Clean Bin Obj - .NET Build Cleaner & Rebuild Tool

The ultimate Visual Studio Code extension for .NET developers! Instantly clean bin and obj folders, remove build artifacts, delete temporary files, and rebuild your C#, F#, and VB.NET projects with a single command. Save disk space and fix build issues fast!

🚀 Why Choose This Extension?

Perfect for .NET Core, .NET Framework, ASP.NET, and Xamarin developers who need to:

• 🧹 Clean build artifacts from bin and obj folders instantly
• 🔄 Rebuild projects automatically after cleaning
• 💾 Free up disk space by removing gigabytes of temporary build files
• 🐛 Fix build errors caused by corrupted cache
• 🔀 Switch Git branches cleanly without build conflicts
• ⚡ Boost productivity with one-click workspace cleanup

🎯 Features

• 🧹 Instant Cleanup - Delete all bin and obj folders with one command
• 🔄 Smart Rebuild - Automatically rebuild .NET projects after cleaning
• 🎯 Multi-Project Support - Clean entire workspace or single project
• 🔍 Auto-Detection - Finds .csproj, .fsproj, .vbproj, and .sln files automatically
• ⚙️ Fully Configurable - Customize target directories and patterns
• 📊 Real-time Progress - Visual progress tracking with detailed output logs
• 🇻🇳 Vietnam Cultural Icons - Rotating Vietnamese icons during progress (introduce Vietnam to the world!)
• 💪 Production Ready - Battle-tested with large .NET solutions
• 🚀 Lightning Fast - Optimized for performance on big codebases

Supported Project Types

✅ C# Projects (.csproj)
✅ F# Projects (.fsproj)
✅ VB.NET Projects (.vbproj)
✅ Solution Files (.sln)
✅ .NET Core / .NET 5+ / .NET 6/7/8/9/10+
✅ .NET Framework 4.x
✅ ASP.NET Core / ASP.NET MVC
✅ Xamarin / MAUI Projects

Future-Proof: Works with any .NET version - extension uses project files (.csproj) and dotnet CLI, automatically supporting new .NET releases!

📖 How to Use (3 Easy Ways)

Method 1: Right-Click Menu (Fastest ⚡)

In File Explorer:

1. Right-click on any .cs, .fs, or .vb file
2. Select "Clean Bin and Obj in Current Project"
3. Done! The extension will find and clean the project automatically

In Code Editor:

1. Right-click anywhere in your code file
2. Select "Clean Bin and Obj in Current Project"
3. The extension cleans the project of the current file

Method 2: Command Palette (Most Flexible 🎯)

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac)
2. Type: clean or bin or obj
3. Choose one of these options:

Quick Pick Menu (Recommended for beginners):

• Clean Bin and Obj → Shows 4 options to choose from:
  • ✅ Clean Entire Workspace
  • ✅ Clean Current Project
  • ✅ Clean & Rebuild Entire Workspace
  • ✅ Clean & Rebuild Current Project

Direct Commands (For faster access):

• Clean Bin and Obj in Entire Workspace → Clean all projects now
• Clean Bin and Obj in Current Project → Clean current project now
• Clean, Rebuild Entire Workspace → Clean + rebuild everything
• Clean, Rebuild Current Project → Clean + rebuild current file's project

Method 3: Keyboard Shortcut (Pro Users 🚀)

Setup your own shortcut:

1. Press Ctrl+K Ctrl+S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+K Cmd+S (Mac)
2. Search for: Clean Bin and Obj
3. Click the + icon next to your preferred command
4. Press your desired key combination (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+C)
5. Done! Now use your shortcut anytime

Recommended shortcuts:

• Ctrl+Alt+C → Clean Current Project
• Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C → Clean Entire Workspace

💡 Usage Examples

Example 1: Fix Build Errors

Problem: Getting "Type already defined" errors
Solution:
1. Right-click in your code file
2. Select "Clean Bin and Obj in Current Project"
3. Build again - errors fixed! ✅

Example 2: Free Up Disk Space

Before: Workspace using 2.5 GB
Action: Run "Clean Bin and Obj in Entire Workspace"
After: Workspace using 150 MB
Saved: 2.35 GB! 💾

