Transform your VS Code editor into a typing practice arena! ReType turns any code file into a MonkeyType-style typing practice session, helping you improve your programming typing speed and accuracy.
🚀 Features
Phase 1 (Current)
🎯 Practice Mode: Convert any file into a typing practice session
🎨 Visual Feedback: Solarized Light color scheme with real-time visual feedback
Faint text for untyped content
Normal color for correctly typed text
Red highlighting for errors
Green highlighting for current character
📊 Real-time Stats: Live WPM, accuracy, and error tracking in the status bar
⚡ Smart Error Handling: Backspace support with intelligent error correction
🔄 Session Management: Reset and restart sessions easily
🖥️ Language Agnostic: Works with any programming language supported by VS Code
📖 Usage
Getting Started
Open any code file in VS Code
Position your cursor where you want to start practicing
Use one of these methods to start:
Command Palette: Ctrl+Shift+P → "ReType: Start Practice Mode"
Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
During Practice
Type naturally: Just start typing the code as it appears
Visual feedback: Watch colors change as you type
Untyped text appears faded
Correct text appears in normal color
Incorrect characters are highlighted in red
Current character is highlighted in green
Real-time stats: Monitor your progress in the status bar
Error correction: Use backspace to fix mistakes
Ending Practice
Stop Practice: Ctrl+Shift+E (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+E (Mac)
Reset Session: Use "ReType: Reset Current Session" from command palette
Auto-complete: When you finish typing all text, you'll see a completion dialog
Available Commands
Command
Shortcut
Description
ReType: Start Practice Mode
Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R
Start typing practice on current file
ReType: Stop Practice Mode
Ctrl+Shift+E / Cmd+Shift+E
Stop current practice session
ReType: Reset Current Session
-
Reset current session and start over
⚙️ Settings
Access settings via File > Preferences > Settings and search for "ReType":
retype.theme: Color theme for typing practice (default: "solarized-light")
retype.showRealTimeStats: Show real-time typing statistics in status bar (default: true)
🎯 Tips for Best Results
Choose appropriate text: Start with simpler code snippets and work your way up
Focus on accuracy: Speed will come naturally with practice
Use proper finger placement: Practice proper typing technique
Regular practice: Consistent daily practice yields the best results
Language variety: Practice with different programming languages to improve versatility
🔧 Development
Building from Source
# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd retype
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile
# Watch for changes during development
npm run watch
Extension Structure
retype-extension/
├── src/
│ ├── extension.ts # Main extension entry point
│ ├── retypeMode.ts # Core typing practice logic
│ ├── decorationManager.ts # Handle text decorations
│ ├── statsTracker.ts # Performance tracking
│ ├── themeManager.ts # Solarized color management
│ └── commands.ts # Command implementations
├── package.json # Extension manifest
└── README.md # This file
🔧 Recent Updates
✅ Fixed: Document Overlay Protection
Issue Fixed: Extension now works as a true overlay without modifying the original document
How it works: Typing is intercepted before it reaches the document, ensuring your code stays untouched
Behavior:
✅ Original text is never modified
✅ Cursor advances only on correct characters
✅ Incorrect characters are highlighted in red and block progress
✅ Backspace works correctly to fix errors
✅ Fixed: Tab Handling & Special Characters
Tab Support: Tab key now works correctly without making code editable
✅ Respects editor settings (tab size, spaces vs tabs)
✅ Tab and space are treated as equivalent for indentation
✅ No more accidental document editing when using Tab
Better Visibility: Untyped text is now darker and easier to read
Special Characters: No more getting stuck on quotes and special symbols
✅ Smart quotes vs straight quotes are treated as equivalent
✅ Unicode normalization handles different character encodings
