• Directory navigation
• Fuzzy path matching
• Extension fallback resolution
• Path resolution cache
• Configurable search roots
• Multi-target selection UI

License

MIT