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Smart VSCode Copy

Copy and reference code snippets in VSCode with relevant metadata.

🚀 Features

Reference sections of code easily using via copy-and-paste.

Simple Reference

Copies high-level metadata to your clipboard:

Repo: Extracted from local Git remotes.
Commit Hash: The short SHA for the current HEAD.
Path: Workspace-relative file path.
Context: Intelligent breadcrumbs (Class > Method) based on your cursor.
Line Numbers: Specific L-range for your selection.

Example Output

PATH: app/MyReference.hs
REPO: user/repo (ref: a1b2c)
LOCATION: L3-L7

How?

Select a block of code, right click and select "Simple Reference"

Hotkey: Ctrl+Alt+C (Windows) / Cmd+Option+C (MacOS)

Code Block References

Like Simple References but with:

Langage Information: Used to write the code.
Code Block: Highlighed code ready to be pasted into a markdown document.

Example Output:

PATH: app/MyReference.hs
REPO: user/repo (ref: a1b2c)
LOCATION: L3-L7

fibs :: [Integer]
fibs = 0 : 1 : zipWith (+) fibs (drop 1 fibs)

getFib :: Int -> Integer
getFib n = fibs !! n

How?

Select a block of code, right click and select "Code Block Reference"

Hotkey: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C (Windows) / Cmd+Option+Shift+C (MacOS)

⚙️ Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings. You can find these in File > Preferences > Settings (or Cmd+, on macOS) by searching for smart-vscode-copy.

`smart-vscode-copy.referenceStyle`

Select the format used for the metadata copied to your clipboard.

Style	Example Output	Best Use Case
Standard	`PATH: src/app.ts` `REPO: user/repo (ref: a1b2c)` `CONTEXT: Auth > Login [L10-L15]`	Detailed documentation or internal notes.
GitHubLink	`https://github.com/user/repo/blob/a1b2c/src/app.ts#L10-L15` `Auth > Login`	Code reviews or Slack/Jira comments.
Minimalist	`user/repo (a1b2c) :: src/app.ts :: Auth > Login (L10-L15)`	Quick references that fit on a single line.

`smart-vscode-copy.includeGitInfo`

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Toggle to include or exclude the Repository URL and Commit Hash. If no Git repository is detected, no repository information is shown.

📦 Installation

Option 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

Open VS Code.
Go to the Extensions view by clicking the square icon on the left sidebar or pressing Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS).
Search for "smart-vscode-copy".
Click Install.

Option 2: Manual Installation (.vsix)

If you prefer to install the extension manually or are using a pre-release version:

Download the latest .vsix file from the Releases page.
In VS Code, open the Extensions view.
Click the "..." (More Actions) menu in the top-right corner of the Extensions bar.
Select Install from VSIX... and choose the file you downloaded.

Requirements

VSCode ^=1.110.0
vscode.git: Must be enabled to fetch repo/commit data.
Language Extensions: To see class/method/function names in the "context" field. Ensure you have the relevant Language Server installed. (e.g., rust-analyzer for Rust, Haskell for Haskell, Pyright for Python)

🛠️ Known Issues

If no symbols are found in the file, the CONTEXT field will show line numbers only.

📔 Release Notes

Users appreciate release notes as you update your extension.

1.0.0

Initial release.
Support for "Simple" (Metadata only) and "Code Block" (Markdown block) references.
Automatic Git repository and commit detection.
Context-aware symbol detection for nested functions and classes.

✉️ Support

I'm happy to hear your thoughts or feature suggestions!

Maintainer: Sam Lloyd-Williams Email: samlloydw+referencevscode@gmail.com