An extension to easily create and edit ASCII art within Visual Studio Code.
Features
This extension provides tools to help you work with .ascii files natively within the VS Code editor, taking advantage of its powerful features while providing specialized ASCII art capabilities.
Dedicated Language Support: Provides automatic configuration for .ascii files, ensuring a monospace font and customized cursor behavior (block cursor in Overtype mode) for optimal ASCII drawing.
Canvas Generation (ASCII Art: Create Canvas): Instantly creates a new untitled ascii-art file pre-filled with an 80x20 grid of spaces, providing a blank canvas ready for your art.
Smart Box Generation (ASCII Art: Generate Box): Select a rectangular area (using Shift+Alt+Drag or multiple cursors) and run this command to instantly draw a box using ASCII characters (+, -, |) around your selection.
Box Alignment (ASCII Art: Align Box): If you type full-width characters (like Japanese or emoji) inside a box, the vertical borders might visually misalign due to varying character widths. Run this command to calculate East Asian Widths and perfectly realign the right side of the box.
Requirements
No special requirements. The extension relies solely on the built-in VS Code editor.
Extension Settings
This extension automatically contributes the following default settings when editing .ascii files:
Overtype Mode Limitations: While the extension supports standard overtype mode (Insert key), it currently cannot force the editor into overtype mode upon file opening due to VS Code API limitations. It is recommended to press Insert to switch to overtype mode when drawing. The cursor will change to a block (█) when active.
IME (Input Method Editor) interactions are handled gracefully by delegating text input entirely to VS Code, but this means real-time box realignment during typing is not supported. Use the Align Box command after typing.
Release Notes
0.0.1
Initial release with foundational features:
Canvas creation
Box outline generation from multi-cursor selection
Box alignment function based on East Asian character width
