Rifler

Features

• Dynamic Search - Results appear as you type (no Find button needed)
• QuickPick Search - A keyboard-first QuickPick search mode with live results, inline filters, and a "Show all results in Rifler" overflow for larger queries
• Search From Selection - Select text in the editor, then open Rifler and it will be used as the initial search query
• Fresh State - Automatically clears search results and state when switching workspaces
• High Performance
  • Virtualized Results - Smooth scrolling with 10,000+ results
  • Configurable Limit - Adjust max results via rifler.maxResults setting
  • Path Tooltips - Hover truncated paths to see full file path
  • Search Duration - Real-time performance metrics displayed with results
• Multiple Scopes
  • Project - Search entire workspace
  • Module - Search in detected modules (package.json, tsconfig.json, etc.)
  • Directory - Search in a specific directory (with editable path)
  • File - Search in a specific file (auto-enabled when file is opened from results)
• Search Options
  • Match Case - Case-sensitive search
  • Words - Match whole words only
  • Regex - Use regular expressions
  • Usage-Aware (LSP) - Semantic symbol search using Language Server Protocol
    • Finds actual symbol references, not just text matches
    • Supports References, Definitions, Implementations, and Type Definitions
    • Language-aware search (like JetBrains "Find Usages")
    • Clear indication when LSP mode is active
    • Graceful fallback when language server unavailable
  • File Mask - Filter by file patterns (e.g., *.ts, *.js)
    • Supports PyCharm-style include/exclude masks: comma/semicolon separated; ! to exclude. Examples: *.py; main.py, util.py; !*.txt; *.tsx,!*.test.tsx,!*.stories.tsx; *test*.
  • Smart Excludes - Toggle to control automatic exclusion of common directories
    • ON (default) - Excludes node_modules, .git, dist, build, and other common directories
    • OFF - Searches all directories including node_modules (useful for searching dependencies)
    • State persists across sessions
  • Context Filters - Filter matches by code context (inspired by JetBrains IDEs)
    • Code - Include matches in code
    • Comments - Include matches in comments
    • Strings - Include matches in string literals
    • Configure default filters via settings (rifler.searchContext.*)
    • Helps avoid false positives in documentation and user-facing strings
    • Makes Replace operations safer and more trustworthy
• Search & Replace
  • Replace One - Replace current match and move to next
  • Replace All - Replace all occurrences in search results
  • Undo Support - Full undo support for all replacements
• Full File Preview
  • View entire file with all matches highlighted
  • Syntax Highlighting - Code highlighting for 50+ languages in both results and preview (powered by highlight.js)
  • Click to Edit - Click anywhere in preview to start editing inline
  • Auto-save - Changes auto-save as you type
• Responsive Sidebar
  • Layout flexes to the default VS Code sidebar width with wrapping controls (no overflow on first open)
  • Restores your last search, results, and preview when reopening
• Flexible Panel Location
  • Open Rifler in the sidebar, bottom panel, or a separate editor tab via rifler.panelLocation
• Inline File Editing
  • Edit files directly in the preview panel
  • Real-time syntax highlighting while editing
  • Integrated search & replace within the file
  • Line numbers with synchronized scrolling
• Keyboard Navigation
  • ↑/↓ - Navigate results
  • Enter - Open selected result in editor
  • Double-click - Open file at clicked line
  • Cmd+Alt+R (Mac) / Ctrl+Alt+R (Windows/Linux) - Open Replace mode
  • Alt+R - Open Replace in File widget
  • Cmd+S / Ctrl+S - Save current file (in edit mode)
• Cmd+Shift+F12 (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+F12 (Windows/Linux) - Find Usages (LSP)
• Cmd+Alt+P (Mac) / Ctrl+Alt+P (Windows/Linux) - QuickPick search
• Cmd+Alt+Y (Mac) / Ctrl+Alt+Y (Windows/Linux) - QuickPick replace
  • Escape - Exit edit mode or focus search box

Usage

Opening Rifler

Press Cmd+Alt+F (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+F (Windows/Linux) to toggle Rifler open/close.

• If you have text selected in the editor when you open Rifler, that selection becomes the initial search query (and searches immediately for queries with 2+ characters).

• By default, Rifler opens in the sidebar (Activity Bar)

• To change where Rifler opens, set rifler.panelLocation to one of:

  • "sidebar" (default)
  • "bottom"
  • "window" (opens as a separate editor tab)

• Legacy setting: rifler.viewMode ("sidebar" | "tab") is still supported for backwards compatibility, but rifler.panelLocation is the preferred setting.

