String Jump

String Jump adds semantic navigation for strings and declaration names in TypeScript and JavaScript.

It is built on top of the TypeScript compiler and language-service model, so it follows real types, symbols, and declarations instead of regex rules or filename conventions.

Install from the Visual Studio Marketplace.

What It Does

String Jump helps with two related workflows:

• Jump from a string literal to the declaration that gives that string meaning.
• Jump from a declaration name to the string literals and references that use it.

That means it can work both as forward navigation and as reverse navigation.

Examples it can resolve include:

• union-constrained string arguments
• route names
• controller tuple handlers
• controller class and method references
• model and query-builder string keys
• typed initializer and contextual typing cases

Example

type Strs = 'aaa' | 'bbb';

function test(value: Strs) {
    // logic
}

test('aaa');

With the extension active:

• F12 on 'aaa' jumps to type Strs = ...
• F12 on Strs can show the matching string usages

Demo

Supported Files

• TypeScript
• TypeScript React
• JavaScript
• JavaScript React

Navigation Behavior

String Jump contributes its own Go To Definition command for supported JS and TS editors and binds it to F12.

For multiple matches, the extension defaults to peek behavior so the result list stays visible instead of jumping blindly to a single location.

Cmd-click and the standard Go to Definition flow also participate through the definition provider and TypeScript server plugin integration.

Settings

The extension currently exposes two settings:

• string-jump.hide-declaration Hides the declaration under the cursor from reverse-definition results.
• string-jump.hide-imports Hides import statements from definition results.

Both default to true.

Current Scope

• String Jump is semantic, not heuristic-first. It only decorates literals when it can resolve a concrete declaration target.
• It does not try to underline every string in a file.
• Results are strongest when TypeScript can describe the relationship through actual types, symbols, signatures, or declarations.
• The extension includes extra handling for a few practical framework-style patterns where plain TypeScript navigation is usually not enough.

Development

npm install
npm run compile

Useful commands during development:

• npm run compile builds the extension and the bundled TypeScript server plugin package.
• npm run watch runs TypeScript in watch mode.
• npm run package creates a .vsix package.

Press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host.

Local Validation

This repository uses a local harness instead of a VS Code integration test suite.

• npm test runs test.ts

The harness is meant for validating the resolver against a real local project. If you want to use it on your machine, create a .env file from .env.example and fill in the machine-specific values.

cp .env.example .env

Environment variables used by the local harness:

• STRING_JUMP_TEST_TARGET File, line, and column used by the direct resolver probe and optional editor-driven run.
• STRING_JUMP_TEST_LOG_FILE Path where the extension writes auto-test logs.
• STRING_JUMP_COMMAND_SERVER_URL Command bridge used only by the optional editor-driven flow.

npm test expects .env when no --test=... argument is provided.

The optional editor-driven path uses the VS Code extension VSCode Command Server. You only need STRING_JUMP_COMMAND_SERVER_URL if you want the harness to restart the extension host and drive those extra steps.

Packaging

npm run compile
npm run package

That produces a .vsix file ready for local install or Marketplace upload.