Auto Barrel Generator

Automatically generates and keeps index.ts / index.js barrel files in sync with your folder structure.

Stop manually writing exports.
Keep your modules clean and organized automatically.

🎬 Demo

✨ Features

• Automatic index.ts / index.js generation
• Real-time updates when:
  • A file is created
  • A file is deleted
  • A file is saved
• Supports:
  • .ts
  • .tsx
  • .js
  • .jsx
• Smart export detection using TypeScript AST
• Handles:
  • Default exports
  • Named exports
  • Default + named combined
• Ignores files without exports
• Optional subfolder scanning
• Alphabetical sorting
• Zero manual maintenance
  
  

📦 What It Generates

Named exports only

export * from "./myFile";

Default export only

export { default as MyFile } from "./myFile";

Default + named exports

export { default as MyFile } from "./myFile";
export * from "./myFile";

📁 Example

Before

components/
 ├── Button.tsx
 ├── Card.tsx

After

components/
 ├── index.ts
 ├── Button.tsx
 ├── Card.tsx

// components/index.ts
export { default as Button } from "./Button";
export { default as Card } from "./Card";

📥 Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions
3. Search for Auto Barrel Generator
4. Click Install
   
   

🚀 How It Works

The extension watches your workspace and regenerates the barrel file automatically when needed.

No manual trigger required.

You can also manually generate a barrel file:

• Right-click a folder
• Select Generate Barrel
  
  

⚙️ Configuration

Configure behavior in VS Code settings:

"autoBarrel.outputFile": "auto",
"autoBarrel.includeSubfolders": false,
"autoBarrel.skipRootAndSrc": true,
"autoBarrel.sortAlphabetically": true,
"autoBarrel.ignore": ["__tests__", "node_modules"]

Configure via settings.json

You can configure the extension directly in JSON:

Workspace settings (.vscode/settings.json):

{
  "autoBarrel.outputFile": "auto",
  "autoBarrel.includeSubfolders": true,
  "autoBarrel.skipRootAndSrc": true,
  "autoBarrel.sortAlphabetically": true,
  "autoBarrel.ignore": ["__tests__", "__mocks__", "node_modules"]
}

User settings (Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)) use the same keys.

Settings Explained

🧠 Smart Export Detection

This extension parses your files using the TypeScript compiler API (AST) to detect:

• export default
• export const
• export function
• export class
• export interface
• export type
• export { X }
• CommonJS exports (module.exports, exports.foo, module.exports.foo)

Files without exports are automatically ignored.

🎯 Why Use It?

• Avoid manual barrel maintenance
• Prevent missing exports
• Improve developer experience
• Keep folder structure clean
• Scale better in large projects
  
  

⚡ Performance

• Lightweight
• Event-based file watching
• No background polling
• Only regenerates when necessary
  
  

⚠️ Limitations

• Source files named index.ts, index.tsx, index.js, and index.jsx are ignored to avoid self-reexports/cycles.
• If a folder only contains index.*, no barrel is generated automatically.
• Recommended pattern: use files like router.tsx or routes.tsx as sources, and keep index.ts for the generated barrel.
  
  

🛠 Requirements

• VS Code 1.75+
• Node.js project
  
  

🗺 Roadmap

• Exclude patterns (glob support)
• Marketplace publishing
  
  

📄 License

MIT © 2026 Mariano Hilario

👨‍💻 Author

Mariano Hilario
GitHub: https://github.com/marianohilario

Built to simplify barrel management in modern JavaScript and TypeScript projects.