A powerful Visual Studio Code extension for code highlighting with multiple colors, customizable opacity, and intuitive management features. Perfect for code reviews, presentations, or personal reference.
Features
Multiple color options (Blue, Red, Green, Purple)
Adjustable opacity levels (0.2 to 1.0)
Quick highlighting with keyboard shortcuts
Hover menu for quick actions
Multiple overlapping highlights support
Minimap visibility
Full line highlighting
Cross-file highlight management
Preview
Installation
Install from VS Code Marketplace by searching for "Highlight Buddy"
Or install the VSIX file directly from VS Code
Restart VS Code after installation
Usage
Basic Highlighting
Quick Highlight
Select text you want to highlight (or place cursor on a line)
Press Shift+Cmd+K (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+K (Windows/Linux) to highlight with last used color
If no text is selected, the entire line will be highlighted
Managing Highlights
Hover over any highlighted text to see options:
"Change Color": Changes the color of that specific highlight
"Remove Highlight": Removes just that highlight
These actions work regardless of cursor position
You can also press Shift+Cmd+L (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+L (Windows/Linux) to remove a highlight at cursor position
Using Different Colors
Via Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P):
"Highlight Buddy: Highlight Selection (Red)"
"Highlight Buddy: Highlight Selection (Blue)"
"Highlight Buddy: Highlight Selection (Green)"
"Highlight Buddy: Highlight Selection (Purple)"
Or use hover menu to change colors of existing highlights
Customizing Opacity
Open Command Palette
Select "Highlight Buddy: Highlight Selection with Opacity"
Enter a value between 0 and 1 (e.g., 0.5 for 50% opacity)
Clearing Highlights
To remove all highlights across all files:
Open Command Palette
Select "Highlight Buddy: Clear All Highlights"
To remove a specific highlight:
Hover over the highlight
Click "Remove Highlight"
Or place cursor on highlight and press Shift+Cmd+L (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+L (Windows/Linux)
Advanced Features
Multiple Overlapping Highlights
You can highlight code that's already highlighted
Highlights won't interfere with each other
Great for marking multiple aspects of the same code
Full Line Highlighting
Place cursor anywhere in a line (no selection needed)
Press Shift+Cmd+K (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+K (Windows/Linux) to highlight the entire line
Minimap Integration
Highlights are visible in the minimap
Makes it easy to navigate through highlighted sections
Default Settings
Default Color: Blue
Default Opacity: 0.8
Default Shortcuts:
Highlight: Shift+Cmd+K (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+K (Windows/Linux)
Remove Highlight: Shift+Cmd+L (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+L (Windows/Linux)
Notes
Highlights persist between VS Code sessions
Color and opacity preferences are remembered
Multiple files can have highlights simultaneously
Supports all file types
Works with both light and dark themes
Contributing
Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests on the GitHub repository.
