Auto Markdown Preview Lock
A Visual Studio Code extension that automatically opens the Markdown preview when you open a Markdown file. Optional settings let you lock the right editor group to keep the preview pinned and automate preview open/close behavior.
Feature
- Automatically opens the Markdown preview when a Markdown file becomes active.
- Keeps the code editor in the primary group while locking the preview to the side when enabled.
- Closes the preview when a non-Markdown editor becomes active (configurable).
- Lets you choose which command is used to open the Markdown preview.
- Workspace-scoped settings so each project can tune the behavior.
Settings
| Key |
Default |
Description |
autoMdPreview.enableAutoPreview |
true |
Automatically open Markdown preview when a Markdown file becomes active. |
autoMdPreview.alwaysOpenInPrimaryEditor |
true |
Keep the active text editor in the primary (first) group when opening previews. |
autoMdPreview.closePreviewOnNonMarkdown |
true |
Close Markdown preview when a non-Markdown editor becomes active. |
autoMdPreview.openPreviewCommand |
"markdown.showPreviewToSide" |
VS Code command ID used to open the Markdown preview for the active document. |
Configuration
You can customize the behavior using workspace settings such as .vscode/settings.json:
{
"autoMdPreview.enableAutoPreview": true,
"autoMdPreview.alwaysOpenInPrimaryEditor": true,
"autoMdPreview.closePreviewOnNonMarkdown": true,
"autoMdPreview.openPreviewCommand": "markdown.showPreviewToSide"
}
Switching Preview Behavior
By default, the extension uses the built-in VS Code Markdown preview (markdown.showPreviewToSide).
If you do not change any settings, it will behave the same as before.
You can switch the preview behavior by changing the command specified in autoMdPreview.openPreviewCommand.
For example:
- Use the built-in Markdown preview:
"autoMdPreview.openPreviewCommand": "markdown.showPreviewToSide"
- Use another extension (e.g. Markdown Preview Enhanced):
"autoMdPreview.openPreviewCommand": "markdown-preview-enhanced.openPreview"
Note: The available command IDs depend on the extensions installed in your environment.
Privacy / Telemetry
This extension does not send any usage data (telemetry).
License
MIT
