Copy Code as Snippet

A Visual Studio Code extension that allows you to copy selected code or the entire content of a file as a Markdown, HTML, or plain text code snippet with language and file path information.

Features

• Copy selected code or the entire file content
• Automatically includes the language identifier based on file type
• Optionally includes the relative file path from the workspace
• Supports Markdown, HTML, and plain text snippet formats
• Handles special cases (e.g., build.gradle → groovy, Dockerfile, docker-compose.yaml)
• Clipboard-ready output for pasting into docs, chats, or markdown editors
• AI-friendly Markdown mode (opt-in) that adds file/language/range headers
• Fence strategy controls to avoid broken Markdown when code includes triple backticks or to force ~~~
• Optional head/tail sampling prompt for very large files, with presets and custom head/tail counts

Usage

1. Open any file in VS Code
2. Run the command "Copy Code as Snippet" using one of these methods:
   • Press the keyboard shortcut (if configured)
   • Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) and search for "Copy Code as Snippet"
   • Right-click in the editor and select "Copy Code as Snippet" (if added to context menu)
3. The snippet will be copied to your clipboard in the selected format:

Example (Markdown with file path)

```typescript:src/extension.ts
export function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
  // ...
}
```

Example (AI mode header + range)

### File: src/extension.ts

### Language: typescript

### Range: lines 12-34 (selection)

```typescript
// selected code...
```

Example (large file head/tail sample)

```javascript:src/huge-file.js
// first N lines...
... 9,940 lines omitted ...
// last M lines...
```

When prompted on large files, choose a preset (e.g., Head 10 / Tail 10) or enter custom head/tail line counts.

Why Use This Extension?

This extension is particularly useful for:

• Creating rich code examples for documentation and presentations
• Sharing code in chats and forums with language-aware formatting
• Providing context to AI assistants with file-level information
• Pasting syntax-highlighted snippets in HTML/Markdown documents

Requirements

No dependencies or special requirements.

Extension Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
copy-code-as-snippet.includeFilePath	boolean	true	Whether to include the relative file path in the snippet
copy-code-as-snippet.format	string (markdown, html, plain)	markdown	Output format for the snippet
copy-code-as-snippet.aiMode.enabled	boolean	false	Adds Markdown headers (file, language, range) and uses language-only fences (markdown only)
copy-code-as-snippet.markdown.fenceStrategy	string (default, autoUpgrade, tilde)	default	Fence style: keep triple backticks, auto-upgrade to four backticks when content has backticks, or always use ~~~
copy-code-as-snippet.largeFile.lineThreshold	number	1000	Line count threshold to treat a file as large
copy-code-as-snippet.largeFile.promptEnabled	boolean	false	When true and over threshold, prompt to copy full file or a head/tail sample (pick presets or enter custom counts)

Known Issues

None at this time. Please report any issues via GitHub Issues.

Release Notes

1.2.0

• Added AI-friendly Markdown mode with file/language/range header (opt-in)
• Added Markdown fence strategies: default, auto-upgrade when ``` appears, or tilde fences
• Added large-file prompt to choose full copy or head/tail sampling, including presets or custom head/tail counts
• Default settings keep 1.1.x behavior unchanged

1.1.0

• Added support for:
  • Snippet format options: markdown, html, and plain text
  • Selecting code instead of copying the full file
  • Customizable settings for file path inclusion and output format
• Improved workspace-relative path detection in multi-root environments
• Improved HTML escaping for enhanced security

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Support for copying entire file content as a Markdown code snippet with language and file path information

---

Development

Building the Extension

npm install
npm run compile

Testing the Extension

• Press F5 to open a new VS Code window with your extension loaded
• Run the command "Copy Code as Snippet"
• Verify that the clipboard contains the expected snippet format

Publishing

vsce package
vsce publish

License

MIT