Symbol Window

this is a mod version with more features than the original. credits to the original code by - ytlee: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ytlee.symbol-relation-window

A Visual Studio Code extension that provides a "Source Insight"-like symbol navigation experience. It offers a dedicated side panel to browse symbols in the current document or search across the entire workspace with a native look and feel.

Features

0. Mods

• Sroting: Sorting and font bold markup of found result
• Dual screen: split additional screen view for current file symbols as additional to project workspace
• Focus text box: Added new command for keybinding to allow showing the main Symbols window and put the text box in focus
• Package outdate update: fix packges for security audit and updates
• ContextWindow preview: added when single click an item from list to show into context window extension (if exist)

1. Current Document Mode

• Tree View: Displays symbols (functions, classes, variables, etc.) of the active file in a hierarchical tree.
• Auto-Sync: Automatically updates when you switch tabs.
• Real-time Filtering: Type in the search bar to instantly filter the symbol tree.
• Jump to Definition: Double-click a symbol to jump to its location in the editor.

2. Project Workspace Mode

• Global Search: Search for symbols across the entire workspace.
• Multi-keyword Support: Supports space-separated keywords (e.g., user controller matches UserController).
• Performance: Optimized with debouncing and caching for large projects.
• Infinite Scroll: Automatically loads more results as you scroll.
• Deep Search: A powerful hybrid search mode that combines text scanning (Ripgrep) with symbol parsing (LSP) to find results in large projects where standard LSP searches might be truncated.
  • Advanced Filtering:
    • Search Scope: Limit the search to a specific folder.
    • Files to Include: Filter results using glob patterns (e.g., src/**/*.ts).
  • Optimized Matching: Uses regex permutations for fast multi-keyword matching.

3. Database Mode (New!)

For large workspaces where standard LSP search is slow or incomplete, Symbol Window now offers a high-performance Database Mode.

• SQLite Backend: Indexes workspace symbols into a local SQLite database for instant search results.
• Persistent Index: The index persists across sessions, so you don't have to wait for re-indexing every time you open VS Code.
• Incremental Updates: Automatically detects file changes and updates the index in the background.
• Hybrid Search: Combines the speed of database lookups with the accuracy of LSP symbol parsing.
• Visual Indicator: The UI clearly labels this mode as PROJECT WORKSPACE (DATABASE).

4. Native Experience

• UI: Built with custom components styled to match VS Code's native design.
• Icons: Uses standard VS Code Codicons.
• Theme Aware: Automatically adapts to Light, Dark, and High Contrast themes.

Configuration

You can customize the appearance and behavior of the symbol list via VS Code settings:

• symbolWindow.enable (Default: true): Enable or disable the Symbol Window view.

• relationWindow.enable (Default: true): Enable or disable the Relation Window view.

• symbolWindow.cleanCStyleTypes (Default: true):
  Moves C-style type suffixes (e.g., (typedef), (struct)) from the symbol name to the detail view (gray text).

• symbolWindow.moveSignatureToDetail (Default: true):
  Moves function signatures/parameters (e.g., (int a, char b)) from the symbol name to the detail view.

• symbolWindow.enableDeepSearch (Default: true):
  Enables the "Deep Search" feature in Project Mode. This feature uses ripgrep to scan files when standard symbol search is insufficient.

• symbolWindow.enableDatabaseMode (Default: true):
  Enables the high-performance SQLite-based indexing mode. Recommended for large projects.

• symbolWindow.indexingBatchSize (Default: 15):
  Controls how many files are processed in each indexing batch. Max is 200. Default is 15. Lower values reduce UI lag during indexing; higher values speed up indexing but may affect responsiveness.

• symbolWindow.includeFiles (Default: ""):
  Comma-separated list of glob patterns to include in indexing (e.g. **/*.c, **/*.h). If empty, all files are included.

