Rifler

# Rifler

Fast file search extension for VS Code. Rifle through your codebase with dynamic search, regex support, file masking, and full file preview with inline editing.

Features

• Dynamic Search - Results appear as you type (no Find button needed)
• 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
  • File Mask - Filter by file patterns (e.g., *.ts, *.js, *.py)
    • 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
• 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)
  • 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)
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. Select scope (Project/Module/Directory)
7. Navigate results with arrow keys and preview files
8. Click on preview to edit inline, or double-click to open in main editor

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":

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"):

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