SnippetCreator - VS Code Extension

Words From The Author

Terry Yang

I created this extension to address my own needs for efficient code snippet creation and text manipulation. As both the developer and a daily user of this tool, I can personally guarantee its safety and reliability. Every feature has been thoroughly tested in my own workflow, ensuring that Terry's Snippet Creator delivers a seamless and secure editing experience.

If you have questions, feedback, or feature requests, feel free to reach out through the GitHub repository.

"Build tools you'd trust to use yourself."

Overview

Terry's Snippet Creator started as a simple tool to create code snippets in separate files, but has evolved into a powerful text manipulation toolkit. While the name remains Terry's Snippet Creator, it now offers a diverse set of features to enhance your editing workflow in Visual Studio Code.

Features

Snippet Creation

Create well-formatted code snippets in separate files with ease:

• Quick creation of tabstops and multi-choice tabstops
• Automatic escaping of special characters
• Properly formatted JSON output for direct use in VS Code

Regex Selection

Quickly select multiple occurrences of text that match a regular expression pattern:

• Select all matches across your document in a single operation
• Edit multiple instances simultaneously

Number Sequence Generation

Replace multiple selections with auto-incremented number sequences:

• Support for custom starting values and increments
• Zero-padded number formatting (01, 02, 03...)

Mathematical Operations on Numbers

Perform calculations on numeric portions of text:

• Apply simple operations (+, -, *, /) to numbers in selections
• Support for complex expressions with the selected number as a variable
• Decimal precision control for formatted output
• Works with both pure numbers and numbers embedded in text

Text Alignment

Align text based on specified characters or patterns:

• Align code by equals signs, colons, or any custom delimiter
• Support for regex-based alignment points
• Maintain proper indentation while aligning

Highlighting

Highlight different portions of text with vivid colors to improve readability:

• Multiple distinct highlight colors
• Persistent highlighting across editing sessions

Batch Text Operations

Store and replay multiple text replacement operations:

• Save sequences of find/replace operations for future use
• Export and import operation lists to share with team members
• Execute complex text transformations with a single command

Bracket / Quote Select (Ctrl+Q)

Cycle through bracket and quote types surrounding the cursor, or remove them entirely — all without leaving the keyboard.

Place your cursor inside any bracketed or quoted expression, then press Ctrl+Q repeatedly:

Example — starting with cursor at | inside 'cd ef':

"ab 'cd| ef' gh"   (initial state)
"ab '<cd ef>' gh"  (x1  — selected)
"ab "<cd ef>" gh"  (x2  — double quotes)
"ab (<cd ef>) gh"  (x3  — parentheses)
"ab [<cd ef>] gh"  (x4  — square brackets)
"ab {<cd ef>} gh"  (x5  — curly braces)
"ab <<cd ef>> gh"  (x6  — angle brackets)
"ab <cd ef> gh"    (x7  — brackets removed)
"ab "<cd ef>" gh"  (x8  — double quotes re-added)
...
"ab 'cd| ef' gh"   (x14 — restored)

Multiple cursors are supported: each cursor independently finds and cycles through the nearest brackets around it.

HTML Tag Select (Alt+Q)

Cycle through HTML tag selection states surrounding the cursor, allowing you to select content, remove tags, or select the entire element.

Place your cursor inside or near any HTML tag, then press Alt+Q repeatedly:

Example — starting with cursor at | inside <div>C|ontent</div>:

<div>Content</div>   (initial state)
<div><Content></div> (x1 — selects "Content")
<Content>            (x2 — removes tags)
<<<div>Content</div>>> (x3 — restores tags and selects everything)
...
<div>C|ontent</div>  (x4 — restored)

This feature properly handles nested tags and automatically skips void elements (like <img>, <br>, <input>) when searching for the matching pairs. Multiple cursors are fully supported, securely managing offset changes even when editing elements of varying lengths!

Getting Started

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Access features through the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
3. Use keyboard shortcuts for frequently used operations

Keyboard Shortcuts

Use the command palette for other features. In the command palette, type "SnippetCreator" to see all available commands.

Known Issues

When clearing highlights, you may need switch to a different editor tab and back to see the changes. I have not yet found a way to force the editor to refresh the highlights.

License

WTFPL (What The Fuck Public License) - Use at your own risk. No warranties or guarantees are provided. By using this extension, you agree to the terms of the WTFPL.