Better Copy Path with Lines

🚀 VSCode extension for copying file paths with line numbers | 中文文档

💡 What is This?

A VSCode extension that copies file paths with line numbers in a single click. Perfect for:

• 📝 Sharing code references in GitHub issues/PRs
• 💬 Discussing specific code lines in Slack/Teams
• 📚 Writing documentation with precise code locations
• 🐛 Reporting bugs with exact line numbers

✨ Features

Quick Copy from Anywhere

• Right-click in line number area → Get src/app.ts:42

• Right-click in editor → Get path with current line

• Works with single line, range (10-20), or multiple selections (5, 10, 15)

Two Formats

• 📂 Relative Path: src/components/Button.tsx:42
• 📁 Absolute Path: /Users/me/project/src/components/Button.tsx:42

Customizable

• 🔧 Path separator: / or \ or system default
• 🔧 Range connector: - or ~ (e.g., 10-20 vs 10~20)
• 🔧 Selection separator: , or ; or space

🎯 Why This Fork?

This is an enhanced fork of qishan233/copy-path-with-line-number

✨ Key Improvements

🚀 What's Different

Speed & Simplicity

• ⚡ 33% faster - Removed submenus for direct access
• 🧠 50% less cognitive load - Only 2 relevant options
• 🎯 Clear focus - Line number context is the core value

Fixed Critical Issues

• ✅ Line number gutter now works - Fixed VSCode API handling
• ✅ Cleaner UX - Removed redundant non-line commands (use VSCode's native "Copy Path" instead)

Better Design

• 📝 Commands use clean format: Copy Relative Path:Line / Copy Absolute Path:Line
• 🎨 Appears only in relevant contexts (editor & line gutter)
• 🔧 Same powerful configuration options (separators, connectors, etc.)

📥 Installation

Option 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

1. Open VSCode
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Better Copy Path with Lines"
4. Click Install

Or install via CLI:

code --install-extension MarkShawn2020.better-copy-path-with-lines

Option 2: Open VSX Registry

For VSCodium, Code-OSS, or other VS Code compatible editors:

# VSCodium
codium --install-extension MarkShawn2020.better-copy-path-with-lines

# Or download from https://open-vsx.org/extension/MarkShawn2020/better-copy-path-with-lines

Option 3: Manual Installation

1. Download the latest .vsix from GitHub Releases
2. In VSCode: Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX

Option 4: From Source

git clone https://github.com/MarkShawn2020/better-copy-path-with-lines.git
cd better-copy-path-with-lines
npm install
npm run compile
# Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host

🎬 Usage

Quick Start

Right-click in line number area or editor:

└─ Copy Relative Path:Line     → src/app.ts:42
└─ Copy Absolute Path:Line     → /Users/me/project/src/app.ts:42

Multi-line selection:

Select lines 10-20 → Copy → src/app.ts:10-20
Multiple selections → Copy → src/app.ts:5, 10, 15

Configuration

Customize separators and connectors in VSCode settings:

{
  "copyPathWithLineNumber.path.separator": "slash",      // "/" or "\" or "system"
  "copyPathWithLineNumber.range.connector": "dash",      // "-" or "~"
  "copyPathWithLineNumber.selection.separator": "comma", // "," or ";" or " "
  "copyPathWithLineNumber.show.message": true            // Show notification
}

Examples:

Default:     src/components/Button.tsx:42-55
With tilde:  src/components/Button.tsx:42~55
With space:  src/components/Button.tsx:10 20 30

🔄 Comparison with Original

For a complete feature list of the original extension, see the original repository.

What we kept:

• ✅ Line number copying with ranges
• ✅ Custom separators and connectors
• ✅ Multi-line selection support
• ✅ i18n (English & Chinese)

What we changed:

• 🎯 Removed: Non-line commands (explorer/tab contexts) - use VSCode's native "Copy Path"
• 🎯 Removed: Submenus - direct command access
• 🎯 Fixed: Line number gutter context menu
• 🎯 Simplified: Command labels to Path:Line format

📊 Technical Details

Architecture Highlights

• Pattern: Decorator + Strategy + Command
• Type Safety: Full TypeScript with strict mode
• Performance: Zero dependencies (except VSCode API)
• Size: ~194 KB packaged

Key Technical Improvements

v0.1.2 - Fixed VSCode line number context API

// VSCode passes {lineNumber: number, uri: Uri} from gutter
// Added proper detection and extraction

v0.1.1 - Focused refactoring

• Removed 2 commands (kept only line-enabled)
• Flattened menu structure
• Simplified all code paths

🐛 Known Issues

None currently. Report issues at: https://github.com/MarkShawn2020/better-copy-path-with-lines/issues

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! This project uses automated releases via Conventional Commits.

Quick Start:

# Feature (triggers 0.1.4 → 0.2.0)
git commit -m "feat: add new feature"

# Bug fix (triggers 0.1.4 → 0.1.5)
git commit -m "fix: resolve bug"

Pushing to main automatically:

• ✅ Analyzes commits
• ✅ Bumps version
• ✅ Publishes to VS Code Marketplace & Open VSX
• ✅ Creates GitHub release

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

We prioritize:

1. Speed and simplicity
2. Line number context use cases
3. Clean, maintainable code

📜 License

MIT License - Same as original project

🙏 Credits

• Original Author: qishan233
• Fork Maintainer: MarkShawn2020
• Improvements: Focused refactoring + critical bug fixes

📝 Release Notes

0.1.3 (Latest)

⚡ Improved Defaults

• Changed default range connector from ~ to - (industry standard: 10-20 instead of 10~20)
• Matches GitHub, GitLab, grep, and most developer tools
• Easier to type (no Shift key needed)
• ~ still available as configuration option

0.1.2

🐛 Critical Bug Fix

• Fixed line number gutter context menu (VSCode API {lineNumber, uri} handling)
• Removed debug logging

0.1.1

🚀 Major Refactoring

• Removed non-line commands (use VSCode native "Copy Path")
• Flattened menu structure (2 clicks vs 3)
• Simplified labels to Path:Line format
• Only show in editor & line gutter contexts

0.1.0

• Added line number gutter support

Earlier Versions

See original repository for versions 0.0.1 - 0.0.7

Made with ❤️ for developers who share code references frequently