Chain Grep
Chain searches, bookmark findings, and highlight patterns in VS Code
Chain Grep enhances VS Code's search capabilities with progressive refinement, intelligent bookmarking, and powerful highlighting - making it ideal for logs, debugging, and code exploration.
Features
🔍 Chained Text Searches
Build sequences of text/regex searches with each step filtering the results of the previous.
- Create progressive search chains with text or regex patterns
- Filter results with case-sensitivity and inversion options
- View results in separate documents that update when sources change
- Organize chains in a dedicated Activity Bar view
🔖 Smart Bookmarks
Track important lines across source and result documents with automatic synchronization.
- Bookmark lines in source and chain grep results
- Automatic synchronization of bookmarks between related documents
- Custom labels and visual indicators for bookmarked lines
- Intelligent position tracking when files change
- Quick navigation via the bookmarks sidebar
🎨 Flexible Highlighting
Highlight important terms with both local and global scope options.
- Two highlight modes:
- Local: Highlights visible only in the current chain
- Global: Highlights visible across your entire workspace
- Automatic restoration of highlights when switching files
- Customizable colors with background/foreground pairs
- Quick toggle buttons and keyboard shortcuts
- Comprehensive management via the highlights sidebar
Getting Started
Installation
Install from the VS Code Marketplace or download from GitHub.
Basic Usage
- Open any file in VS Code
- Use one of these approaches to start:
- Command Palette (
Ctrl+Shift+P): Search for "Chain Grep"
- Right-click context menu: Select "Chain Grep"
- Keyboard shortcuts (see below)
- Enter your search pattern and options
- Chain additional searches from the results document
- Add bookmarks and highlights to mark important information
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
| Grep Selection |
Ctrl+Alt+G |
Search for selected text |
| Toggle Highlight |
Ctrl+Alt+M |
Toggle local highlight for selection |
| Toggle Global Highlight |
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M |
Toggle global highlight for selection |
| Add Bookmark |
Ctrl+Alt+B |
Add bookmark at current line |
Configuration
Customize Chain Grep through VS Code settings:
{
// Bookmark appearance
"chainGrep.bookmarks.color": "#3794FF",
"chainGrep.bookmarks.showSymbols": true,
"chainGrep.bookmarks.showLabels": true,
// Highlight colors
"chainGrep.highlights.palette": "#89CFF0:black, #FF6961:black, #77DD77:black",
"chainGrep.highlights.randomOrder": false,
"chainGrep.highlights.showScrollbarIndicators": true,
// Result documents
"chainGrep.chainedDocuments.showDetailedInfo": true,
// System settings
"chainGrep.system.saveStateInProject": false
}
Remote Development Support
When working with remote environments (SSH, Containers, WSL), enable chainGrep.system.saveStateInProject to store extension state in your project's .vscode folder. This ensures bookmarks, highlights, and chains are available in both local and remote contexts.
Support and Feedback
License
MIT
