FYI

"Like mobile apps that wait until you pick up your device to notify you"

The FYI extension ensures important information gets noticed.

• Nobody reads READMEs
• Motion attracts attention

READMEs in motion

When someone pulls a branch containing an updated markdown file, they will see a notification pop up in VS Code.

This pop-up includes a button that takes them directly to the relevant section of the README.

How It Works

README file -> notification -> README file

1. Draft an FYI.md file with the important information (See syntax you already know).
2. Commit it to version control.
3. When someone pulls the branch in VS Code, they will see a notification.
4. Clicking the Learn More button takes them to the exact portion of the README you specified.

Example

What is happening?

1. User is on a branch that does not have the FYI.md file
2. User fetched and now switches to the main branch
3. main has an FYI.md file and it contains 2 notification definitions
4. Because this is the 1st time user gets this version of the FYI.md file, the scheduled notifications pop up
5. User clicks the Learn More button of the modal, the markdown preview page opens and the relevant content is displayed
6. User clicks the Learn More button of the popup, and the relevant content scrolls into view in the markdown preview

• Got it button: permanently dismiss the notification
• Not now button: dismiss the notification until next startup

Features

• Attention-Grabbing Notifications: Ensure critical information is seen.
• Direct Navigation: Take users directly to the relevant section of the README.
• Easy Setup: Simply create and commit an FYI.md file.
• Multi-roots project support.
• Permanently dismissable notifications: On a per-user basis. Control is in their hands.
• 2 levels of urgency: By default all notifications are a non-intrusive pop-up, but they can be configured to be an unavoidable modal.
• Inherently collaborative.

Commands

shift + command + p

• FYI: Generate markdown file: Creates an FYI.md file at the root of your project
• FYI: Reset Dismissed Notifications: Unsilence notifications that you permanently dismissed

Requirements

Works with git projects and requires all users to have their git user.email configured.

# check if set:
git config --get user.email
# set globally (for all repositories):
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

Syntax

The FYI.md file must contain the following 2 headers:

1. # FYI
2. # Details

Anywhere in the file, but in that order.

Any quote found in between these 2 headers, will be used to generate a notification.

For a notification to contain a Learn More button that will take users to the portion of the file you wish them to see, end the quote with an anchor.

The anchor is simply the #header bit in a [regular link](#header).

For a notification to show up as a modal, start the quote with (!).
Leverage this judiciously and sparingly for truly crucial information.

# FYI

## Simple example
Without a 'Learn More' button

> Simple notification content

## Multiline example

> Multiline quotes still amount to
> a single notification

## Anchored example
Keep the notification content succinct  
elaborate in the `Details` section

> With a 'Learn More' button #anchored-example-1

## Crucial example

> (!) This is now a modal #crucial-example-1

# Details

## Anchored example
When users click the `Learn More` button, the __markdown preview__ page will open and take them right here.

Notice how the anchor ends in `-1`? This is standard markdown because this file contains 2 identical headers `## Anchored example`.

## Crucial example

> With great power comes great responsability.

This above quote will `not` turn into a notification, because it is `not` positioned between the `# FYI` and `# Details` headers.

In this example, you will find 4 quotes in between the opening and closing headers (# FYI and # Details).

This will amount to 4 different notifications being rendered in vscode. Of which 1 will be a modal.

[!NOTE] At this time, markdown syntax used inside a notification definition quote will not be interpreted when the notification gets rendered.

[!NOTE] Sometimes vscode can be funny with case-sensitivity in file names. If you've used the extensions's command to generate the FYI.md file, you will be fine. If you've manually created the file and lowercased it as fyi.md, surprises may ensue.