Group Code for VS Code

This Visual Studio Code extension helps you navigate and organize your codebase based on functionality rather than just files. Using special comments to tag related code sections across multiple files and languages, it creates a unified view that makes it easier to understand and work with your project's different functional components.

Features

Cross-File Code Organization: Group related code blocks from different file types under a common functionality
Unified View: Access all related code sections through the dedicated Group Code Explorer
AI-Powered Code Organization: Automatically generate code groups using GitHub Copilot integration
Chat Participant Integration: Interact with code groups directly through GitHub Copilot Chat
Language Model Tool: AI tool that analyzes and generates group comments for your entire codebase
Extensive Language Support: Works with 40+ programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, C#, Java, Go, HTML, CSS, Ruby, PHP, Rust, and many more
Quick Navigation: Jump between related code sections with a single click
Automatic Scanning: Automatically detects code groups in your workspace
Status Bar Integration: Quick access to code groups from the VS Code status bar
External Folder Support: Scan code in folders outside your current workspace
Smart Code Completion: Get intelligent suggestions for @group tags and existing group names
Git-Aware Scanning: Automatically respects .gitignore patterns and common ignore rules
Inline Documentation: See where each code group is used while typing
Block Comment Support: Improved detection of groups in block comments across all languages
Performance Optimizations: Smart file filtering and efficient workspace scanning

What's New in Version 1.4.0

🎯 Improved .gitignore Support

Full .gitignore Parsing: Properly converts .gitignore patterns to VS Code glob patterns
Directory Pattern Handling: Correctly excludes directories like .venv, node_modules, __pycache__
File Pattern Handling: Properly handles file patterns like *.pyc, *.log
No More False Scans: Ignored folders are now truly excluded from workspace scanning

🤖 Model Selection

Use Your Preferred Model: AI generation now uses the model you've selected in Copilot Chat
Respects User Choice: When using Claude, GPT-4, or any other model in chat, the extension uses that same model
Configurable Model Settings: Set preferred model in .groupcode/settings.json
New Command: Group Code: Set Preferred AI Model to configure your default model

📍 Clickable Group References

Interactive Output: When groups are added, each group shows as a clickable link in chat
Jump to Location: Click on any group name to navigate directly to that line in the file
File Anchors: File names are clickable to open the file
Copilot-Style UX: Similar experience to how Copilot shows file references

📁 Centralized File Extension Support

Single Source of Truth: All supported file extensions defined in one place
Easy to Extend: Add new file types by editing one list in fileUtils.ts
Consistent Behavior: Same extensions used across all scanning operations

🔧 Configuration via .groupcode/settings.json

{
  "preferredModel": "claude-sonnet-4",
  "autoScan": true,
  "showNotifications": true
}

What's New in Version 1.3.0

Hierarchical Grouping

Multi-level Organization: Create nested group hierarchies using > separator (e.g., @group Auth > Login > Validation)
Flexible Depth: Support for unlimited nesting levels
Smart Tree View: Hierarchies displayed with folder icons, collapsible nodes, and group counts
Breadcrumb Navigation: Chat responses show hierarchy breadcrumbs for easy navigation
Hierarchy Autocomplete: Intelligent suggestions for existing hierarchy paths when typing

Live Updates & Enhanced Scanning

Real-time Sidebar Refresh: Tree view updates automatically when you add or edit @group comments - no manual refresh needed
Scan Current File: Use @groupcode /scan to scan only the current file
Scan Workspace: Use @groupcode /scan workspace to scan the entire project

Two-Mode Generation

Safe Mode: Only adds missing @group comments, preserving existing ones
Update Mode: Regenerates all groups with confirmation prompt
Smart Confirmation: Prompts before overwriting to prevent accidental changes

Improved Duplicate Detection

Enhanced Similarity Detection: Catches similar group names like "user validation" vs "validate user"
Word Order Variations: Detects reordered words in group names
Consolidation Suggestions: Recommends merging similar groups for consistency

AI-Powered Features

Automatic Code Group Generation: Use AI to automatically analyze your code and generate appropriate @group comments
GitHub Copilot Chat Integration: Interact with your code groups using natural language through @groupcode chat participant
Workspace-Wide Generation: Process entire workspaces or individual files with a single command
Smart Format Detection: Automatically detects and fixes incorrect group comment formats
Semantic Duplicate Detection: AI-powered detection of semantically similar group names to maintain naming consistency

