YAML Key Search & Replace

A VS Code extension for searching and replacing YAML keys across your workspace using dot notation with exact matching!

Features

• ** Exact Match Search** - Only finds keys that match exactly (no partial or false positives)
• ** Dot Notation Support** - Search using familiar paths like database.connection.timeout
• ** Find and Replace** - Replace values across multiple YAML files
• ** Smart Navigation** - Jump directly to matching keys
• ** Bulk Operations** - Replace all or selectively choose which matches to update

How It Works

This extension uses a tree-based flattening algorithm to ensure 100% accurate matching

What Gets Matched

# Searching for "database.host" will find:

# Example 1: Direct dot notation
database.host: "localhost"  -> MATCH

# Example 2: Hierarchical structure
database:
  host: "localhost"  -> MATCH (flattened as "database.host")

# Example 3: Multi-level nesting
app:
  database:
    host: "localhost"  -> NO MATCH (this is "app.database.host", not "database.host")

What WON'T Match

The extension will NOT match these false positives:

# Searching for "database.host" will NOT find:

database_host: "value"        -> Different key (underscore vs dot)
database.hostname: "value"    -> Different key (hostname vs host)
host: "value"                 -> Missing parent (this is just "host")
database: "value"             -> Incomplete path (no .host)

# Wrong hierarchical context
wrong:
  database:
    host: "value"             -> This is "wrong.database.host", not "database.host"

parent:
  database:
    host: "value"             -> This is "parent.database.host", not "database.host"

Usage

Search Only

Keyboard Shortcut:

1. Press Cmd+Shift+Y (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+Y (Windows/Linux)
2. Enter the key path (e.g., database.connection.timeout)
3. Press Enter to see all exact matches
4. Click any result to jump to that location

Right-Click Menu:

1. Select text or place cursor on a word
2. Right-click → "Search Selected YAML Key"

Find & Replace

Keyboard Shortcut:

1. Press Cmd+Shift+H (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+H (Windows/Linux)
2. Enter the key path to search
3. Enter the new value
4. Review and approve changes using the professional interface

Right-Click Menu:

1. Select text or place cursor on a word
2. Right-click → "Find and Replace Selected YAML Key"

Replace Interface Options

The replace modal provides several options:

• 📋 View All Matches - See file paths, line numbers, and current values
• ☑️ Selective Replacement - Use checkboxes to choose which matches to replace
• 👁️ Preview - Click any match to view it in the editor
• 🔄 Review Each - Git diff-style review for individual changes
• ⚡ Bulk Actions - Replace Selected, Replace All, or Cancel

Key Path Format

Use dot notation to represent nested YAML keys:

database:
  connection:
    host: 'localhost'
    port: 5432
    timeout: 30
  pool:
    max-connections: 10

spring:
  application:
    name: 'my-app'

Valid search paths:

• database.connection.host → finds "localhost"
• database.connection.port → finds 5432
• database.connection.timeout → finds 30
• database.pool.max-connections → finds 10
• spring.application.name → finds "my-app"

What makes a valid search:

• Must be the complete path from root to leaf
• Path must match exactly (no partial matches)
• Case-sensitive matching

Commands

Configuration

File Exclusion Patterns

Configure which files/directories to exclude from searches:

Settings UI:

1. Open Settings (Cmd+, / Ctrl+,)
2. Search for "YAML Key Search"
3. Modify "Exclude Patterns"

settings.json:

{
  "yamlKeySearch.excludePatterns": [
    "**/node_modules/**",
    "**/.git/**",
    "**/target/**",
    "**/build/**",
    "**/dist/**",
    "**/test/**",
    "**/*test*.yml",
    "**/*test*.yaml"
  ],
  "yamlKeySearch.includePatterns": [
    "**/*.yml",
    "**/*.yaml"
  ]
}

Default Exclusions

By default, these directories are excluded:

• **/node_modules/**
• **/.git/**
• **/target/**
• **/build/**
• **/dist/**
• **/out/**
• **/.vscode/**

Supported File Types

• .yml files
• .yaml files

License

MIT

Note: This extension uses exact matching to ensure accuracy. If you need fuzzy search or partial matching, please use VS Code's built-in search functionality.