Pin Folders Extended

Pin Folders Extended is an improved and modernized version of the original Pin Folders extension.
It provides a dedicated sidebar view where you can pin frequently used folders for quick access, enhanced navigation, and a smoother workflow.

Based on the original “Pin Folders” extension by shivaprasanth (Apache‑2.0 license).

Features

• Project‑based pinned folders

Each workspace/project maintains its own independent list of pinned folders.
This avoids mixing bookmarks across unrelated projects and keeps your workflow clean and organized.

• Pinned Folders View

A dedicated sidebar panel that displays your pinned folders with custom labels.
Useful when working across multiple projects or folders with identical names (e.g., multiple src directories).

• Drag & Drop (reorder + move)

Drag & drop supports two behaviors:

• Reorder pinned folders
  • Drag a pinned folder onto another pinned folder to change their order.
• Move files and folders
  • Drag files or subfolders between pinned folders or their subfolders.
  • You can drop:
    • onto a pinned root folder → file is moved into that folder
    • onto a subfolder → file is moved into that subfolder
    • onto a file → file is moved into the parent folder of the target file

Behavior matches the native VS Code Explorer as much as the API allows:

• drag = MOVE
• modifier‑key copy is not supported (VS Code API limitation)

• Automatic Refresh

Pinned folders update automatically when their contents change:

• file created
• file deleted
• file renamed
• folder structure modified

Works even when changes happen outside VS Code (Finder, Explorer, CLI).

• Integrated Search (files + folders)

Search within pinned folders and browse results in a dedicated view.
The search engine matches both files and directories, making it easy to locate anything inside your pinned structure.

• File & Folder Operations

Perform common file operations directly inside the pinned folders view:

• Create file or folder
• Rename file or folder
• Copy file or folder
• Move file or folder
• Delete file or folder

These actions work consistently across both the pinned folders view and search results.

• Reset All Pinned Folders

A command in the view menu (⋯) allows you to reset the entire pinned folder list,
including all cached state.
This completely clears the pinned folders for the current workspace.

• Open in New Window

Right‑click any pinned folder → Open in New Window

Usage

Add a Pinned Folder

• Right‑click any folder in the Explorer → Pin in Pinned Folders

You can assign a custom name to each pinned folder.

Reorder Pinned Folders

• Drag one pinned folder onto another pinned folder
• The list order is updated accordingly

Move Files and Folders

• Drag files or folders:
  • between pinned folders
  • into subfolders under pinned folders
  • onto a file (drop → move to its parent folder)
• Operation always performs a MOVE

Reset All Pinned Folders

• Open the ⋯ menu in the Pinned Folders view
• Select Reset All Pinned Folders
  This clears:
• pinned folder list
• search cache
• watchers
• collapsible state

Automatic Refresh

No need to manually refresh.
The view updates automatically whenever pinned folders change on disk.

Search

• Use the Search panel to find files or folders inside pinned directories
• Results appear in a dedicated Search Results view
• Switch back to the main pinned folders tree when results are cleared

Open in New Window

Right‑click a pinned folder → Open in New Window

Commands

Known Limitations

Copy/Paste via Keyboard

VS Code does not support Ctrl/Cmd + C and Ctrl/Cmd + V for custom TreeViews.
Copy operations must be done through context menu or Explorer.

Modifier Keys During Drag & Drop

The VS Code TreeView API does not expose modifier keys (Cmd/Option/Control) during drag operations.
Therefore:

• drag = MOVE
• copy via drag is not supported

Search depth

The search view shows the direct contents of matched folders, but does not currently expand into deeper subfolders.
Recursive search inside nested directories may be added in a future update.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache‑2.0 license.
The extension is based on the original “Pin Folders” extension by shivaprasanth.