Chat Participant Commands

Use @groupcode in GitHub Copilot Chat with these commands:

@groupcode generate - Auto-generate group comments for current file
@groupcode generate workspace - Generate groups for entire workspace
@groupcode /scan - Scan current file for existing code groups
@groupcode /scan workspace - Scan entire workspace for code groups
@groupcode suggest - Get AI suggestions for selected code
@groupcode list - Show all code groups in workspace
@groupcode find <name> - Search for specific code groups (supports hierarchical queries)
@groupcode navigate to <name> - Jump to a specific group
@groupcode refresh - Rescan all files for updates
@groupcode help - Show all available commands

Language Model Tool

The extension includes a language model tool (groupcode_generate) that can be invoked by GitHub Copilot for:

Analyzing code structure and identifying logical groupings
Generating complete code with @group comments inserted
Suggesting group names and descriptions for code snippets

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "Group Code"
Click Install

From Open VSX Registry

Visit Open VSX Registry
Click "Install" or download the extension
Compatible with VS Code, VSCodium, and other Open VSX-based editors

Manual Installation

Download the groupcode-1.4.0.vsix file
In VS Code, open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
Run "Extensions: Install from VSIX..." and select the downloaded file

Requirements for AI Features

To use the AI-powered features, you need:

VS Code: Version 1.90.0 or higher
GitHub Copilot: Installed and active
GitHub Copilot Subscription: Active subscription required

Getting Started

After installing the extension, you'll see a new Group Code icon in your Activity Bar. The extension will automatically scan your workspace for code groups when you open a folder.

Quick Start with AI

Open a code file or workspace
Open GitHub Copilot Chat
Type: @groupcode generate
The AI will analyze your code and add @group comments
Groups automatically appear in the Group Code tree view

Usage

Creating Code Groups

Manual Method

Add special comments to your code using the @group tag:

@group GroupName: Description of functionality

For hierarchical organization, use the > separator:

@group Parent > Child > Grandchild: Description

Examples:

// @group Authentication: User login process
// @group Auth > Login > Validation: Email validation
// @group Features > Dashboard > Charts: Sales chart component

Note: Use a colon (:) after the group name, not a dash (-).

AI-Assisted Method

Use the chat participant to automatically generate groups:

@groupcode generate              # Generate for current file
@groupcode generate workspace    # Generate for entire workspace

The AI will analyze your code and add appropriate @group comments in the correct format.

Code Group Format

The extension automatically recognizes different comment formats based on the file type:

JavaScript/TypeScript/C#/Java/C++

// @group Authentication: User login process
function login(username, password) {
    // Your code here
}

// Inline comments also work
const userData = getUserData(); // @group UserData: Access user information

HTML/XML/SVG

<!-- @group Authentication: Login form layout -->
<form class="login-form">Ks
    <!-- Your HTML here -->
</form>

<div class="user-panel"><!-- @group UserPanel: User interaction area --></div>

CSS/SCSS/Less

/* @group Authentication: Login form styling */
.login-form {
    /* Your CSS here */
}

.avatar { border-radius: 50%; } /* @group UserInterface: Profile picture styling */

Python/Ruby/Shell/YAML

# @group Authentication: User authentication backend
def authenticate_user(username, password):
    # Your Python code here

user_role = get_user_role(user_id) # @group Authorization: User permission check

Smart Code Completion

The extension provides intelligent code completion for group tags:

Type @ in a comment to trigger the group completion
Get suggestions for the @group tag format
After typing @group, see suggestions of existing group names
Get inline documentation showing where each group is used
Maintain consistent naming with smart filtering and sorting
Works in both line comments and block comments
Supports case-insensitive matching

The completion provider is language-aware and only activates inside valid comments for each language.