Example 3: Switch Git Branches Cleanly

1. Before switching branch: Clean entire workspace
2. Switch branch with git
3. Run "Clean, Rebuild Entire Workspace"
4. Fresh build on new branch! 🎉

⚙️ Configuration

Configure the extension through VS Code settings:

{
  // Subdirectories to clean in project folders
  // Supports simple names and relative paths
  "cleanBinObj.targetSubdirectories": ["bin", "obj"],
  
  // You can also specify nested paths:
  // "cleanBinObj.targetSubdirectories": ["bin/Debug", "bin/Release", "obj"],
  
  // Glob patterns to identify project files
  "cleanBinObj.projectPatterns": [
    "**/*.csproj",
    "**/*.fsproj",
    "**/*.vbproj",
    "**/*.sln"
  ],
  
  // Show output channel when cleaning
  "cleanBinObj.showOutputChannel": true
}

Settings Details

• cleanBinObj.targetSubdirectories: Array of directory names or relative paths to clean
  • Simple names: ["bin", "obj"] ✅
  • Relative paths: ["bin/Debug", "packages/lib"] ✅ (NEW in v1.8.0!)
  • Security: Absolute paths and .. are rejected ❌
• cleanBinObj.projectPatterns: Glob patterns to identify project files (default: .NET project files)
• cleanBinObj.showOutputChannel: Show the output channel with detailed logs (default: true)

Example Output

[14:23:45.123] Starting cleanup...
[14:23:45.124] Target subdirectories: bin, obj
[14:23:45.125] Found 5 project file(s)
[14:23:45.126] Projects to clean: 5
[14:23:45.127] Cleaning: d:\Projects\MyApp\MyApp.Web
[14:23:45.128]   - Cleaned bin: 45 files, 12 directories
[14:23:45.129]   - Cleaned obj: 23 files, 8 directories
[14:23:45.130] Cleaning: d:\Projects\MyApp\MyApp.Core
[14:23:45.131]   - Cleaned bin: 32 files, 10 directories
[14:23:45.132]   - Cleaned obj: 18 files, 6 directories
[14:23:45.356] Finished. Elapsed: 0.23s
[14:23:45.357] Total items cleaned: 154, Errors: 0

❓ Why Use This Extension?

Common Problems This Extension Solves:

💾 Disk Space Issues

• Bin and obj folders accumulate gigabytes of build artifacts
• Each .NET project can consume 100+ MB in temporary files
• Large solutions can waste several GB of disk space

🐛 Build Errors

• "Type already defines a member" errors
• Corrupted cache causing mysterious build failures
• IntelliSense showing outdated or incorrect suggestions
• Assembly conflicts and version mismatches

🔀 Git Branch Problems

• Build artifacts causing merge conflicts
• Switching branches leaves orphaned binaries
• .gitignore misses some generated files

⚡ Performance Issues

• Slow build times due to cached dependencies
• File indexing taking too long
• Visual Studio Code consuming high memory

🎯 Solution: One-Click Cleanup This extension makes it effortless to clean all build artifacts across your entire workspace or specific projects, with optional automatic rebuild to ensure everything compiles correctly after cleanup.

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.75.0 or higher
• .NET SDK (optional, required only for rebuild functionality)

📦 Installation

Method 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

1. Open Visual Studio Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (Mac)
3. Search for "Clean Bin Obj" or "CleanBinAndObj"
4. Click Install

Method 2: Command Line

code --install-extension hybr8.clean-bin-obj

Method 3: Manual Installation Download the .vsix file from GitHub Releases

Known Issues

None at this time. Please report issues on the GitHub repository.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request on GitHub.

License

This extension is licensed under the Apache-2.0 License.

Release Notes

2.1.0

• 🇻🇳 Vietnam Cultural Icons - Rotating Vietnamese icons during clean/rebuild progress
  • 80+ icons representing Vietnamese culture: national symbols, food, animals, fruits, landmarks
  • Icons rotate randomly every 1-3 seconds (configurable)
  • Introduce Vietnam to the world! 🍜🥖☕🐃🪷

1.0.0

Initial release:

• Clean bin and obj folders in workspace
• Context menu integration
• Configurable target directories
• Progress tracking and detailed output

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

Apache 2.0

Credits

Inspired by the Clean Bin and Obj extension for Visual Studio.

Enjoy cleaning! 🧹