Snippets — Supercharge Snippets in VS Code

Code snippets are valuable additions for anyone looking to save time during development. They simplify the process of entering repetitive code, such as loops, complex HTML structures, or reusable methods.

Visual Studio Code already provides robust support for snippets, including their appearance in IntelliSense, tab-completion, and a dedicated snippet picker (Insert Snippet in the Command Palette). This extension takes snippets to another level by introducing new features that enhance code snippet management.

Getting Started

Install Snippets by one of the following options:

• Clicking Install on the banner above
• Searching for Snippets from the Extensions side bar in VS Code
• Typing ext install tahabasri.snippets from the Command Palette in VS Code

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Features | FAQ | Known Issues | Release Notes | Feedback | Credits

Features

Boost your productivity with a set of powerful features that enhance snippet management:

• Create — Create Snippets easily with a few clicks.
• Open — Open Snippets quickly from anywhere in VS Code.
• Search — Find your Snippet in 2 seconds or less.
• Manage — Organize your snippets freely, with no forced order, beyond editing and deleting.
• Customize — Personalize your Snippets to match your style.
• Sync — Various options for synchronizing your snippets across multiple devices and users.
• Boost — Supercharge your snippets to make them more developer-friendly.
• AI Integration — Seamlessly work with AI assistants in VS Code.

Create

Create Snippet from open editor

Create Snippet directly from the clipboard

Create Snippet manually

Open

Open Snippet with a single click

Drop Snippet directly into the editor

You may need to hold Shift key while dragging to correctly drop the item in the editor.

Copy Snippet to Clipboard

Insert Snippet directly into Terminal

Search

Use IntelliSense to quickly access all your Snippets

You can set a special key to trigger IntelliSense from the extension settings. Default key is >. More about IntelliSense here.

Search for Snippets using Command Palette

You can also search directly into the Snippets view similarly to the File Explorer.

Preview Snippets before insertion

Manage

Drag and drop Snippets from one folder to another

Reorder Snippets using Up and Down actions

Sort alphabetically a Snippets folder or all your Snippets

Action Buttons

The extension now features enhanced action buttons throughout the interface for improved usability, making it easier to perform common operations with fewer clicks.

When Action Buttons are enabled, they become the primary method for interacting with Snippets in the Tree view, replacing the default click behavior.

Customize

Set icons for your folders

Add a description to your Snippet

Descriptions show when hovering on top of a Snippet and in IntelliSense.

Add a prefix to your Snippet

When displaying Snippets using IntelliSense, custom prefix will be used instead of the original Snippet label. A prefix is a recommended shortcut for Snippets with long labels.

Prefix all your Snippets

You can set a prefix for all your snippets to distinguish them from other VS Code snippets.

• set a keyword for the setting Snippets: Global Prefix e.g snipp
• suggestions coming from your custom Snippets will be prefixed in IntelliSense

An explicit prefix in a single Snippet will override Global Prefix settings.

For example, if the global prefix in your settings is set to foo, and a custom snippet is explicitly prefixed with boo, the latter will be displayed in IntelliSense as boo. All other snippets with no explicit prefix will be displayed as foo.

Sync

Import and Export Snippets using JSON files

Import VS Code Snippets to Cursor or Windsurf

You can import your existing VS Code snippets directly to Cursor or Windsurf combining the best snippets you collected for both editors.

Sync Snippets between multiple devices

⚠ Experimental feature: feel free to file a bug as this is still an experimental change.

Starting with version 2.0 and up, Snippets supports backup using VS Code Settings Sync feature. Your snippets will be saved alongside your VS Code data no matter your operating system.

Check the docs to know more about Settings Sync feature and how to use it.

Sync your Snippets with a Version Control System

A large number of users utilize a VCS (e.g Git) and may need to associate a set of snippets with a specific project (e.g sharing project-specific snippets with team members). This can be achieved by enabling the snippets.useWorkspaceFolder setting. Once this option is enabled, the extension will read/write snippets to/from the .vscode/snippets.json file if it's available (the extension will prompt you to create the file the first time you enable this option).

Note: Workspace snippets are excluded from synchronization via Settings Sync. You will be responsible for backing up the .vscode/snippets.json file using your favorite VSC.

Boost

Bind Snippets to Programming Languages

Snippets created from a language specific editor/file will keep reference of the programming language used. The same Snippet will be suggested only in editors/files of same programming language.

A Snippet bound to a programming language will get an icon for that particular language natively.

You can explicitly set a programming language by appending the language file extension to the Snippet name at the creation prompt.

Resolve Snippet Syntax

Learn more about the Snippet syntax here.

Option to Resolve Snippet Syntax is disabled by default for new Snippets, you may need to edit the Snippet to enable it.

AI Integration

Seamlessly integrate your snippets with AI assistants in VS Code:

GitHub Copilot Chat

Use your snippets directly with GitHub Copilot Chat for enhanced productivity and context-aware code generation.

• Save prompts as snippets and use them directly in Github Copilot.

• Use code snippets directly in Github Copilot

Cursor AI Pane

Integrate with Cursor's AI capabilities to get intelligent suggestions based on your snippets library.

Gemini Code Assist

Leverage Google's Gemini Code Assist alongside your snippets for more powerful code completion and generation.

Enjoy!

FAQ

Q: Is there a limit on the number of snippets/folders I can create?

A: There is no limit; your disk space is the only limitation.

Q: I'm feeling overwhelmed by multiple snippets. How can I better organize them?

A: Check the Manage section for available organizational features including folders, drag-and-drop, reordering, and alphabetical sorting.

Q: Clicking "Request to Initialize File" does nothing. What should I do?

A: If you're attempting to initialize the snippets file for a new workspace and nothing happens, ensure that the path to your current folder open in VS Code has the correct file permissions.

Q: Can I specify the cursor position so that, when the snippet is added, the cursor is moved to a particular position?

A: Yes, you can enable Resolve Snippet Syntax for a particular snippet and use VS Code Tab Stops.

Q: How do I use snippets with AI assistants?

A: The extension now integrates with GitHub Copilot Chat, Cursor AI Pane, and Gemini Code Assist. Check the AI Integration section for details.

Q: I'm switching to Cursor/Windsurf. How do I import my existing VS Code snippets?

A: You can import your VS Code snippets directly to Cursor/Windsurf using the import feature. See the Import VS Code Snippets to Cursor Position section.

Known Issues

Troubleshoot Snippets

• The new "Troubleshoot Snippets" option helps fix common issues, including:
  • Old snippets not appearing.
  • Moving snippets not working.
  • New snippets disappearing.

These issues often arise when two conflicting features, moving snippets and syncing them simultaneously, are in use. Fortunately, no snippets should be permanently lost. They are all stored locally, but inconsistencies in the database can make the snippets temporarily invisible.

Files Permissions on Windows

You may encounter some inconsistencies when dealing with snippets on Windows. The first thing to check is whether all related VS Code files are accessible and if any folder permissions are affecting accessibility.

Release Notes

Check the CHANGELOG for full release notes.

Feedback

• Request a feature.
• File a bug.

Credits

• GitHub Repo Social Preview Background Photo by JJ Ying on Unsplash