Demo

Explanation of This Project

This project can create C/Cpp file in "Opened folder/src" and header file in "Opened folder/include". But I think you might modify the source code to create files of many other types in your desired path.

I create this project because I want to create new cpp file in VSCode, but I set VSCode default language to another more using language. So I want to use File--New File prompt to do this.

However, it seems that VSCode doesn't provide this feature and I search in the extension market, but don't find the desired extension. So I decide to create one by myself.

Installation and Usage

Installation

Click "Download Extension" in the right of page to download vsix file. Then in VSCode, Click three dots in the left toolbar--Extensions--Click three dots in the topright of poped up column--Install from VSIX.

Usage

First open a folder in Explorer(top at the left toolbar), then click menu button--File--New File to choose file type you want to create, as shown in demo gif.

To Modify Source Code

Setup Environment

First, download Node.js:

Node.js

Make sure that you install npm package manager during Node.js installation.

Then install Typescript:

TypeScript in Visual Studio Code

Last, install vsce:

Publishing Extensions

Start Coding

Git clone or download zip of this project to your computer.

Open terminal from the folder you get, run

npm install

Then open scr/extension.ts file. Click three dots in the left toolbar--Run and Debug--Click the green button in poped up column.

It will pop up a new VSCode window, and you can try to use the extension feature as mentioned in Usage section. Note that it will create a scr folder in your user folder, for example, in Windows, C:/Users/<username>/scr.

If you want to add other file type, open scr/extension.ts, find export function activate, and in this function, there are 3 blocks, for example:

	context.subscriptions.push(vscode.commands.registerCommand('cpp.createNewFile', async () => {

		const terminal = vscode.window.createTerminal("Terminal");
		terminal.sendText("mkdir \.\\src ; cd \.\\src ; fsutil file createnew Untitled-1.cpp 0 ; code \"Untitled-1.cpp\" ; exit");
	}));

For example, if you want to add python file in "Opened folder/python", you should copy this block and paste it in the activate function. (Python extension in VSCode provides the feature of creating new file in File--New File and I just use it as an example)

Then rename the cpp.createNewFile to, e.g. py.createNewFile, modify src path in mkdir and cd command, and .cpp suffix in fsutil and code command. It should be like this:

	context.subscriptions.push(vscode.commands.registerCommand('py.createNewFile', async () => {

		const terminal = vscode.window.createTerminal("Terminal");
		terminal.sendText("mkdir \.\\python ; cd \.\\python ; fsutil file createnew Untitled-1.py 0 ; code \"Untitled-1.py\" ; exit");
	}));

Then you should modify package.json in the project root folder to make the new command work and be shown in File--New File.

Add command in contributes.commands, note that the value of command should be the same as the name you just created in extension.ts:

"contributes": {
    "commands": [
      ......

      {
        "command": "py.createNewFile",
		"title": "Python: New Python File",
        "shortTitle":"Python File"
      }
    ]
}

Now you can use Ctrl+Shift+P and type the title to use the new command, in the Run and Debug window. To let the new command be shown in File--New File, modify contributes.menus.file/newFile:

"contributes": {    
	......

    "menus": {
      "file/newFile":[		
        ......

        {
          "command": "py.createNewFile",
          "group": "file@4"
        }
      ]
    }
  },

Samely, note the value of command. And here there is a new property: group.

In VSCode menus, there are many groups such as navigation, 2_workspace, etc. navigation group is at the top in the menu by default, other groups sort in the order of 1-9, a-z.

But I read the source code and it seems that in file/newFile there is just one group: file. And it is at the top in File--New File prompt by default. New created group is under the file group.

So if you have other extensions providing the File--New File feature, they might use the file group as well. And if you want to reorder them, you should download their source codes, modify the group property using @ symbol, e.g. @1 at top.

Last, delete publisher in package.json or replace it with your publisher name.

After modifying, run terminal from the project root folder, and run:

vsce package

It will create a vsix file. Install it into VSCode and you can use the new extension.

License

This project uses the BSD-3-Clause license, licenses for third-party dependencies are in this file: NOTICE.