Plist Editor
Plist Editor is a VS Code custom editor for .plist files. It is designed for fast nested editing with a compact tree-table layout, inline type switching, drag reordering, and direct save/revert support.
Features
- Opens
.plist files in a custom editor.
- Supports both XML plist files and binary plist files.
- Displays dictionaries and arrays as expandable tree branches.
- Uses a table-like layout with
Key, Type, and Value columns.
- Supports drag-and-drop reordering for sibling rows.
- Includes compact add, duplicate, delete, and expand/collapse controls.
- Lets you resize the
Key and Type columns from the header.
- Auto-fits
Key and Type widths to the longest visible content by default.
- Keeps hierarchy aligned in the key column while preserving compact row spacing.
- Supports multiline editing for data values without visible textarea scrollbars.
- Uses a separate stylesheet in media/plist-editor.css so the UI is easy to tune.
How To Use
- Open a
.plist file in VS Code.
- If the custom editor does not open automatically, run
Open Plist Editor from the Command Palette.
- Edit dictionary keys, array values, and leaf values directly in the table.
- Change a value type from the
Type column when you want to convert a node.
- Use the disclosure triangle on the left to expand or collapse dictionaries and arrays.
- Drag the handle on the far left to reorder sibling entries.
- Use the toolbar actions to add children, expand all branches, or collapse all branches.
- Save the file normally with
Cmd+S on macOS or Ctrl+S on Windows/Linux.
Safety Notes
Some type changes can destroy nested data.
- Dictionary, array, and root nodes can be converted to other types.
- Converting a container to a leaf value removes its nested structure.
- The editor keeps complex type changes disabled by default.
- Enable complex type editing only when you intentionally want to replace container data.
When complex type editing is enabled, the editor shows a warning before allowing the change.
Supported Value Types
The editor currently supports these plist value kinds:
- Dictionary
- Array
- String
- Number
- Boolean
- Date
- Data
Layout Guide
The editor is organized as a single grid-based tree table:
Key shows dictionary keys and array indices.Type switches the plist value kind.Value edits the current value or shows container metadata.- The rightmost column contains compact row actions.
Nested rows remain aligned to the same header columns even when branches are expanded several levels deep.
Allow complex type edits unlocks container and root type conversion after a warning prompt.Add Root Child inserts a new child at the top level.Expand All opens every branch in the tree.Collapse All closes every branch in the tree.
Styling
The editor UI styling lives in media/plist-editor.css.
That file controls:
- Layout and spacing
- Colors and borders
- Column widths and row sizing
- Tree indentation
- Row highlighting and selection
- Button and icon treatment
If you want to change the look of the editor, start there.
Development
To work on the extension:
- Run
npm install once.
- Use
npm run compile to verify the code builds cleanly.
- Use
npm run watch while developing if you want continuous TypeScript and esbuild rebuilds.
- Open the extension host in VS Code and test against real plist files.
Useful scripts:
npm run check-types checks the TypeScript project.npm run lint runs ESLint over src.npm run compile runs typecheck, lint, and bundling.npm run watch keeps the extension build updated during development.npm test runs the extension test suite.
Limitations
- The editor is optimized for direct plist editing, not for full Xcode feature parity.
- Some Apple-specific plist edge cases are not modeled explicitly.
- Very large trees may still need collapsing or manual resizing to stay comfortable on screen.
Project Files
Release Notes
0.0.1
- Initial plist custom editor.
- Nested tree editing, inline type switching, drag reordering, and compact row actions.
- Externalized stylesheet for easier UI tuning.
