Vietnamese IME Helper for VS Code

A VS Code extension that solves Vietnamese (and other IME languages like Japanese, Chinese) input issues in CLI applications like Auggie/Claude running in VS Code terminal on Windows.

Problem

When typing Vietnamese directly in VS Code terminal on Windows, you often encounter:

• Missing diacritics (accents)
• Question marks "?" appearing instead of Vietnamese characters
• Mojibake (garbled text)
• IME not working properly in terminal

Solution

This extension provides a safe input bridge that:

1. Offers IME-compatible input methods (InputBox and Text Pad)
2. Automatically sends your text to the active terminal
3. Preserves all Vietnamese characters perfectly
4. Works with any CLI application (Auggie, Claude, etc.)

Features

🎯 Two Input Methods

Quick InputBox (Alt+I)

• Simple popup input box
• Perfect for short commands/questions
• IME works flawlessly
• Automatically focuses terminal and pastes text
• You can edit the text in terminal before pressing Enter

Advanced Text Pad (Alt+P)

• Rich webview-based editor
• Multi-line text support
• Input history with click-to-reuse
• Character counter
• Enter to paste (Shift+Enter for new line)
• File suggestions: Type @ to get intelligent file/folder suggestions
• Enhance Prompt: Copy text and open Quick Open (Ctrl+P)
• Automatically focuses terminal and pastes text
• You can edit the text in terminal before pressing Enter

🎯 File Suggestions Feature

• Type @ anywhere to trigger file suggestions
• Type @node_modules/ to browse inside folders
• Use arrow keys to navigate suggestions
• Press Enter or click to select
• Shows folders (📁) and files (📄) with relative paths
• Displays top 10 relevant files with "more" option

🚀 Smart Terminal Integration

• Auto-detects active terminal
• Smart Auggie/Claude detection with optimized sending behavior
• Configurable delay for Auggie compatibility (prevents input conflicts)
• Force Auggie mode for all terminals when needed
• Status display to check current mode and settings
• Works with any CLI application
• No interference with terminal functionality

📝 History Management

• Automatic input history saving
• Click history items to reuse
• Configurable history size (default: 50 items)
• Clear history option

⚙️ Customizable Settings

• Enable/disable notifications
• Configure history settings
• Customize keyboard shortcuts
• Auto-detection preferences

Installation

From VSIX (Recommended)

1. Download the .vsix file
2. Open VS Code
3. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
4. Type "Extensions: Install from VSIX"
5. Select the downloaded .vsix file

From Source

1. Clone this repository
2. Run npm install
3. Run npm run compile
4. Press F5 to launch extension development host

Usage

Basic Workflow

1. Start your CLI application (e.g., auggie) in VS Code terminal
2. Use input methods when needed:
   • Press Alt+I for quick InputBox
   • Press Alt+P for advanced Text Pad
3. Type Vietnamese text safely with full IME support
4. Send to terminal - text appears in your CLI application

Keyboard Shortcuts

Commands (Ctrl+Shift+P)

Text Pad Features

• Multi-line editing: Perfect for long prompts
• History panel: Click any previous input to reuse
• Character counter: Track your text length
• Clear buttons: Clear current text or entire history
• Auto-save: History persists between sessions

Configuration

Access settings via File > Preferences > Settings and search for "Vietnamese IME Helper":

{
  // Basic settings
  "vietnameseImeHelper.autoDetectAuggie": true,
  "vietnameseImeHelper.showNotifications": true,
  "vietnameseImeHelper.padHistory": true,
  "vietnameseImeHelper.maxHistoryItems": 50,

  // Auggie-specific settings
  "vietnameseImeHelper.auggieDelay": 100,
  "vietnameseImeHelper.forceAuggieMode": false,

  // Keyboard shortcuts
  "vietnameseImeHelper.inputBoxShortcut": "alt+i",
  "vietnameseImeHelper.textPadShortcut": "alt+p",
  "vietnameseImeHelper.sendShortcut": "ctrl+enter"
}

Auggie/Claude Compatibility Settings

Supported Languages

While designed for Vietnamese, this extension works with any IME-based language:

• 🇻🇳 Vietnamese
• 🇯🇵 Japanese (Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji)
• 🇨🇳 Chinese (Simplified/Traditional)
• 🇰🇷 Korean
• And any other IME language

Troubleshooting

Auggie/Claude Specific Issues

Auggie doesn't receive your Vietnamese messages:

1. Increase the delay: Set auggieDelay to 200-500ms in settings
2. Force Auggie mode: Enable forceAuggieMode setting
3. Check status: Use "Show Status" command to verify current mode
4. Ensure terminal focus: Click on terminal before sending text

Text is sent too quickly:

• Increase auggieDelay setting (try 300-500ms)
• The delay gives Auggie time to process input properly

Want to disable Auggie mode completely:

• Set autoDetectAuggie to false
• Set forceAuggieMode to false
• Extension will use standard mode for all terminals

General Issues

Extension not working:

• Ensure you have an active terminal
• Try reloading VS Code window (Ctrl+Shift+P > "Reload Window")

Shortcuts not working:

• Make sure terminal is focused when pressing shortcuts
• Check for conflicting keybindings in VS Code

Text not appearing in terminal:

• Verify the terminal is active and responsive
• Try typing directly in terminal first to ensure it's working

Future Enhancements

• 🔍 Auto-detect specific CLI applications
• 📋 Predefined templates/macros
• 🎨 Customizable Text Pad themes
• 📊 Usage statistics
• 🔄 Sync settings across devices

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Create a Pull Request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

If you encounter issues or have suggestions:

• Create an issue on GitHub
• Include VS Code version and OS details
• Describe the problem with steps to reproduce

Made with ❤️ for the Vietnamese developer community