MergeMaster - Multi-File Merger for VS Code

Merge multiple code/text files into a single organized document with contextual separators. Perfect for code reviews, documentation, and file organization.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Usage
• Requirements
• Extension Settings
• Development
• Architecture
• Contributing
• Release Notes

Features

Core Features

• Multi-File Selection: Select files from the workspace explorer or use glob patterns.
• Smart Merging: Automatically inserts file headers and section separators.
• Output Customization: Choose the destination path and file name.
• Preserved Context: Maintains the original file content structure.

Advanced Features

• Directory Support: Recursively merge entire directories of files.
• Gitignore Integration: Respects .gitignore rules when selecting files.
• Tree View: Generates a visual tree structure of merged files.
• File Organization: Maintains clear separation between files with ASCII headers.
• Error Handling: Robust error handling for file operations and edge cases.

Usage

1. Open a workspace containing files to merge.
2. Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS).
3. Run the "MergeMaster: Merge Files" command.
4. Select two or more files from the quick pick.
   • You can select individual files or entire directories.
   • Files ignored by .gitignore will be excluded by default.
5. Choose the output location via the save dialog.
6. Get a single file with the following format:

==================================================
<--- Start-File: file1.js --->
==================================================

...original content...

==================================================
<--- End-File: file1.js --->
==================================================

==================================================
<--- Start-File: file2.py --->
==================================================

...original content...

==================================================
<--- End-File: file2.py --->
==================================================

Requirements

• VS Code 1.85 or later
• Workspace must contain mergeable files
• Node.js and npm for development

Extension Settings

• Supports all text-based files (e.g., .txt, .md, .py, .js, .ts, .json, .html, .css)
• Binary files are automatically excluded
• Respects .gitignore patterns by default

Development

Setup

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/tarekbadrsh/mergemaster.git
   cd mergemaster
   

2. Install dependencies

   npm install
   

3. Open in VS Code

   code .
   

Building and Testing

• compile: npm run compile
• Watch: npm run watch

Debugging

1. Press F5 to start debugging
2. Open a test workspace
3. Run the extension commands from the Command Palette

Architecture

The extension is built with TypeScript and follows a modular architecture:

Core Components

• extension.ts: Entry point for the VS Code extension
• MergeFilesCommands.ts: Main command implementation and file processing
• gitignoreFilter.ts: Handles .gitignore integration

Key Features Implementation

• File Selection: Uses VS Code's workspace API
• Content Merging: Implements custom merge logic with file separators
• Tree View: Generates ASCII tree structure for visual organization
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error catching and user feedback

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests and linting
5. Submit a pull request

Please follow the existing code style and add appropriate tests.

Release Notes

1.0.1

Initial release with core merging capability:

• File and directory selection from workspace
• Context-preserving merge output with tree view
• Gitignore integration
• Comprehensive error handling
• Support for all text-based file types

Enjoy!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.