Searching

1. Open Rifler with Cmd+Alt+F (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+F (Windows/Linux)
2. Type your search query (results appear dynamically after 2+ characters)
3. Toggle search options as needed (Match Case, Words, Regex, Usage-Aware)
4. Use File Mask to filter results (e.g., *.ts, *.js)
5. Toggle Smart Excludes (ON by default) to include/exclude common directories like node_modules
6. Use Context Filters to search only in code, comments, or strings
7. Select scope (Project/Module/Directory)
8. Navigate results with arrow keys and preview files
9. Click on preview to edit inline, or double-click to open in main editor

QuickPick Search

Use Rifler: Search in Files (QuickPick) for a lightweight, keyboard-first search flow:

1. Press Cmd+Alt+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+P (Windows/Linux)
2. Type your query (results appear as you type)
3. Toggle Match Case, Whole Word, and Regex using the QuickPick buttons
4. If results hit the cap, select Show all results in Rifler to open the full panel with the same query
5. Press Enter to open the selected result in the editor

QuickPick Replace

Use Rifler: Replace in Files (QuickPick) for a fast replace flow:

1. Run Rifler: Replace in Files (QuickPick) from the Command Palette
2. Type your query (results appear as you type)
3. Toggle Match Case, Whole Word, and Regex using the QuickPick buttons
4. If results hit the cap, select Show all results in Rifler to open the full panel in replace mode
5. Select a match, enter replacement text, then choose Replace One or Replace All

Usage-Aware Search (LSP)

Usage-Aware Search uses VS Code's Language Server Protocol to find actual symbol references, not just text matches. This is similar to JetBrains' "Find Usages" feature.

When to use:

• Finding where a function, class, or variable is actually used
• Refactoring with confidence (avoids matching strings or comments with the same name)
• Understanding symbol relationships across files

How to use:

1. Open Rifler
2. Type the symbol name you want to find (or select text in editor before opening)
3. Click the Usage-Aware (LSP) toggle button (device_hub icon)
4. Choose the LSP mode:
   • Refs - Find all references to the symbol
   • Defs - Find definitions of the symbol
   • Impl - Find implementations
   • Types - Find type definitions

Example:

class User {
  name: string;  // Definition
}

const user = "name";  // String (not found in LSP)
user.name;  // Reference (found in LSP)

Text search finds all 3 occurrences. Usage-Aware search finds only the actual field definition and reference.

Note: Results depend on your language server. Dynamic languages may have incomplete results.

Context Filters

Context Filters allow you to search only in specific parts of your code: code, comments, or strings. This helps avoid false positives and makes replacements safer.

How to use:

1. Open Rifler
2. Click the filter button (tune icon) to show filters
3. Toggle the context filters:
   • Code (code icon) - Include matches in code
   • Comments (comment icon) - Include matches in comments
   • Strings (S icon) - Include matches in string literals

Example:

# TODO: rename foo
print("foo")
foo()

• With Code only: Finds only foo()
• With Code + Comments: Finds foo() and the TODO comment
• With all filters: Finds all 3 occurrences

Default behavior: You can configure which filters are enabled by default in settings:

• rifler.searchContext.includeCode (default: true)
• rifler.searchContext.includeComments (default: true)
• rifler.searchContext.includeStrings (default: true)

Replace in Search Results

1. Press Cmd+Alt+R (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+R (Windows/Linux) to open replace mode
2. Enter replacement text
3. Press Enter to replace current match, or Cmd+Enter / Ctrl+Enter to replace all

Inline Editing

Click anywhere in the file preview to enter edit mode:

• Edit directly with full syntax highlighting
• Changes auto-save after 1 second of inactivity
• Press Escape to exit edit mode
• Press Cmd+S / Ctrl+S to save immediately

Choosing Your Panel Location

Rifler can open in three locations:

1. Sidebar (Default) - Activity Bar sidebar
2. Bottom Panel - VS Code panel at the bottom
3. Window - A separate editor tab

Configure via your settings.json:

{
  "rifler.panelLocation": "sidebar" // or "bottom" or "window"
}

Switching Between Sidebar and Window

Rifler includes the rifler.toggleView command to switch between sidebar and window. There is no default keybinding; bind it via Keyboard Shortcuts by searching for rifler.toggleView.

