Copy Info with Context - VS Code Extension

Born from the frustration of constantly copying and pasting code snippets, data, and configuration fragments without any context about where they came from or what they represented.

A VS Code extension that copies code snippets with intelligent contextual information - filename, line numbers, and smart path detection for structured data. Perfect for documentation, code reviews, debugging, and sharing code with proper attribution.

The Problem This Solves

Have you ever:

Copied a JSON snippet and forgot which property path it came from?
Shared XML data without knowing which nested element you were looking at?
Pasted code in Slack without line numbers, making it impossible to reference?
Lost track of which file a configuration came from?
Struggled to explain CSV data without column context?

This extension was created to solve exactly these problems - providing rich context for any code or data you copy.

Features

Context Detection: JSON/JSONC property paths, XML/HTML hierarchy, CSV/TSV/PSV columns, function/class context, CSS selectors.
Multiple Output Formats: Plain text, HTML, Markdown, ANSI colored, custom formats.
Syntax Highlighting: 10+ languages, smart color coding, auto-detects delimited files.
Smart Data Masking: Detects and masks 40+ types of PII (email, phone, address, credit cards, SSN, IBAN, BSB, TFN, ABN, passports, IDs, etc.)
- Industry Presets: Basic, Financial, Healthcare, Enterprise, Custom
- Masking Strategies: Partial, Full, Structural, Hash, Redact
- Disabled by default – Enable in settings
CSV Intelligence: Delimiter detection, quote-aware parsing, column type detection, ASCII table rendering.
Performance Optimizations: Fast parsing, memory-efficient, O(1) lookups, lazy RegExp compilation.
VS Code Integration: Keyboard shortcuts, right-click menu, command palette, status bar indicator.

Quick Start

Install from VS Code Marketplace
Copy code/data with context using:
- Ctrl+Alt+C / Cmd+Alt+C – Copy with context
- Ctrl+Alt+H / Cmd+Alt+H – Copy with HTML highlighting
Configure features in VS Code settings (Ctrl+, → search "copy info with context")

Configuration

See Configuration Guide for all settings.

Example: Enable Data Masking

{
  "copyInfoWithContext.enableDataMasking": true,
  "copyInfoWithContext.maskingPreset": "financial"
}

Usage Examples

JSON: Shows property path and array indices
XML: Shows element hierarchy and sibling indices
CSV: Shows column context and supports 4 output modes
Functions/Classes: Shows containing function/class name
HTML/Markdown/ANSI: Rich formatted output for documentation, Slack, email

See Usage Examples for details.

Key Features in Latest Version

🐛 v1.6.2: CDATA Masking Bug Fixes

Fixed CDATA line merging caused by \s-based patterns (BSB, TFN, phone, etc.) matching across newlines inside CDATA sections.
Fixed outer XML tag corruption that occurred when length-changing masks were applied alongside CDATA replacements.
See full details in CHANGELOG.md

🏗️ v1.6.0: Modular Architecture & Performance Optimization

Monolithic masking engine split into 8 focused modules for maintainability, speed, and testability.
66% code reduction (1,739 → ~590 lines).
97% faster module load time, 50-70% fewer false positives, O(1) lookups.
Enhanced maintainability and testability.
See full details in CHANGELOG.md

Documentation & Guides

Supported File Types

Category	Formats/Languages
Programming	JS, TS, Python, C#, Java, Go, Rust
Data	JSON, XML, HTML, YAML, CSV, TSV, PSV, SSV
Styling	CSS, SCSS, SASS, LESS
Markup	HTML, XML, Markdown
Configuration	YAML, JSON, TOML, INI

Development

git clone https://github.com/dwmchan/copy-info-with-context.git
cd copy-info-with-context
npm install
npm run compile
npm test

Note on the test runner: The project's tests are written in TypeScript and compiled to JavaScript under out/test. The test entrypoint is src/test/runTest.ts, which imports the individual test suites; the test script runs npm run compile and then executes node ./out/test/runTest.js. Keep src/test/runTest.ts as the canonical place to add new test suites.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT License – see LICENSE.

Support

Credits

Created by Donald Chan (donald@iendeavour.com.au)

Special thanks to the VS Code community for feedback and suggestions.