Solution Explorer
A lightweight Visual Studio-style Solution Explorer for VS Code, built for .NET developers who want the .sln/.csproj tree without the weight of a full language server.
Made because the C# Dev Kit's solution tooling is being sunset and existing extensions are slow to load and can degrade IntelliSense / format-on-save. This extension does pure XML parsing in-process — no dotnet CLI spawns, no OmniSharp/Roslyn dependency, no watching of source files.
Features
- Logical solution tree — mirrors the
.sln/.csproj structure (Solution Folders, Projects, Folders, Files), not the raw filesystem.
- Both project formats — SDK-style (glob-based) and legacy (explicit
<Compile>/<Content>) projects.
- Blazing-fast load — the solution tree renders immediately from the
.sln; project files are parsed in the background so expansion is instant.
- Dedicated activity-bar panel — separate from the file Explorer, no Outline/Timeline clutter.
- Symbol search (
Alt+P) — Ctrl+P-style fuzzy search across C# type names, not just file names. Find AuditFindingQueryParams even when it lives in AuditFindingViewModel.cs, with live preview and jump-to-type.
- File operations — add file (template-aware), add folder, rename (F2), delete (recycle bin), move between projects (drag-drop or menu) with namespace updates.
- Templates — Class, Interface, Record, Enum, Abstract Class, Razor Component, Razor Page, Razor PageModel, Blank, plus user-defined templates (VS Code snippet syntax). Naming conventions auto-select a template (
I* → Interface).
- Namespace inference —
<RootNamespace> + folder path; file-scoped vs block-scoped follows .editorconfig.
- Project menu — Open
.csproj, Reveal in File Explorer, Open in Integrated Terminal, Copy Path / Relative Path.
- Git decorations on tree nodes (via VS Code's SCM API — no language server).
Symbol search
|
|
| Trigger |
Alt+P (rebindable), or the 🔍 icon in the panel title |
| Indexes |
.cs, .razor.cs, .cshtml.cs type declarations; .razor as one component |
| Build |
Lazily on first search, then cached |
| Freshness |
Re-indexes a file when you save it (no .cs filesystem watcher) |
| Navigate |
Live preview as you arrow (toggle off for low-spec machines) |
| Open |
Enter opens the file, cursor centred on the type name; Esc restores your editor |
Symbol extraction uses a regex provider by default (zero language-server dependency — see ADR-0001). A languageServer provider option is reserved for the future.
Configuration
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
solutionExplorer.namingConventions |
I* → Interface, … |
Filename pattern → template rules |
solutionExplorer.defaultTemplate |
Class |
Template when no naming rule matches |
solutionExplorer.namespaceStyle |
auto |
auto (read .editorconfig) / file-scoped / block-scoped |
solutionExplorer.customTemplatesPath |
"" |
Directory of custom template files |
solutionExplorer.autoRevealActiveFile |
false |
Auto-reveal active editor file in the tree |
solutionExplorer.symbolProvider |
regex |
regex / languageServer (latter falls back to regex) |
solutionExplorer.symbolSearch.livePreview |
true |
Live-preview results while navigating |
Development
npm install
npm run build # bundle with esbuild
npm run watch # rebuild on change
npm test # run the regex provider unit tests
Press F5 (or Run → Start Debugging) to launch the Extension Development Host, then open a folder containing a .sln.
Design notes
Intentional boundaries
- External edits (git pull, terminal) don't refresh the symbol index until you save a file in VS Code or reload — deliberate, to avoid the source-file watching that slows other extensions.
- Only
.sln and .csproj/.fsproj/.vbproj are watched for tree changes; use the refresh button for filesystem-level changes.
License
MIT
| |
