Format Directory - VS Code Extension

A VS Code extension that allows you to format entire directories with a right-click context menu option.

Changelog

v1.0.9

Performance Optimization: Replaced manual file recursion with high-performance vscode.workspace.findFiles API, significantly speeding up file scanning in large projects.
New language support: Added Traditional Chinese (繁體中文) and Turkish (Türkçe) translations.

See CHANGELOG.md for detailed release notes.

Features

Right-click directory formatting: Format all files in a directory directly from the Explorer
Recursive formatting: Optionally format files in subdirectories
Customizable file types: Configure which file extensions to format
Exclude patterns: Skip specific directories or files (e.g., node_modules, dist)
Progress tracking: Visual progress notification with cancellation support
Error handling: Detailed error reporting for failed files
Internationalization (i18n): automatically switches based on VS Code language settings
Respects user settings: Uses your configured formatters and editor settings from settings.json
Performance optimization: High-performance file scanning using VS Code's native index and concurrent file formatting for faster processing.
Two formatting modes:
- Default: Use saved configuration settings
- Reconfigure: Customize settings on-the-fly before formatting (including file extensions, recursive mode, and exclude patterns)

Usage

Format with Default Settings

Right-click on any folder in the Explorer
Select "Format Directory (Default Settings)" or "格式化目录 (默认配置)" (depending on your VS Code language)
The extension will format all matching files based on your settings

Format with Custom Settings

Right-click on any folder in the Explorer
Select "Format Directory (Reconfigure)" or "格式化目录 (重新配置)"
Enter file extensions to format (comma-separated)
Choose whether to format subdirectories recursively
Formatting will begin with your custom settings

Internationalization

The extension automatically detects your VS Code language setting and displays the interface accordingly:

English: When VS Code is set to English
中文: When VS Code is set to Chinese (Simplified)
日本語 (Japanese): When VS Code is set to Japanese
Français (French): When VS Code is set to French
Deutsch (German): When VS Code is set to German
Español (Spanish): When VS Code is set to Spanish
Italiano (Italian): When VS Code is set to Italian
Русский (Russian): When VS Code is set to Russian
Português (Portuguese - Brazil): When VS Code is set to Portuguese (Brazil)
한국어 (Korean): When VS Code is set to Korean
Türkçe (Turkish): When VS Code is set to Turkish
繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese): When VS Code is set to Traditional Chinese

All menu items, notifications, and prompts will be displayed in the appropriate language.

Configuration

Open VS Code settings and search for "Format Directory" to configure:

`formatdir.fileExtensions`

Array of file extensions to format.

Default:

[
  ".js", ".ts", ".jsx", ".tsx", ".json", ".css", ".scss", ".less",
  ".html", ".xml", ".md", ".yaml", ".yml", ".vue", ".py", ".java",
  ".c", ".cpp", ".h", ".cs", ".go", ".rs", ".php", ".rb", ".sql"
]

`formatdir.recursive`

Whether to recursively format files in subdirectories.

Default: true

`formatdir.excludePatterns`

Glob patterns to exclude from formatting.

Default:

[
  "**/node_modules/**",
  "**/dist/**",
  "**/build/**",
  "**/out/**",
  "**/.git/**",
  "**/vendor/**",
  "**/*.min.js",
  "**/*.min.css"
]

`formatdir.showProgress`

Show progress notification when formatting.

Default: true

`formatdir.concurrencyLimit`

Maximum number of files to format concurrently. Higher values may improve performance but use more system resources.

Default: 10 Range: 1-50

`formatdir.maxFileSize`

Maximum file size in bytes to format. Files larger than this will be skipped. Set to 0 for no limit.

Default: 1048576 (1MB)

`formatdir.language`

Override the language used by the extension.

auto: Use VS Code display language (default)
en: English
zh-cn: Chinese (Simplified)
ja: Japanese
fr: French
de: German
es: Spanish
it: Italian
ru: Russian
pt-br: Portuguese (Brazil)
ko: Korean
tr: Turkish
zh-tw: Traditional Chinese

Example Configuration

Add to your settings.json:

{
  "formatdir.fileExtensions": [".js", ".ts", ".json"],
  "formatdir.recursive": true,
  "formatdir.excludePatterns": [
    "**/node_modules/**",
    "**/dist/**"
  ],
  "formatdir.showProgress": true,
  "formatdir.concurrencyLimit": 10,
  "formatdir.maxFileSize": 1048576,
  "formatdir.language": "auto"
}

Requirements

VS Code 1.85.0 or higher
Appropriate formatters installed for the file types you want to format (e.g., Prettier, ESLint)

How It Works

The extension uses VS Code's built-in formatting API (vscode.executeFormatDocumentProvider), which means it will:

Use your configured formatters: Automatically applies the formatter you've set for each file type (e.g., Prettier for JavaScript, Black for Python)
Respect your settings: Reads formatting preferences from your settings.json, including:
- editor.tabSize - Tab size for indentation
- editor.insertSpaces - Use spaces or tabs
- editor.defaultFormatter - Default formatter for each language
- Language-specific formatter settings (e.g., prettier.singleQuote, python.formatting.provider)
Apply workspace settings: Uses workspace-specific settings if available

Make sure you have the appropriate formatters installed and configured in your settings.json.

FAQ

Why are some files being skipped?

Files might be skipped if:

They don't match the configured formatdir.fileExtensions.
They match an entry in formatdir.excludePatterns.
Their file size exceeds formatdir.maxFileSize (default 1MB).
There is no formatter installed/configured in VS Code for that file type.

How do I use a specific formatter (e.g. Prettier instead of built-in)?

This extension uses your VS Code settings. Set the default formatter for a language in your settings.json:

"[javascript]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
}

You can also use the "Format Directory: Configure Formatter Priority" command to quickly jump to these settings.

Can I undo a formatting operation?

Yes! Use the command "Format Directory: Undo Last Format" from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) to revert the changes.

Format Directory