create.tre

  ┌─ create.tre
  └─ .tre -> folders

vscode extension. write a tree like this:

demo/
  readme.md
  src/
    main.py
    utils/
      helper.py
  tests/
    test_main.py

right-click → those folders and files exist on disk. empty.

works on .tre files in the explorer, or on selected text in any file (handy for trees inside markdown and design docs).

companion to read.tre, the CLI that scaffolds the same format from a terminal and also goes the other direction (folder → .tre).

why

writing trees in readmes and design docs and then manually mkdir/ touching every line is tedious. one right-click should fix that.

not on the marketplace yet. clone and run from source:

git clone https://github.com/polygonstew/create.tre
cd create.tre
npm install
npm run compile

then either:

press F5 inside VS Code with the project open — launches an Extension Development Host with create.tre loaded
or vsce package and code --install-extension create-tre-0.0.1.vsix to install it for real

command	invoke from	what it does
`create.tre: Create From File`	right-click a `.tre` file in explorer	materializes the tree from that file
`create.tre: Create From Selection`	right-click a text selection	materializes the tree from the selected text
`create.tre: Preview From Selection`	right-click a text selection	shows what would be created, writes nothing

2-space indent. folders end with /. files don't. blank lines fine. # starts a comment and is stripped.

demo/
  readme.md          # this is a comment
  src/
    main.py
    utils/
      helper.py
  tests/
    test_main.py

also parses tree-drawing characters, so this works:

demo/
├── readme.md
├── src/
│   ├── main.py
│   └── utils/
│       └── helper.py
└── tests/
    └── test_main.py

and Windows tree /F /A output — paste it into a selection and scaffold.

creates empty files. names only, no content.
mixed indents in the same tree will misparse. pick spaces or pipes, not both.
"Create From File" writes immediately. there is no preview step for the file path yet — use "Preview From Selection" on the file's contents if you want a dry run.
behavior on existing target paths is not yet defined. don't run on anything you haven't committed.

read.tre is the CLI for the same .tre format. install via winget:

winget install polygonstew.read.tre

use create.tre when you're in the editor. use read.tre when you're in a terminal, or when you want to capture an existing folder as a .tre.

[ ] syntax highlighting (.tre is registered as a language id but no grammar is wired)
[ ] preview path for the file-based command, not just selection
[ ] overwrite confirmation
[ ] forward direction: right-click a folder → generate .tre
[ ] marketplace publish