Need to quickly check string length, character indices, or ASCII values? StringScope provides instant string analysis right in your VS Code status bar with detailed character information at your fingertips!

What is StringScope?

StringScope is a lightweight VS Code extension that helps you analyze selected text strings in real-time. Whether you're debugging string operations, working with character encodings, or just need to know the exact length of a string, StringScope displays all the information you need directly in your status bar.

Why Use StringScope?

• Instant Feedback: See string length immediately when you select text
• Character Details: Click to view comprehensive character information including index positions, ASCII values, and Unicode code points
• Smart Detection: Automatically detects quoted strings and shows content length (without quotes)
• Works Everywhere: Works with any text selection - quoted strings, regular text, or multiline strings
• No Configuration: Works out of the box with zero setup required
• Clean UI: Status bar indicator only appears when you need it

Getting Started

Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "StringScope"
4. Click Install

First Steps

1. Select Some Text: Highlight any text in your editor (with or without quotes)
2. See the Length: Look at the bottom-right corner of VS Code (status bar) - you'll see StringScope: [length]
3. View Details: Click on the status bar indicator to see detailed character information
4. Explore: Try selecting different types of text:
   • Regular text: Hello World
   • Quoted strings: "Gobinda Nandi"
   • Multiline strings: "Line 1\nLine 2"

How It Works

Status Bar Indicator

When you select text in your editor, StringScope automatically:

• Shows the string length in the status bar
• For quoted strings (single or double quotes), displays the content length without the quotes
• For regular text, displays the total selection length
• Hides automatically when nothing is selected

Character Details Dialog

Click the status bar indicator to open a detailed character analysis dialog showing:

1. Index Position: Each character's position (0-based)
2. Display Character: The character itself (with special symbols for control characters)
3. ASCII Value: ASCII code for ASCII characters
4. Unicode Code Point: Unicode value in U+XXXX format
5. Character Name: Human-readable name (Space, Line Feed, Printable ASCII, etc.)
6. Decimal Value: Character code in decimal
7. Hexadecimal Value: Character code in hexadecimal (0xXX)

Special Character Display

StringScope uses special symbols to visualize control characters:

• Space: ␣
• Newline: ↵
• Tab: ⇥
• Null: ␀
• Non-printable: [code]

Example

Select the string "Hello" and you'll see:

• Status bar shows: StringScope: 5 (length without quotes)
• Click to see:
  • 0: H → ASCII: 72 | U+0048 → Printable ASCII | Decimal: 72 | Hex: 0x48
  • 1: e → ASCII: 101 | U+0065 → Printable ASCII | Decimal: 101 | Hex: 0x65
  • 2: l → ASCII: 108 | U+006C → Printable ASCII | Decimal: 108 | Hex: 0x6C
  • 3: l → ASCII: 108 | U+006C → Printable ASCII | Decimal: 108 | Hex: 0x6C
  • 4: o → ASCII: 111 | U+0075 → Printable ASCII | Decimal: 111 | Hex: 0x6F

Tips & Tricks

• Quick Length Check: Just select text to instantly see its length - no need to count characters manually
• Debugging Strings: Use character details to debug string encoding issues or verify special characters
• Quoted Strings: When working with quoted strings, StringScope automatically shows the content length (without quotes)
• Multiline Support: Works perfectly with multiline strings - select across multiple lines to see the full length
• Keyboard Selection: Works with both mouse selection and keyboard selection (Shift+Arrow keys)
• Any Text: Works with any text selection - code, comments, strings, or plain text

Use Cases

• String Length Verification: Quickly verify string lengths during development
• Character Encoding Debugging: Check ASCII and Unicode values when debugging encoding issues
• String Manipulation: Understand exact character positions when working with string operations
• Code Review: Verify string lengths and character composition during code reviews
• Learning: Explore character encodings and Unicode values interactively

Support the Project

If StringScope has made your development workflow easier, consider supporting its development:

Your support helps keep this extension free and continuously improved!

Need Help?

• Technical Documentation: See Technical Documentation for developers
• Process Documentation: See Process Documentation for development workflows
• Issues: Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub
• Questions: Check the documentation or open a discussion

Requirements

• VS Code: Version 1.99.0 or higher
• No Additional Dependencies: Works out of the box

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - feel free to use it however you'd like!

Made with ❤️ by Gobinda Nandi