Export Files Extension

A VS Code extension that exports project files to a single markdown document with comprehensive formatting and statistics.

Features

• One-click export: Right-click any folder in the VS Code explorer and export all its files to markdown
• Smart filtering: Automatically ignores common directories (node_modules, .git, build, etc.) and binary files
• Directory structure: Includes a visual tree structure of your project
• File statistics: Shows file count, total size, and breakdown by file type
• Syntax highlighting: All exported code maintains proper syntax highlighting in markdown
• Configurable: Customize ignore patterns, file size limits, and output options
• Recursive scanning: Optionally scan subdirectories or stay at the current level

Usage

1. Right-click on any folder in the VS Code Explorer
2. Select "exportToMarkdown" from the context menu
3. The extension will create a markdown file with all your project files

The generated markdown includes:

• Export timestamp and source directory information
• Directory structure visualization
• File statistics and type distribution
• Complete file contents with syntax highlighting

Configuration

This extension provides several configuration options in VS Code settings:

exportFiles.ignore

• Type: Array of strings
• Default: ["node_modules", ".git", ".next", "dist", "build", "coverage", ...]
• Description: List of directories and files to ignore during export

exportFiles.ignoreExtensions

• Type: Array of strings
• Default: [".jpg", ".png", ".pdf", ".zip", ".exe", ...]
• Description: List of file extensions to ignore (typically binary files)

exportFiles.outputFile

• Type: String
• Default: "project-files.md"
• Description: Default filename for the exported markdown file

exportFiles.recursive

• Type: Boolean
• Default: true
• Description: Whether to recursively scan subdirectories

exportFiles.includeStructure

• Type: Boolean
• Default: true
• Description: Whether to include directory structure in the output

exportFiles.includeStats

• Type: Boolean
• Default: true
• Description: Whether to include file statistics in the output

exportFiles.maxFileSize

• Type: Number
• Default: 1048576 (1MB)
• Description: Maximum file size in bytes. Files larger than this will be skipped. Set to 0 for no limit.

Example Output

The generated markdown file will look like this:

# Project Files Export

Export time: 12/20/2024, 3:45:23 PM
Source directory: `my-project`
Output file: `project-files.md`

## Directory Structure

my-project ├── src/ │ ├── components/ │ │ └── Button.tsx │ └── utils/ │ └── helpers.ts ├── package.json └── README.md

## File Statistics

- Total files: 4
- Total size: 12.3 KB

### File Type Distribution

| Extension | Files | Total Size |
| --- | --- | --- |
| .ts | 2 | 8.1 KB |
| .json | 1 | 3.2 KB |
| .md | 1 | 1.0 KB |

## File Contents

### src/components/Button.tsx

```tsx
// src/components/Button.tsx
import React from 'react';

export const Button = () => {
  return <button>Click me</button>;
};

## Requirements

- VS Code version 1.102.0 or higher
- No additional dependencies required

## Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Export Files Extension"
4. Click Install

Or install from the command line:
```bash
code --install-extension export-files-extension

Use Cases

• Documentation: Generate comprehensive project documentation for sharing
• Code reviews: Export specific folders for detailed code review
• AI assistance: Prepare project context for AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude
• Backup: Create readable backups of your codebase
• Analysis: Get insights into your project structure and file distribution

Known Issues

• Very large files (>1MB by default) are skipped to prevent memory issues
• Binary files are automatically ignored but may need manual configuration for edge cases
• Unicode characters in file paths may not display correctly in some markdown viewers

Release Notes

0.0.1

Initial release featuring:

• Basic file export functionality
• Directory structure visualization
• File statistics and type breakdown
• Configurable ignore patterns
• Context menu integration

Contributing

This extension is open source. Feel free to contribute by:

• Reporting bugs or feature requests
• Submitting pull requests
• Improving documentation

License

MIT License

Enjoy exporting your projects! 🚀