Replace in Preview Editor

While editing a file in the preview panel:

1. Press Alt+R or the configured keybinding (default: Ctrl+Shift+R) to open the replace widget
2. Use ↑/↓ arrows or Enter/Shift+Enter to navigate between matches
3. Press Enter to replace current match, or Cmd+Enter / Ctrl+Enter to replace all
4. Press Escape or ✕ to close the replace widget

Customizing Keybindings

Replace in Preview Keybinding

The keybinding to open the replace widget while editing in the preview can be customized via VS Code settings:

1. Open Settings (Cmd+, on Mac / Ctrl+, on Windows/Linux)
2. Search for "rifler"
3. Change Rifler: Replace In Preview Keybinding to your preferred keybinding

Or add to your settings.json:

{
  "rifler.replaceInPreviewKeybinding": "ctrl+shift+r"
}

Format: modifier+key (e.g., ctrl+shift+r, cmd+r, alt+h, ctrl+h)

Global Keybindings

To customize the main Rifler keybindings, open Keyboard Shortcuts (Cmd+K Cmd+S) and search for "rifler":

Command	Default (Mac)	Default (Windows/Linux)
Rifler: Toggle Open/Close	Cmd+Alt+F	Ctrl+Alt+F
Rifler: Open Replace Mode	Cmd+Alt+R	Ctrl+Alt+R
Rifler: Find Usages (LSP)	Cmd+Shift+F12	Ctrl+Shift+F12
Rifler: Toggle View (sidebar/window)	(not bound by default)	(not bound by default)

Panel Location Configuration

To change where Rifler opens by default, add to your settings.json:

{
  "rifler.panelLocation": "sidebar"  // or "bottom" or "window"
}

Or change it in Settings UI:

1. Open Settings (Cmd+, on Mac / Ctrl+, on Windows/Linux)
2. Search for "rifler panelLocation"
3. Choose either "sidebar", "bottom", or "window"

Max Results Configuration

To change the maximum number of search results, add to your settings.json:

{
  "rifler.maxResults": 10000  // default, minimum: 100
}

With virtualized rendering, Rifler efficiently handles large result sets without UI lag.

Installation

From VSIX

1. Download the .vsix file
2. Open VS Code
3. Press Cmd+Shift+P → "Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
4. Select the downloaded file

From Marketplace

Search for "Rifler" in the VS Code Extensions marketplace.

Performance

Rifler uses ripgrep (same engine as VS Code) for fast, async searches.

Recent benchmark on a large monorepo (~112k matches, query "test"):

Engine	Avg Time	Matches
Rifler bundled rg	~0.63s	~112k
VS Code rg	~0.67s	~112k

Max results: 10,000 (configurable). Smaller codebases typically respond in <100ms.

Optimizations:

• 🎯 Smart exclusions (node_modules, .git, binaries, hidden folders)
• 🚀 Early termination at configurable max results (default: 10,000)
• 💾 Memory efficient (skips files > 1MB)
• ⚡ Parallel async I/O with concurrency limiter
• 🖥️ Virtualized results list for smooth scrolling with large result sets

Benchmarks:

• Legacy traversal benchmark: node benchmark.js [path]
• Ripgrep benchmark (current engine): node ripgrep-benchmark.js [path] [query] [runs]

Testing

Unit Tests

Run the unit test suite:

npm test

Coverage Report

Generate test coverage:

npm run test:coverage

End-to-End Tests

Run automated E2E tests that simulate user interactions using the official VS Code testing CLI:

npm run test:e2e

Watch E2E tests live (like Selenium browser testing):

npm run test:e2e:visible

This opens VS Code windows where you can see the tests running in real-time, perfect for debugging and understanding test behavior.

Debug E2E tests with inspector:

npm run test:e2e:debug

Analyze E2E test coverage (feature coverage analysis):

npm run test:e2e:coverage

Run combined coverage (unit tests + E2E tests):

npm run test:combined-coverage

The E2E tests automatically:

• Download and launch the specified version of VS Code
• Load your extension in development mode
• Test command registration and execution
• Verify webview panel creation
• Test configuration handling
• Validate search and replace functionality
• Run on Windows, macOS, and Linux via GitHub Actions

Tests are configured using .vscode-test.js for maximum flexibility and CI/CD compatibility.

CI/CD Automation

Tests run automatically on:

• Every push to master/develop branches
• All pull requests
• Multiple operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux)

View test results and coverage in the Actions tab.

Requirements

• VS Code 1.85.0 or higher

License

MIT

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