Inline Comment Detection

The extension detects code group patterns in inline comments:

const apiKey = process.env.API_KEY; // @group Security: API authentication
fetchUserData(userId); // @group UserData: Fetch user information
updateUI(userData); // @group UserInterface: Update display with user data

Viewing & Navigating Code Groups

Using the Explorer

Open the Group Code Explorer:
- Click on the Group Code icon in the Activity Bar
- Find "Group Code" in the Explorer view
- Command Palette: "View: Show Group Code"
Expand a functionality group to see all related code sections
Click on any code section to navigate directly to that file and line

Using the Status Bar

Click on the Group Code indicator in the status bar (or press Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G)
Select a functionality from the dropdown
Choose which specific code section to navigate to

Using Chat Participant

Open GitHub Copilot Chat and use:

@groupcode list                    # Show all groups
@groupcode find authentication     # Search for groups
@groupcode navigate to auth        # Jump to a group

Available Commands

Access these commands through the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

Group Code in Current File: Scan only the active file for code groups
Group Code in Workspace: Scan all supported files in the workspace
Scan External Project Folder: Scan code in a folder outside your workspace
Show Code Groups: Display the quick picker to navigate between groups
Refresh Code Groups: Perform a complete rescan of all files
Suggest Code Group with AI: Get AI-powered suggestions for selected code

AI Features Deep Dive

Automatic Code Group Generation

The extension can analyze your code and automatically add @group comments:

For a single file:

@groupcode generate

For entire workspace:

@groupcode generate workspace

The AI will:

Analyze your code structure
Identify logical functional groups
Generate appropriate group names and descriptions
Add @group comments in the correct format
Automatically scan and update the tree view

Smart Format Detection

If you have existing @group comments with incorrect format (using dash instead of colon), the AI generation will automatically detect and fix them:

// Old format (dash) - will be detected
// @group Authentication - User login

// Correct format (colon) - what AI generates
// @group Authentication: User login

Simply run @groupcode generate workspace and it will update all files with incorrect formats.

Language Model Tool

The groupcode_generate tool is available for GitHub Copilot to invoke when you ask questions like:

"Can you organize this code with group comments?"
"Add @group comments to help organize this file"
"Analyze this code and suggest functional groups"

The tool supports three actions:

analyze: Identify groups without modifying code
generate: Create code with @group comments inserted
suggest: Get quick suggestions for selected code

Supported Languages

This extension supports code grouping for 40+ programming languages including:

JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, Python, C#, Java, Go, PHP, Ruby, C/C++, Rust, Swift, Kotlin, Dart, Haskell, Lua, R, SQL, YAML, Markdown, Shell/Bash, PowerShell, and many more.

Each language uses its native comment syntax to define code groups.

Tips & Best Practices

General

Consistent Naming: Use the same group name across different files
Descriptive Groups: Choose meaningful group names that reflect functionality
Correct Format: Always use colon (:) not dash (-) after group name
Regular Refreshing: The extension auto-refreshes, but you can manually refresh after major changes
External Code: For monorepos or multi-project setups, use "Scan External Project Folder"

With AI Features

Review Before Applying: Always review AI-generated groups before accepting
Start Small: Try AI generation on a single file first to see how it works
Iterative Approach: Generate, review, adjust, and regenerate if needed
Use Explicit Commands: Use @groupcode generate workspace for clarity
Trust the Format: AI now generates correct format (colon) automatically

Code Organization

Inline Comments: Use inline code group comments for pinpointing specific functionality
Mixed Approaches: Combine standalone comments for major blocks with inline comments for important lines
Hierarchical Groups: Use > separator for nested organization (e.g., @group Auth > OAuth > Google)
Consistent Hierarchy: Keep hierarchy naming consistent across files for better organization

Troubleshooting

General Issues

If groups aren't appearing, try the "Refresh Code Groups" command
Ensure comments follow the exact pattern: @group GroupName: Description (with colon)
For inline comments, make sure there's a space after the comment marker
Check the Output panel (View → Output → Group Code) for detailed logs
For large workspaces, the initial scan may take a moment to complete

AI Feature Issues

No AI suggestions: Ensure GitHub Copilot is installed, enabled, and you have an active subscription
Wrong format generated: Update to latest version (1.3.0+) which uses correct colon format
Tree view not updating: The extension now auto-refreshes; if issues persist, try manual refresh
Chat participant not showing: Make sure VS Code is version 1.90.0 or higher
Hierarchical groups not showing: Ensure you're using the correct > separator with spaces

Format Issues

If you have old groups with dash format (@group Name - Description):

Run @groupcode generate workspace
The AI will detect and regenerate with correct format
Tree view will update automatically

Data Storage

Code group metadata is stored in the .groupcode folder in your workspace root. This folder contains JSON files with:

Group definitions and descriptions
File locations and line numbers
Functionality mappings

You can add .groupcode/ to your .gitignore if you don't want to commit this metadata.

