Link File Extension

A VS Code extension that makes file links in comments clickable and underlined.

Features

• Detects LINK: references in any comment format
• Underlines valid file paths that exist in your project
• Shows a code lens "Open file" action
• Supports all file types: text files, images (PNG, JPG, etc.), PDFs, and binary files
• Opens files with appropriate viewer (text editor, image viewer, etc.)
• Supports all languages (JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Markdown, HTML, CSS, and more)
• Customizable link colors

Syntax

The extension recognizes the following patterns:

// LINK:/path/to/file.md
/* LINK:/public/documentation.md */
# LINK:/src/utils/helpers.ts

Format Requirements

• Must use capital LINK:
• Followed by a forward slash / (works on all operating systems)
• Followed by the relative path from project root
• Can have anything after the path (spaces, tabs, etc.)

Usage

1. Add a LINK: comment in any file:

   // LINK:/README.md
   // LINK:/src/components/Button.tsx
   /* Configuration: LINK:/config.json */
   

2. The valid paths will be underlined in blue

3. Hover over the link to see if the file exists

4. Click the "Open file" code lens action that appears above the link

5. The file will open in VS Code

Installation

1. Copy this folder to your extensions directory or install from VS Code marketplace
2. Reload VS Code
3. The extension will activate automatically

Installation from Source

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Or watch for changes
npm run watch

# Package as VSIX
npm run package

Extension Settings

You can customize the appearance of link highlighting in VS Code settings:

Configuration Options

{
  "link-to-file.linkColor": "#000000",
  "link-to-file.linkBackgroundColor": "#ffffff"
}

• linkColor: Text color of the links (default: #000000 - black)
• linkBackgroundColor: Background color of the links (default: #ffffff - white)

Example - highlight links in yellow:

{
  "link-to-file.linkColor": "#000000",
  "link-to-file.linkBackgroundColor": "#ffff00"
}

Known Limitations

• Paths must be relative to the workspace root
• Only detects exact LINK:/path format (capital letters required)
• Will not detect paths with spaces (to maintain clean parsing)

Development

• TypeScript source in src/extension.ts
• See package.json for available npm scripts
• Tests can be added in a test/ folder

License

MIT