Folder Selector VS Code Extension

This extension adds a powerful command that lets you quickly find and navigate to any folder in your workspace. As you type, it shows matching folders in real-time, making it easy to find deeply nested directories.

Features

• Lightning fast - Intelligent caching system indexes folders once and keeps them updated
• Live search - See matching folders as you type
• Fuzzy matching - Find folders by name or path fragment (e.g. test-mcap, my-folder-1, or backend/api)
• Auto-updating cache - Automatically detects folder changes and updates the index
• Persistent cache - Survives VS Code restarts and workspace changes
• Instant navigation - Selected folder is immediately revealed in the Explorer view

Development

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

   If you are working in an offline environment you can install dependencies on a machine with internet access and copy the resulting node_modules directory into this project.

2. Compile the extension:

   npm run compile
   

3. Press F5 in VS Code (or Run → Start Debugging) to launch a new Extension Development Host for live testing.

Testing the Extension

Development Mode Testing

1. Start the Extension Development Host:

   • Press F5 in VS Code/Cursor (or go to Run → Start Debugging)
   • A new window will open with the extension loaded (look for the colored bar at the bottom)

2. Open a test workspace:

   • In the new Extension Development Host window, open a folder: File → Open Folder...
   • For example, open the testing-folders directory in this project

3. Run the extension command:

   • Press Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
   • Type: Folder Selector: Select Folder by Name
   • Start typing a folder name to see matching results
   • Select a folder from the list to reveal it in the Explorer

4. Live development:

   • Optionally run npm run watch to auto-compile on file changes
   • After making code changes, reload the extension: Cmd+Shift+F5 (or Ctrl+Shift+F5)

Debugging

• Set breakpoints in src/extension.ts by clicking left of line numbers
• Use the Debug Console in the original window to see console output
• The extension will pause at breakpoints when you run the command

Packaging & Local Installation (VS Code / Cursor IDE)

1. Ensure the project is compiled (npm run compile).
2. Package the extension into a VSIX file using @vscode/vsce:

   npx @vscode/vsce package
   

   This command produces a file like folder-selector-0.0.1.vsix in the project root.
3. Open your VS Code or Cursor IDE instance.
4. From the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P), run Extensions: Install from VSIX....
5. Select the generated .vsix file and follow the prompts to install it.
6. Reload the editor when prompted.

Using the Extension

Quick Folder Selection

1. Open the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run Folder Selector: Select Folder by Name.
2. A quick pick menu appears showing available folders.
3. Start typing to filter folders in real-time (e.g., test-mcap, my-folder-1).
4. Use arrow keys to navigate and press Enter to select a folder.
5. The selected folder is automatically revealed in the Explorer view.

Cache Management

• First run: The extension will scan and index all folders (one-time operation)
• Subsequent runs: Instant results from the cached index
• Auto-updates: The cache automatically updates when folders are added/removed
• Manual refresh: Use Folder Selector: Clear Cache to force a complete rescan

Performance: After the initial scan, folder selection is nearly instantaneous, even in large projects with thousands of folders.

Configuration

The extension can be customized through VS Code settings. Open your settings (Cmd+, / Ctrl+,) and search for "Folder Selector" or edit settings.json:

folderSelector.ignoredFolders

List of folder names to ignore during scanning. By default includes common build and dependency directories.

Default:

{
  "folderSelector.ignoredFolders": [
    "node_modules",
    ".git",
    ".vscode",
    "dist",
    "build",
    "out",
    ".next",
    ".nuxt",
    "target",
    "bin",
    "obj",
    "vendor",
    "__pycache__",
    ".pytest_cache",
    "venv",
    ".venv",
    ".cursor",
    ".github",
    ".husky"
  ]
}

Example - Add custom folders to ignore:

{
  "folderSelector.ignoredFolders": ["node_modules", ".git", "coverage", "logs", "temp", ".cache"]
}

folderSelector.maxDepth

Maximum depth to search for folders. Lower values improve performance in large projects.

• Default: 5
• Range: 1 to 20

Example:

{
  "folderSelector.maxDepth": 8
}

folderSelector.maxFolders

Maximum number of folders to scan. Prevents memory issues in very large workspaces.

• Default: 10000
• Range: 100 to 50000

Example:

{
  "folderSelector.maxFolders": 5000
}

folderSelector.ignoreDotFolders

Automatically ignore all folders that start with a dot (hidden folders). This is useful for skipping configuration folders like .git, .vscode, .config, etc.

• Default: true
• Type: boolean

Example:

{
  "folderSelector.ignoreDotFolders": false
}

Note: When ignoreDotFolders is true, folders starting with a dot will be ignored even if they're not in the ignoredFolders list. Set to false if you want to include dot folders in your search results.

Troubleshooting

No folders found

Confirm that the folder name is spelled correctly and exists somewhere inside the currently opened workspace. Check that it's not excluded by:

• folderSelector.ignoredFolders list
• folderSelector.ignoreDotFolders setting (if the folder starts with a dot)
• Beyond the folderSelector.maxDepth limit

Command missing

Make sure the extension is activated by executing the command from the command palette. If it still does not appear, reload the editor and check that the extension is enabled in the Extensions view.

Slow performance or scanning takes too long

For large projects, try these settings:

• Reduce folderSelector.maxDepth (try 3 or 4)
• Add more folders to folderSelector.ignoredFolders (e.g., coverage, logs, temp)
• Reduce folderSelector.maxFolders if you have a massive workspace

Folders are missing from results

• Check if they're in the folderSelector.ignoredFolders list
• Check if folderSelector.ignoreDotFolders is hiding dot folders
• Increase folderSelector.maxDepth if they're deeply nested
• Increase folderSelector.maxFolders if the limit was reached
• Clear cache if folders were recently added: Folder Selector: Clear Cache

Cache issues

• Stale results: Use Folder Selector: Clear Cache to force a rescan
• Cache not updating: The extension automatically watches for changes, but you can manually clear cache if needed
• Performance problems: Try reducing folderSelector.maxDepth or adding more folders to folderSelector.ignoredFolders

License

This project is provided as-is under the MIT License.