Privacy & Security

AI features require GitHub Copilot and use its language models
Code is processed according to GitHub Copilot's privacy policy
No code is stored or transmitted except through GitHub Copilot's standard API
The extension respects your .gitignore and doesn't scan ignored files

Contributing

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue on the GitHub repository.

License

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

Changelog

Version 1.4.0

Improved .gitignore Support: Properly converts .gitignore patterns to VS Code glob patterns
Model Selection: AI generation now uses the model selected in Copilot Chat
Configurable Model Settings: Set preferred model in .groupcode/settings.json
New Command: Group Code: Set Preferred AI Model to configure default model
Clickable Group References: Groups show as clickable links in chat output
Jump to Location: Click on any group name to navigate directly to that line
File Anchors: File names are clickable to open the file
Centralized Extensions: All supported file extensions defined in one place
Fixed Directory Exclusion: .venv, node_modules, __pycache__ properly excluded
Fixed File Pattern Handling: *.pyc, *.log patterns handled correctly

Version 1.3.0

Added multi-level hierarchical grouping with > separator
Added live tree view updates - automatic refresh when editing @group comments
Added /scan command for current file scanning
Added /scan workspace command for full workspace scanning
Added two-mode generation (safe mode and update mode)
Improved duplicate detection for word order variations
Enhanced hierarchy autocomplete with existing path suggestions
Added breadcrumb navigation in chat responses
Added hierarchy search support in @groupcode find
Improved tree view with folder icons and group counts
Updated VS Code engine requirement to 1.99.1

Version 1.2.0

Added GitHub Copilot Chat integration with @groupcode participant
Added AI-powered automatic code group generation
Added language model tool for Copilot integration
Added workspace-wide generation support
Added smart format detection and auto-correction
Added real-time tree view updates when editing @group comments
Added semantic duplicate detection for group names
Added AI-powered semantic similarity checking
Added comprehensive word form normalization (150+ variations)
Fixed format to use colon (:) instead of dash (-)
Improved scanning performance
Enhanced error handling and user feedback

Version 1.1.0

Improved language support with 40+ programming languages
Enhanced code completion with inline documentation
Added support for inline code group comments
Better block comment detection
Performance optimizations for large workspaces
Git-aware file scanning

Support

For questions, issues, or feature requests:

GitHub Issues: group-code/issues
Open VSX: groupcode extension
Documentation: See this README and included guide files

Enjoy organizing your code with AI-powered intelligence!

Group Code

Chandan Bhagat

Group Code for VS Code

Features

What's New in Version 1.4.0

🎯 Improved .gitignore Support

🤖 Model Selection

📍 Clickable Group References

📁 Centralized File Extension Support

🔧 Configuration via .groupcode/settings.json

What's New in Version 1.3.0

Hierarchical Grouping

Live Updates & Enhanced Scanning

Two-Mode Generation

Improved Duplicate Detection

AI-Powered Features

Chat Participant Commands

Language Model Tool

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

From Open VSX Registry

Manual Installation

Requirements for AI Features

Getting Started

Quick Start with AI

Usage

Creating Code Groups

Manual Method

AI-Assisted Method

Code Group Format

JavaScript/TypeScript/C#/Java/C++

HTML/XML/SVG

CSS/SCSS/Less

Python/Ruby/Shell/YAML

Smart Code Completion

Inline Comment Detection

Viewing & Navigating Code Groups

Using the Explorer

Using the Status Bar

Using Chat Participant

Available Commands

AI Features Deep Dive

Automatic Code Group Generation

Smart Format Detection

Language Model Tool

Supported Languages

Tips & Best Practices

General

With AI Features

Code Organization

Troubleshooting

General Issues

AI Feature Issues

Format Issues

Data Storage

Privacy & Security

Contributing

License

Changelog

Version 1.4.0

Version 1.3.0

Version 1.2.0

Version 1.1.0

Support