• symbolWindow.excludeFiles (Default: **/*.md, **/*.txt + binaries):
  Comma-separated list of glob patterns to exclude from indexing. These are applied after .gitignore.
  Default: **/*.md, **/*.txt, **/*.log, **/*.lock, **/*.map, **/*.pdf, **/*.doc, **/*.docx, **/*.xls, **/*.xlsx, **/*.ppt, **/*.pptx, **/*.png, **/*.jpg, **/*.jpeg, **/*.gif, **/*.bmp, **/*.ico, **/*.svg, **/*.mp3, **/*.mp4, **/*.wav, **/*.zip, **/*.tar, **/*.gz, **/*.7z, **/*.rar, **/*.bin, **/*.exe, **/*.dll, **/*.so, **/*.dylib, **/*.pdb, **/*.obj, **/*.o, **/*.a, **/*.min.js, **/*.min.css

Commands

• Symbol Window: Refresh: Reloads symbols for the current view.
• Symbol Window: Toggle Mode: Switches between Current Document and Project Workspace modes.
• Symbol Window: Rebuild Symbol Index (Incremental): Triggers a safe, incremental update of the symbol database (Database Mode only).
• Symbol Window: Rebuild Symbol Index (Full): Completely clears the database and re-indexes the entire workspace. Use this if the index appears corrupted.
• Symbol Window: Focus Search Box: allow keybinding to show window and also make search text box in focus.

Usage

1. Open the View:
   Click the "Symbol Window" icon in the Activity Bar (usually on the left).

2. Switch Modes:
   Click the "Toggle Mode" icon in the view title area (top right of the panel) to switch between "Current Document" and "Project Workspace".

3. Refresh:
   Click the "Refresh" icon to reload symbols or clear the search cache.

4. Navigate:

   • Click: Select a symbol.
   • Double-Click: Jump to the symbol in the editor.
   • Arrow Keys: Navigate the list.
   • Enter: Jump to the selected symbol.

5. Deep Search:

   • Note: This feature is enabled by default via symbolWindow.enableDeepSearch.
   • Toggle Details: In Project Mode, click the ... (kebab) icon in the search bar to reveal advanced options.
   • Scope: Click the folder icon to select a specific root directory for your search.
   • Files to Include: Enter glob patterns (e.g., *.ts, src/**) to filter the files being searched.
   • Deep Search: If standard LSP search is insufficient, the extension automatically leverages ripgrep with optimized regex permutations to find symbols across your defined scope.

6. Database Mode:

   • Enable symbolWindow.enableDatabaseMode in settings.
   • The view title will change to PROJECT WORKSPACE (DATABASE).
   • The first time you enable it, the extension will index your workspace. Subsequent searches will be instant.

Requirements

This extension relies on VS Code's built-in symbol providers. You must have a language extension installed for the files you are editing (e.g., C/C++ extension for .c/.cpp files, TypeScript extension for .ts files).

Note on Large Projects: If you open a large workspace, the extension may show a "Waiting for symbol provider..." status initially. This is normal and indicates that the language server (e.g., C/C++ IntelliSense) is still indexing your files. The view will automatically unlock once the provider is ready.

Limitations & Enhancements

This extension is built on top of VS Code's native Symbol APIs (vscode.executeDocumentSymbolProvider and vscode.executeWorkspaceSymbolProvider). While it inherits the underlying capabilities of your installed Language Server Protocol (LSP) extensions, it also provides significant enhancements:

Enhancements:

• Multi-Keyword Search: Unlike standard VS Code search which often requires exact order, Symbol Window supports space-separated keywords (e.g., User Controller) and performs a client-side intersection. This allows for order-independent matching and more precise filtering.
• Structure Visualization: Provides a persistent tree view for the current document, unlike the transient "Go to Symbol" quick pick.
• Database Mode: Solves the "incomplete results" problem of standard LSP by maintaining a full index of workspace symbols.

Limitations:

• Search Results (Standard Mode): The completeness of the initial search results depends on the language extension. If the LSP truncates results (e.g., returns only the first 100 matches for "User"), our enhanced filtering can only operate on that subset. Use Database Mode to overcome this.
• Indexing Speed: The "Readiness" of the symbol window depends on how fast your language extension can index the workspace.

Future Work

1. Relation Window: A planned feature to visualize call hierarchies and symbol relationships (Callers/Callees) directly within the side panel.

Known Issues

• Sync Selection: Currently, clicking a symbol in the editor does not automatically highlight it in the Symbol Window list (Planned feature).
• Initial Loading: For very large workspaces, the "Project Mode" might show "Waiting for symbol provider..." for a few seconds while the language server indexes the project.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for instructions on how to build and contribute to the project.

License

MIT