NewPlus for VS Code

Create files and folders from templates with context-aware suggestions and workspace intelligence. A powerful VS Code extension that brings PowerToys NewPlus functionality to your editor.

✨ Features

🎯 Smart Template Selection

• Context-Aware Filtering: Automatically suggests templates based on your current location and project type
• Workspace Intelligence: Detects Node.js, Python, Java, and other project types
• File vs Folder Context: Shows appropriate templates when right-clicking files or folders

📝 Template System

• File Templates: Individual files with variable substitution
• Folder Templates: Complete directory structures with multiple files
• Variable Support: Built-in variables ($DATE$, $USER$, $WORKSPACE_NAME$, etc.)
• PowerToys Compatible: Uses PowerToys NewPlus template directory structure

🚀 Seamless Integration

• Explorer Context Menu: Right-click to create from templates
• Command Palette: Quick access via Ctrl+Shift+P → "New+"
• Progress Feedback: Visual progress for multi-file operations
• Smart Naming: Context-aware default names with validation

🎬 Quick Start

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace:

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "NewPlus"
4. Click Install

From VSIX:

1. Download the latest .vsix file from releases
2. Open VS Code
3. Run Extensions: Install from VSIX...
4. Select the downloaded file

🔒 Security & Attestations

This project achieves SLSA Level 2 compliance:

• ✅ Automated builds using GitHub Actions
• ✅ Version-controlled source in GitHub
• ✅ Provenance generated and signed for all releases
• ✅ Build attestations publicly verifiable

All releases are signed with GitHub Attestations to verify authenticity and integrity.

To verify a release:

Using GitHub CLI:

gh attestation verify newplus-1.0.4.vsix --owner jhaisley

Or verify online:

1. Go to Attestations
2. Find the artifact you downloaded
3. Verify the checksum matches your downloaded file

This ensures the VSIX file you download is the official release from this repository and hasn't been tampered with.

🎯 Usage

Creating from Templates

Via Context Menu (Recommended)

1. Right-click on any folder in the Explorer
2. Select "New+"
3. Choose a template (filtered by context)
4. Enter a name and any custom variables
5. Done! 🎉

Via Command Palette

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac)
2. Type "New+"
3. Select your template
4. Follow the prompts

Template Structure

Templates are stored in:
Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\NewPlus\Templates
Mac/Linux: ~/.local/share/Microsoft/PowerToys/NewPlus/Templates

File Template Example:

MyComponent.tsx

Folder Template Example:

ReactComponent/
├── index.tsx
├── styles.module.css
└── __tests__/
    └── component.test.tsx

🔧 Variables

Templates support powerful variable substitution:

Built-in Variables

Variable	Description	Example
$DATE$	Current date	2025-10-06
$TIME$	Current time	14:30:45
$YEAR$	Current year	2025
$MONTH$	Current month	10
$DAY$	Current day	06
$USER$	Current user	jhaisley
$RANDOM$	Random number	42857
$UUID$	UUID v4	a1b2c3d4-...

Context Variables (Auto-filled)

Variable	Description
$WORKSPACE_NAME$	Active workspace name
$TARGET_DIR$	Target directory name
$TARGET_PATH$	Full target path

Note: Custom variable prompts are not currently implemented. Only the built-in and context variables listed above are supported.

⚙️ Configuration

Setting	Type	Default	Description
newFromTemplate.templatesPath	string	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\NewPlus\Templates	Templates directory path
newFromTemplate.display.hideFileExtensions	boolean	true	Hide extensions in picker
newFromTemplate.display.hideSortingPrefix	boolean	false	Hide leading numbers (e.g., 01.)
newFromTemplate.behavior.replaceVariablesInFilename	boolean	false	Enable variables in filenames

Commands

Command	Description
New+	Create from template
New+: Open Templates Folder	Open templates directory

🧠 Smart Features

Context Detection

NewPlus detects your project type and suggests relevant templates:

• Node.js → JavaScript/TypeScript templates
• Python → Python module templates
• Java → Class/interface templates
• Generic → All templates

Workspace Integration

• ✅ Multi-root workspace support
• ✅ Active editor context awareness
• ✅ Intelligent target directory resolution
• ✅ Real-time name validation

🔧 Development

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/jhaisley/new_plus_ext.git
cd new_plus_ext
npm install
npm run compile
npm test

Architecture

Commands → Services → Models → Utils
   ↓
Template Discovery (lazy loading, parallel)
Variable Substitution (10-level recursion)
Context Detection (workspace intelligence)

Tech Stack:

• TypeScript 5.1+ (strict mode)
• VS Code Extension API 1.104+
• Mocha test framework

📋 Requirements

• VS Code 1.104.0 or higher
• Node.js 16+ (for development)

🐛 Troubleshooting

Templates not showing?

• Check newFromTemplate.templatesPath setting
• Verify templates directory exists and is readable
• Reload window: Developer: Reload Window

Variables not working?

• Enable newFromTemplate.behavior.replaceVariablesInFilename
• Use correct syntax: $VARIABLE_NAME$
• Check recursion limit (max 10 levels)

Context menu missing?

• Reload VS Code
• Verify extension is enabled
• Right-click on folders or files in Explorer

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Areas of interest:

• Template examples and starter packs
• Additional project type detection
• Custom variable prompts and enhanced variable features
• UI/UX improvements

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

📜 License

MIT License - see file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by Microsoft PowerToys NewPlus
• Built with the VS Code Extension API
• Thanks to all contributors and users! 🎉

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Made with ❤️ by Jordan Haisley