MyScratchPad — Fast, portable scratch files for modern editors

Create, store, and access quick notes and code snippets across IDEs. MyScratchPad gives you lightweight, persistent scratch files organized into global and workspace scopes — fast to create, easy to manage, and designed for everyday developer flow.

Why you'll love it:

• Instant scratch file creation (single-step)
• Cross-editor access — use the same files in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf (where supported)
• Clean webview UI for browsing, creating, and managing scratch files
• Lightweight and unobtrusive — built for speed, not bloat

Quick Highlights

• Global + Workspace scopes: Keep notes that travel with you or stay with a project.
• Single-step creation: Enter a filename and go — files open immediately with clipboard content as a starting point.
• Multiple create paths: Create from selection, from existing files, or via the + button.
• Quick search: Filter and find scratch files instantly using the built-in search box in the webview.
• Flexible file types: Works with any extension; provides smart templates and icons for common types.

Why MyScratchPad?

• Speed: Stop fighting with temporary files — create and access them in seconds.
• Convenience: Clipboard-aware creation and contextual commands make it feel native.
• Simplicity: Focused features that solve a single problem well — temporary notes and snippets.

Features

• Global and workspace-scoped scratch files
• One-step creation with extension-aware templates
• Clipboard-aware initial content for new files
• Create from selection or from an existing file via context menus
• Rename, delete, and refresh with a simple, consistent UI
• Rich webview interface for browsing and quick actions

How to Use

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace and reload.
2. Open the Explorer sidebar (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+E) and locate the MyScratchPad view.
3. Use the top + button to create a new file — include an extension (e.g., note.md).
4. Right-click a text selection and choose to create a scratch from selection, or right-click a file to create a scratch from that file.
5. Rename, delete, and refresh through the context menu or UI buttons.

Pro tips:

• To create from clipboard quickly, hit + and paste a filename — clipboard contents will be used as the file body.
• Use workspace scratchpads for project-specific experiments and global scratchpads for cross-project snippets.

Commands

• MyScratchPad: Create New Scratch File — Create a global scratch file
• MyScratchPad: Create New Workspace Scratch File — Create a workspace scratch file
• MyScratchPad: Create Scratch File from Selection — Create file from selected text
• MyScratchPad: Create Scratch File from File — Create from an existing file in Explorer
• MyScratchPad: Clean Up Old Files — (advanced) remove legacy storage files if present
• MyScratchPad: Migrate Old Scratch Files to Unified Storage — (advanced) migrate legacy storage files to the unified storage (For users who have used the extension before the migration)

Supported File Types

MyScratchPad treats files almost universally — any extension is supported. Common examples include:

• Programming languages: .js, .ts, .py, .go, .java, .rb, .cpp, .cs etc.
• Web: .html, .css, .jsx, .tsx, .vue
• Data & config: .json, .yaml, .env, .toml
• Docs and plain text: .md, .txt

Files open with sensible templates for common extensions while allowing full flexibility for any custom extension.

Troubleshooting

• If new files fail to create, confirm the extension has filesystem access for your environment.
• If files disappear from the UI, hit Refresh in the view or restart VS Code. The files are plain files on disk and can be opened from the file system.
• Report bugs or request features at: https://github.com/IDAN-DEVS/myscratchpad-vscode-extension/issues

Developer Notes

• Core services live in src/services/ and UI providers in src/views/.
• Providers accept storage paths computed at activation time (extension.ts) so concerns are separated.

Build & dev:

npm install
npm run watch   # dev
npm run compile # build

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please open issues and PRs on GitHub and follow project conventions.