Open Symlink Original File

🔗 Developed by Unit3dBranch

Open Symlink Original File is a Visual Studio Code extension that enhances your workflow when working with symbolic links. It adds a navigation menu option to open the real file behind a symlink directly from the editor or explorer — no need to search for the source manually.

✨ Features

• ✅ Detects when you're working with a symlinked file
• 🔎 Supports reverse lookup: find symlinks pointing to an original file
• 🖱️ Context menu options:
  • "Open the Original File" (when opening a symlink)
  • "Find Symlinks to This File" (when viewing an original file)
• 📌 Available in both the editor title bar and the right-click context menu
• 🈯 Fully localized (English and Portuguese PT-BR support)
• 🧪 Includes unit tests and validation
• ⚙️ Zero dependencies — pure Node.js and VS Code APIs

📦 Installation

1. Go to the Visual Studio Code Marketplace
2. Click Install

Or install manually:

code --install-extension Unit3dBranch.open-symlink-original-file

🧠 Usage

1. To open the original file of a symlink:

   • Right-click inside a symlinked file or on it in the file explorer
   • Select “Open the Original File”
   • The original file will open in a new tab

2. To find symlinks pointing to a file:

   • Right-click on the original file (non-symlink)
   • Select “Find Symlinks to This File”
   • Choose from a list of matching symlinks to open

📂 Example

If you have:

ln -s /project/src/index.js ./index-link.js

Opening index-link.js and clicking on navigation menu option will let you jump straight to src/index.js.

🛠️ Requirements

• Visual Studio Code v1.101.0 or newer
• Files must be valid symbolic links (lstat-detectable)

🧪 Known Limitations

• Does not follow links to directories (file-based only)
• Reverse search scans the workspace recursively, so performance may vary in large projects
• Menu options appear contextually based on whether the selected file is a symlink or not

🤝 Contributing

Feel free to fork, improve, and submit PRs! Bug reports and feature ideas are welcome.

👉 Contribute on GitHub

📜 License

MIT License

Made with ❤️ by Unit3dBranch