Markdown Made Easy for VS Code

Markdown Made Easy makes Markdown templates easy to reuse inside VS Code.

Create and insert templates

While editing a Markdown file, right-click in the editor and choose:

• Markdown Made Easy: Insert Template in Current File — choose a template and insert it at the cursor.
• Markdown Made Easy: Create Template from Current File — save the complete current document as a reusable personal template.

Personal templates are stored privately in VS Code on this device. Saving another template with the same name updates it.

Fill template variables without right-clicking

Write placeholders in any template using the form {{VARIABLE_NAME}}, such as:

# {{PROJECT_NAME}}

**Date:** {{DATE}}

## Summary

{{SUMMARY}}

The extension detects every variable automatically and places a clickable Fill VARIABLE control above it. Click that control to choose a suggested value or select Enter a custom value…. Only the matching placeholder is replaced.

Suggestions are tailored to common variable names:

• {{DATE}} — current numeric or written date
• {{PROJECT_NAME}} — name of the open VS Code workspace
• {{VERSION}} — common starting version numbers
• {{FILES_ADDED}} — files Git currently reports as added or untracked
• {{FILES_MODIFIED}} — files Git currently reports as changed
• {{FILES_REMOVED}} — files Git currently reports as deleted
• {{FOLDER_STRUCTURE}} — an ASCII tree generated from tracked and untracked project files
• {{SUMMARY}}, {{TITLE}}, and {{COMMIT_TITLE}} — useful writing starters
• Every other variable — a sensible default plus a custom-value option

Start a new Markdown file

Use Ctrl+Shift+P and run Markdown Made Easy: New File from Template when you want a fresh Markdown document.

Add a generated Markdown timeline

When editing any Markdown file, right-click in the editor and select Markdown Made Easy: Add Markdown Section. Choose Timeline from the drop-down. The extension inserts a timeline such as:

001 ──► 002 ──► 003 ──► 004 ──► 005 ──► 006 ──►...
                 ↑

Current Commit (v1.0.7)

The numbered milestones are generated from the Git commit count. The current marker uses the exact Git tag when HEAD is tagged; otherwise it uses the version in the workspace package.json. It refreshes each time you insert a timeline.

Install locally

1. Open the Extensions view with Ctrl+Shift+X.
2. Select the … menu.
3. Select Install from VSIX….
4. Choose the packaged .vsix file from this project.

The extension has no network access, telemetry, account requirement, or external dependencies.

Automatic updates from GitHub

Markdown Made Easy checks this repository's latest GitHub Release whenever VS Code starts. When a newer release is available, it downloads the matching VSIX, installs it through VS Code, and asks you to reload the window. No manual VSIX installation is required after the first version containing this updater is installed.

Automatic updates are on by default. To turn them off, set Markdown Made Easy: Auto Update to false in VS Code Settings.

Open a template as a Git workspace

If you open a Markdown template by itself, right-click that .md file in VS Code's Explorer and choose Markdown Made Easy: Open as Git Workspace. The extension finds the file's Git repository root and opens that folder in a new VS Code window. This lets the file and folder variables read the correct project state without closing your current window.