JGS Regex Launcher

This VS Code extension lets you quickly launch RegexBuddy and RegexMagic from Just Great Software (JGsoft) directly from VS Code, passing the current selection, file, or folder context.

Publisher: Hideki Saito
Version: 0.2.2
License: MIT

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial community extension. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Just Great Software. RegexBuddy and RegexMagic are products of Just Great Software.

Features

• Launch RegexBuddy or RegexMagic with a single command or keyboard shortcut
• Pass context from the active editor: selection text, file path, folder, and current line
• Customize executable paths and argument templates with placeholders
• Automatically applies -appname "Visual Studio Code"; the clipboard flags are configurable settings with sensible defaults
• Commands are only enabled when the respective tool integration is enabled in settings
• Two RegexBuddy modes: normal (selection as regex) and sample mode (selection as sample text)

Requirements

• Windows with RegexBuddy 4 and/or RegexMagic 2 installed
• Defaults used if present:
  • RegexBuddy: C:\Program Files\Just Great Software\RegexBuddy 4\RegexBuddy4.exe
  • RegexMagic: C:\Program Files\Just Great Software\RegexMagic 2\RegexMagic2.exe
• You can override paths in Settings (see below)

Note on platforms: This extension officially supports Windows only because RegexBuddy and RegexMagic are Windows applications. On macOS or Linux, you might be able to run these tools under WINE or similar compatibility layers, but this is not a supported scenario and behavior may vary (for example, clipboard flags and file path handling).

Get the tools:

• RegexBuddy: https://www.regexbuddy.com/
• RegexMagic: https://www.regexmagic.com/

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

• regex-jgs-launcher.onboarding.showOnStartup: Show the setup prompt on startup (profile-specific).
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexBuddy.path: Full path to RegexBuddy4.exe.
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexBuddy.args: Array of argument template strings for RegexBuddy.
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexMagic.path: Full path to RegexMagic2.exe.
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexMagic.args: Array of argument template strings for RegexMagic.
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexBuddy.preArgs: Array of arguments inserted before other args for RegexBuddy (default: -getfromclipboard, -putonclipboard).
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexMagic.preArgs: Array of arguments inserted before other args for RegexMagic (default: -sampleclipboard, -putonclipboard).
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexBuddy.sample.preArgs: Array of arguments inserted before other args for RegexBuddy Sample mode (default: -testclipboard, -putonclipboard).
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexBuddy.sample.args: Array of argument template strings for RegexBuddy Sample mode.
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexBuddy.enabled: Enable/disable RegexBuddy integration (default: false).
• regex-jgs-launcher.regexMagic.enabled: Enable/disable RegexMagic integration (default: false).

You can use these placeholders inside argument templates:

• {regex} – current selection or value you enter on prompt
• {file} – absolute path of the active file
• {dir} – directory of the active file
• {line} – 1-based current cursor line
• {selection} – same as {regex} (for convenience)

Known Issues

The VS Code API does not expose the Search/Replace widget content to extensions. As a workaround, the extension uses the current selection or asks you to input a regex when needed.

This extension places the regex on the clipboard before launching the external tool so flags -getfromclipboard and -putonclipboard work as intended.

Release Notes

• 0.2.2: Clarified reset scope (profile-only), added "Reset Guide" command and link after reset; improved RegexMagic default pre-args docs; minor text polish.
• 0.2.1: Patch — Fixed RegexBuddy sample mode default to -testclipboard.
• 0.2.0: Added onboarding, reset command, RegexBuddy sample mode, improved command names and keybindings.
• 0.1.0: First stable release.
• 0.0.1: Initial preview.

Commands

• RegexBuddy: Use Selection as Regex (regex-jgs-launcher.launchRegexBuddy)
• RegexBuddy: Use Selection as Sample (regex-jgs-launcher.launchRegexBuddySample)
• RegexMagic: Use Selection as Sample (regex-jgs-launcher.launchRegexMagic)
• JGS Regex Launcher: Setup (regex-jgs-launcher.showSetup)
• JGS Regex Launcher: Reset All Settings (regex-jgs-launcher.resetAllSettings)
• JGS Regex Launcher: Reset Guide (regex-jgs-launcher.showResetGuide)

Default keybindings:

• Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R – RegexBuddy: Use Selection as Regex (when enabled and editor focused or find widget visible)
• Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S – RegexBuddy: Use Selection as Sample (when enabled and editor focused or find widget visible)
• Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M – RegexMagic: Use Selection as Sample (when enabled and editor focused or find widget visible)

Context menu integration:

Commands appear in the editor context menu when there is a selection and the respective integration is enabled.

Quick start:

1. On first launch, you’ll see a prompt to enable RegexBuddy and/or RegexMagic. You can also enable them later in Settings (regex-jgs-launcher.regexBuddy.enabled, regex-jgs-launcher.regexMagic.enabled).
2. Set the executable path(s). If the default path does not exist, you will be prompted to locate the .exe the first time you run a command.
3. Optionally define argument templates using placeholders.
4. Select text or invoke a command and enter a regex when prompted. Use the "RegexBuddy: Use Selection as Sample" command to send selection as sample text via -testclipboard.

Development

This extension is built with TypeScript and uses the VS Code Extension API.

Project structure:

src/
├── extension.ts          # Main extension logic
└── test/
    └── extension.test.ts # Test suite

Build and development:

• npm run compile - Compile TypeScript
• npm run watch - Watch mode for development
• npm run test - Run tests
• npm run lint - Run ESLint

Example argument templates

Examples for RegexBuddy:

[
	"-t", "ECMAScript",
	"-e", "{regex}",
	"{file}"
]

Examples for RegexMagic:

[
	"-open", "{file}",
	"-pattern", "{regex}"
]

Repository

• GitHub: hsaito/regex-jgs-launcher
• Issues and feedback: Please use the GitHub repository for bug reports and feature requests.