VirtualTabs 🗂️

繁體中文 | English

Organize your workflow beyond folder limitations. Build AI-ready contexts and logical file groups.

🎯 What is VirtualTabs?

VirtualTabs is a logical file organizer for VS Code that lets you group related files regardless of their physical location. Perfect for managing complex tasks and curating precise context for AI coding assistants.

"Don't just save tabs—organize your workflow."

✨ Key Features

• 📁 Cross-Directory Grouping — Organize files from anywhere, breaking free from folder constraints
• 🔖 Task-Oriented Bookmarks — Mark specific lines of code within your groups for quick navigation
• 📊 Smart Auto-Grouping — Organize by extension, modification date, or custom logic
• 🎨 Flexible Sorting — Sort by name, path, extension, or modified time within each group
• 🤖 AI Context Ready — Create precise file sets for LLMs and AI assistants
• 🌍 Multilingual — Full support for English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X (or Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for VirtualTabs and click Install

First Time Setup

1. Click the VirtualTabs icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar)
2. Right-click in the panel → Create New Group
3. Drag files into your group
4. Right-click the group → Auto Group by Extension (optional)

Basic Operations

Creating Groups

• Right-click in the VirtualTabs panel → Create New Group
• Name your group (e.g., "AI Context", "Feature: Auth", "Bug Fix #123")

Adding Files

• Drag & Drop: Drag files from Explorer into a group
• Multi-select: Hold Ctrl (or Cmd) and click files, then drag together
• Currently Open: The built-in group auto-syncs with your open tabs

Using Bookmarks (v0.2.0)

1. Right-click any line in the editor → Add Bookmark to VirtualTabs
2. The bookmark appears under the file in the sidebar
3. Click the bookmark to jump to that exact line
4. Right-click the bookmark → Edit Label or Edit Description

Sorting Files (v0.1.0)

• Right-click a group → Sort Files submenu
• Choose: Name, Path, Extension, or Modified Time
• Toggle ascending/descending order
• Each group remembers its own sort preference

💡 Why Choose VirtualTabs?

🧩 Solves Real Workflow Problems

In large projects, related files are scattered across directories:

❌ Without VirtualTabs:
├── config.json          (root)
├── styles/theme.css     (styles folder)
├── src/components/      (components)
└── tests/__tests__/     (tests)

✅ With VirtualTabs:
📁 Feature: Theme System
  ├── config.json
  ├── styles/theme.css
  ├── src/components/ThemeProvider.tsx
  └── tests/__tests__/theme.test.ts
    └── 🔖 Line 45: Critical test case

🤖 Perfect for AI-Assisted Coding

Context is King in the era of Copilot and LLMs:

• Curated Context: Create groups with only the relevant files for a task
• Reduced Noise: Help AI focus by isolating the exact files needed
• Persistent Prompts: Keep a "Context Group" ready when you return to a task

"VirtualTabs helps me define the exact boundary of what the AI should look at."

🎯 Use Cases

• Cross-directory management: Group config, styles, and source code together
• Feature-based development: Organize by module or functionality
• AI Context Curation: Build precise file sets for LLMs
• Code Review: Centralize files for review efficiency
• Teaching & Reference: Create curated examples without folder interference

📸 Features in Detail

📁 Group Management

• Create, delete, rename, and duplicate custom groups
• Built-in "Currently Open Files" group (auto-syncs with VS Code tabs)
• Drag and drop files into or between groups
• Each group is independent and persistent

🔖 Task-Oriented Bookmarks (v0.2.0)

• Smart Flow: Right-click any line → instant bookmark creation
• Context-Aware: Bookmarks are tied to your groups
• Quick Navigation: Jump to specific lines directly from the sidebar
• Smart Labeling: Auto-uses line content or selection as label

📊 Smart Organization (v0.1.0)

Auto-Group by Extension:

• Right-click group → Auto Group by Extension
• Creates sub-groups: .js, .css, .json, etc.

Auto-Group by Date:

• Right-click group → Auto Group by Modified Date
• Creates sub-groups: Today, Yesterday, This Week, This Month, Older

Flexible Sorting:

• Sort by: Name (A-Z), Path, Extension, Modified Time
• Toggle ascending/descending
• Clear sorting to restore insertion order

🛠️ Utilities

• Copy filename, relative path, or absolute path
• Open containing folder
• Multi-file batch operations (open/close/remove)
• Auto-save group state (persisted in workspaceState)

💡 Best Practices

1. Group by Task, Not Folder: Think about what you're working on, not where files live
2. Use Bookmarks for Logic Flow: Mark key decision points in your code
3. Create AI Context Groups: Group 5-10 files for focused AI assistance
4. Version Control: Share groups with your team (if using workspace settings)
5. Review and Refine: Periodically clean up unused groups to stay organized

🌍 Language Support

VirtualTabs automatically switches based on your VS Code locale:

• 🇺🇸 English (en)
• 🇹🇼 Traditional Chinese (zh-tw)
• 🇨🇳 Simplified Chinese (zh-cn)

Change your VS Code locale to switch languages instantly.

❓ FAQ

Q1: I don't see the VirtualTabs panel?

Check:

• The extension is enabled
• Your VS Code version is 1.75+
• VirtualTabs has its own icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar)

Q2: How does Auto Group by Extension work?

1. Select a group to activate it
2. Right-click → Auto Group by Extension
3. Sub-groups are created based on file extensions (e.g., .js, .css)

Q3: Can I share my groups with my team?

Currently, groups are saved in workspaceState (local to your machine). We're exploring workspace-level persistence in future versions.

Q4: Do bookmarks work across file renames?

Yes! Bookmarks track file paths and will update if you rename files within VS Code.

🔧 Developer Section

Interested in contributing? Check out DEVELOPMENT.md for:

• Environment setup
• Debugging & publishing guide
• Module structure & data flow diagrams
• Common error troubleshooting

🤝 Contributing

We welcome community contributions:

• 🐞 Bug Reports → GitHub Issues
• ✨ Feature Requests and UI suggestions
• 🔧 Code Contributions (fork and submit a PR)
• 🌍 Translations for new languages

📅 Changelog

✅ v0.2.0 (Latest)

• ✅ Task-Oriented Bookmarks with smart flow
• ✅ Enhanced tree view for bookmarks and files
• ✅ Edit bookmark labels and descriptions

✅ v0.1.0

• ✅ File sorting (name, path, extension, modified time)
• ✅ Auto-group by modification date
• ✅ Per-group sort preferences
• ✅ Full i18n support (EN, ZH-TW, ZH-CN)

📄 License

Licensed under MIT License. Free for personal and commercial use.

Organize smarter, code faster. 🚀