C++ Class/Struct Auto Semicolon & Bracket
If you've ever used Visual Studio Community and switched to VS Code, you probably noticed that VS Code doesn't automatically add a semicolon after the closing } of a class, struct, or enum. This extension fixes exactly that — and handles every C++ coding style you can throw at it.
What It Does
When you finish typing a class, struct, or enum declaration and press Shift+[, instead of a plain { you get a fully formatted block with the correct closing }; automatically:
class MyClass {
// cursor lands here
};
Supported Declarations
Works with all common C++ declaration patterns:
| Declaration |
Closing |
class Foo |
}; |
struct Foo |
}; |
enum class Foo |
}; |
enum struct Foo |
}; |
enum Foo |
}; |
class Foo final |
}; |
class Foo : public Bar |
}; |
template<typename T> class Foo |
}; |
struct alignas(16) Foo |
}; |
Namespaces are intentionally left to VS Code's native behavior since they don't need a semicolon.
Both Coding Styles Supported
K&R Style
class MyClass ← press Shift+[ here
// becomes:
class MyClass {
};
Allman Style
class MyClass
← press Shift+[ here
// becomes:
class MyClass
{
};
Multi-line Inheritance
class MyClass
: public Base,
public IListener ← press Shift+[ here
// becomes:
class MyClass
: public Base,
public IListener {
};
Local Classes (inside functions)
void init() { struct Config ← press Shift+[ here
// becomes:
void init() { struct Config {
};
Inline Mode
Prefer compact style? Enable Inline Mode to get {}; with the cursor placed between { and }:
class MyClass {};
Pressing backspace immediately after (before typing anything inside) deletes the entire {}; in one keystroke.
Toggle Inline Mode Three Ways
- Click
⟨⟩ C++ Expanded in the status bar (bottom right)
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+;
- Go to
Ctrl+, → search "C++ Class Bracket" → check Inline Mode
Smart Backspace
Whenever you have an empty {}; or {} with your cursor between them and nothing typed inside, pressing Backspace deletes all of it at once — regardless of how it was inserted.
class MyClass {}; ← cursor between { and } → Backspace → deletes all three ✅
class MyClass {x}; ← typed something inside → Backspace → normal backspace ✅
Selection Wrap
Select any text and press Shift+Alt+[ to instantly wrap it in {};:
// Select "int main()" and press Shift+Alt+[
// becomes:
{int main()|}; // | is the cursor, selection preserved
Works with multi-line selections and multiple cursors simultaneously. Press Ctrl+Z once to undo the entire wrap.
Smart Behavior
- Forward declarations ignored:
class Foo; → native { ✅
- Already opened blocks ignored:
class Foo { → native { ✅
- Cursor in middle of word:
cl|ass Foo → native { ✅
- Cursor right after keyword:
class| Foo → native { ✅
- Function signatures ignored:
int main() below a class → native { ✅
- Comments ignored: cursor inside
// or /* */ → native { ✅
- Cursor inside string literal:
string s = "cl|ass Foo" → native { ✅
- No declaration anywhere: if no cursor matches a declaration, falls through entirely to VS Code's native
{ with auto-pairing ✅
- Text selected: falls through to VS Code native behavior ✅
- Multiple cursors on different lines: all handled simultaneously ✅
- Multiple cursors on the same empty line: each gets its own
{}; inline ✅
- Mixed cursors: declaration cursors get
{};, non-declaration cursors get {} ✅
- Tab vs spaces: respects your VS Code
editor.tabSize and editor.insertSpaces settings ✅
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut |
Action |
Shift+[ |
Insert {}; block or native { |
Shift+Alt+[ |
Force insert a block regardless of declaration detection (respects Inline/Expanded mode), or wrap selected text in {}; |
Ctrl+Shift+[ |
Insert a plain native { — bypasses the extension entirely, VS Code handles everything |
Backspace |
Smart delete empty {}; or normal backspace |
Ctrl+Shift+; |
Toggle inline mode |
You can change any of these in Ctrl+, → search "Keyboard Shortcuts" → search the command name.
Installation
From the Marketplace
Search for "C++ Class/Struct Auto Semicolon & Bracket" in the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X).
From a VSIX file
code --install-extension cpp-class-bracket-1.2.12.vsix
Or drag the .vsix file directly into the Extensions panel.
Requirements
- VS Code
^1.75.0
- A
.cpp, .c, .h, or .hpp file
Release Notes
1.2.12
- Changing extension's name
1.2.11
- Added
Ctrl+Shift+[ shortcut — inserts a plain native { bypassing the extension entirely, letting VS Code handle auto-pairing and cursor positioning as if the extension didn't exist
- Added selection wrap to
Shift+Alt+[ — select any text and press the shortcut to wrap it in {}; with the cursor landing inside, selection preserved, and single Ctrl+Z to undo
1.2.9 — 1.2.10
- Documentation hotfix to sync README versioning
1.2.8
- Fixed multiple cursors on the same empty line below a declaration inserting
{}; inline instead of the correct expanded block in expanded mode
1.2.7
- Fixed freeze/no-op when multiple cursors are on the same empty line below a declaration — each cursor now correctly gets its own
{}; inserted at its position
- Fixed
int main() and other function signatures below a class incorrectly triggering the extension
- Fixed cursor inside string literals (e.g.
string s = "cl|ass Foo") incorrectly triggering the extension
- Fixed cursor inside block comments
/* */ incorrectly triggering the extension
- Improved multi-cursor handling — non-declaration cursors correctly receive native
{} in the same edit transaction
- Added memoization and full document line cache for faster detection with many cursors
- Added 30-line lookback hard limit to prevent unnecessary scanning in large files
1.2.6
- Fixed cursor right after keyword triggering the extension (e.g.
class| Foo)
- Fixed cursor in middle of word triggering the extension (e.g.
cla|ss c)
- Fixed non-declaration lines like
int main() below a class triggering the extension
- Fixed trailing
} on the current line causing incorrect detection
- Comments are now stripped before evaluation — declarations inside
// no longer cause false positives
- Improved block boundary detection with cleaner internal logic
- Fixed multi-cursor position restoration when multiple cursors are active
1.2.4 — 1.2.5
1.2.3
- Fixed template and macro declarations not triggering the extension
- Fixed multi-cursor collision when two cursors are near the same declaration
1.2.2
- Fixed inheritance lines being destroyed when cursor is on them
- Fixed
{class c} with cursor on empty line below incorrectly triggering
1.2.1
- Rewrote core detection logic to a single clean "collect and join" approach
- Now handles all inheritance styles,
final keyword, nested classes, and more
1.2.0
- Plain
enum now correctly gets };
- Namespace removed from extension — handled natively by VS Code
- Smarter cursor position detection
1.1.5
- Fixed destructive bug where non-declaration lines like
int main() could be replaced
1.1.0
- Fixed cursor in middle of line triggering the extension
- Fixed Allman style indentation
- Added publisher information
1.0.9
- Fixed multi-cursor positions in expanded mode
1.0.6
- Added
enum class, enum struct, plain enum support
- Added inline mode with status bar toggle
- Added tab vs spaces support
- Added smart backspace
1.0.3
- Simplified to only intercept
class/struct lines, everything else native
1.0.0
Contributing
Found a bug or want to suggest something? Open an issue or pull request on GitHub!
License
MIT
