LinePeek

Display line counts directly in the VS Code Explorer

LinePeek is a lightweight Visual Studio Code extension that shows the number of lines in each file as a badge in the Explorer sidebar, helping you quickly identify file sizes and navigate large codebases with ease.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Usage
• Configuration
• How It Works
• Contributing
• Changelog
• License
• Acknowledgments

Features

• ⚡ High Performance – Stream-based file reading and intelligent caching ensure minimal impact on VS Code's performance, even in large workspaces
• 🎯 Unobtrusive Design – Line counts appear as subtle badges that don't clutter the Explorer view
• ⚙️ Configurable – Customize which file types to ignore based on extension
• 🔄 Real-time Updates – Line counts automatically refresh when files are saved
• 🛡️ Smart Filtering – Automatically skips binary files, large files (>10MB), and directories
• 🎨 Theme Aware – Uses VS Code's native theming for consistent appearance

Installation

From the VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "LinePeek"
4. Click Install

From the Command Line

code --install-extension brunobrise.linepeek

From Open VSX Registry

For VS Code-compatible editors (VSCodium, etc.):

wget https://open-vsx.org/api/brunobrise/linepeek/0.0.1/file/brunobrise.linepeek-0.0.1.vsix

Usage

LinePeek works automatically once installed. Open any folder in VS Code and you'll see line counts displayed as badges next to files in the Explorer sidebar.

What Gets Counted

• ✅ Text files with valid extensions
• ✅ Files smaller than 10MB
• ✅ Files with standard line endings (LF, CRLF)

What Gets Skipped

• ❌ Directories and virtual folders
• ❌ Binary files (images, videos, archives, executables)
• ❌ Files larger than 10MB (performance protection)
• ❌ Files with extensions in your ignore list

Configuration

LinePeek can be configured through VS Code settings. Access settings with Cmd+, (macOS) or Ctrl+, (Windows/Linux).

Settings

Default Ignored Extensions

The following extensions are ignored by default to avoid counting binary or non-text files:

Custom Configuration Example

Add to your .vscode/settings.json or global VS Code settings:

{
  "linepeek.enable": true,
  "linepeek.ignoredFileExtensions": ["png", "jpg", "min.js", "map", "lock"]
}

Disabling for Specific Workspaces

To disable LinePeek for a specific project, add to that project's .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "linepeek.enable": false
}

How It Works

LinePeek uses VS Code's FileDecorationProvider API to add badges to file items in the Explorer. Here's how it operates:

1. Lazy Loading – Line counts are calculated only when files become visible in the Explorer
2. Stream-Based Reading – Uses Node.js streams to count newlines without loading entire files into memory
3. Smart Caching – Caches results to avoid re-reading files that haven't changed
4. Incremental Updates – Clears cache entries only for files that are modified or saved
5. Size Limits – Skips files over 10MB to maintain IDE responsiveness

Line Counting Logic

LinePeek uses a counting algorithm that matches standard editor behavior:

• Empty file → 0 lines
• File with content but no newlines → 1 line
• File with newlines → newline count + 1

This matches how VS Code and most editors display line numbers.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please read our Contributing Guide for details on:

• Setting up your development environment
• Coding standards and conventions
• Submitting pull requests
• Commit message conventions (we use Conventional Commits)

Quick Start for Contributors

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/brunobrise/linepeek.git
cd linepeek

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development mode
npm run watch

Press F5 in VS Code to launch the extension in a new Extension Development Host window.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for a detailed history of changes and releases.

Latest Release (0.0.1)

• Initial release with core line counting functionality
• Configuration support for enable/disable and ignored extensions
• Efficient caching system
• Real-time updates on file save
• Large file protection (>10MB)

License

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

Acknowledgments

• Built with VS Code Extension API
• Uses esbuild for fast bundling
• Follows Conventional Commits specification
• Inspired by the need for quick file size assessment in large codebases

Support

• 🐛 Bug Reports: Open an issue
• 💡 Feature Requests: Open an issue
• ❓ Questions: Start a discussion

Made with ❤️ by Bruno Brise