📝 Scratchy

Quick scratch files for rapid prototyping and note-taking

Scratchy is a VS Code extension that helps you quickly create and manage temporary files for prototyping, testing, and note-taking. Perfect for developers who need to quickly jot down ideas, test code snippets, or create temporary documentation.

Scratchy Demo

✨ Features

🚀 Quick File Creation

Global Shortcut: Create scratch files from anywhere in VS Code
Multiple File Types: Support for Markdown, JSON, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, and Python
Smart Templates: Each file type comes with a pre-configured template
Auto-Numbering: Files are automatically numbered for easy organization

📝 Rich Templates

Every scratch file comes with a ready-to-use template:

📓 Markdown

# 📓 Scratch Note

**Created:** 12/25/2024 at 2:30:45 PM
**Tags:**

---

## Notes

-

## TODO

- [ ]

---

_Generated by Scratchy extension_

💻 JavaScript

// JavaScript Scratch File
// Created: 12/25/2024 at 2:30:45 PM

console.log('Hello from scratch!');

// Your code here
function main() {
  // TODO: Add your logic here
}

main();

🔷 TypeScript

// TypeScript Scratch File
// Created: 12/25/2024 at 2:30:45 PM

interface ScratchData {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  created: string;
}

function main(): void {
  const data: ScratchData = {
    id: 1,
    name: 'scratch',
    created: '12/25/2024',
  };

  console.log('Hello from TypeScript scratch!', data);
}

main();

⚛️ React JSX

// React JSX Scratch File
// Created: 12/25/2024 at 2:30:45 PM

import React from 'react';

function ScratchComponent() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Scratch Component</h1>
      <p>Created on 12/25/2024</p>
    </div>
  );
}

export default ScratchComponent;

⚛️ React TypeScript

// React TypeScript Scratch File
// Created: 12/25/2024 at 2:30:45 PM

import React from 'react';

interface ScratchComponentProps {
  title?: string;
}

const ScratchComponent: React.FC<ScratchComponentProps> = ({
  title = 'Scratch Component',
}) => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>{title}</h1>
      <p>Created on 12/25/2024</p>
    </div>
  );
};

export default ScratchComponent;

🐍 Python

# Python Scratch File
# Created: 12/25/2024 at 2:30:45 PM

def main():
    """Main function for scratch file."""
    print("Hello from Python scratch!")

    # TODO: Add your code here
    data = {
        "name": "scratch",
        "created": "12/25/2024",
        "type": "python"
    }

    print(f"Data: {data}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

📊 JSON

{
  "name": "scratch_file",
  "created": "12/25/2024",
  "description": "Scratch file for quick testing",
  "data": {}
}

👁️ Markdown Preview

Auto-Preview: Markdown files automatically open with preview
Manual Preview: Use keyboard shortcut to open preview for any markdown file
Real-time Updates: Preview updates as you type

🚀 JavaScript Preview

Auto-Execution: JavaScript files automatically execute when created
Manual Execution: Use keyboard shortcut to run any JavaScript file
Output Panel: See execution results in a dedicated output panel
Error Handling: View both stdout and stderr output

🎯 Smart File Management

Organized Storage: All scratch files are stored in ~/scratches/
Persistent Counter: Files are numbered sequentially across sessions
Language Detection: Proper syntax highlighting for all supported file types

🚀 Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "Scratchy"
Click Install

From Source

git clone https://github.com/sulsira/scratchy.git
cd scratchy
npm install
npm run compile

⌨️ Usage

Creating Scratch Files

Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut

Mac: Cmd + Ctrl + N
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Alt + N
Select file type from the quick pick menu

Method 2: Command Palette

Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
Type "Scratchy: Create Scratch File"
Select file type from the quick pick menu

Markdown Preview

Auto-Preview

Markdown scratch files automatically open with preview

Manual Preview

Mac: Cmd + Shift + V (when markdown file is active)
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + V (when markdown file is active)
Or use Command Palette → "Scratchy: Show Markdown Preview"

JavaScript Execution

Mac: Cmd + Shift + J (when JavaScript file is active)
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + J (when JavaScript file is active)
Or use Command Palette → "Scratchy: Show JavaScript Preview"

📁 File Organization

All scratch files are stored in your home directory:

~/scratches/
├── scratch_1.md
├── scratch_2.py
├── scratch_3.js
├── scratch_4.tsx
└── ...

🎨 Supported File Types

Type	Extensions	Features
Markdown	`.md`	Auto-preview, rich templates
JavaScript	`.js`	Auto-execution, console logging, templates
TypeScript	`.ts`	Type safety, interfaces
React JSX	`.jsx`	React components, imports
React TSX	`.tsx`	TypeScript React, props interface
Python	`.py`	Main function, docstrings
JSON	`.json`	Structured data template

⚙️ Configuration

Keyboard Shortcuts

You can customize keyboard shortcuts in VS Code settings:

{
  "keyboard.dispatch": "keyCode",
  "keybindings": [
    {
      "key": "cmd+ctrl+n",
      "command": "scratchy.show",
      "when": "editorTextFocus"
    },
    {
      "key": "cmd+shift+v",
      "command": "scratchy.showMarkdownPreview",
      "when": "editorTextFocus && editorLangId == markdown"
    }
  ]
}

🔧 Development

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
VS Code

Setup

git clone https://github.com/sulsira/scratchy.git
cd scratchy
npm install

Build

npm run compile

Development Mode

npm run watch

Testing

npm test

Linting & Formatting

npm run lint
npm run format

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Workflow

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Add tests if applicable
Run linting and tests
Submit a pull request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with VS Code Extension API
Icons from Feather Icons
Templates inspired by modern development workflows

📞 Support

Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions
Documentation: Wiki

Made with ❤️ for the VS Code community

Scratchy

Sulsira