Take high-fidelity, side-by-side visual notes, architectural sketches, and flowcharts directly alongside your active code editor in VS Code.
FileSketch provides a persistent, file-specific infinite whiteboard that automatically switches and saves with your files — without cluttering your workspace.
🌟 Key Features
-
File-Specific & Workspace-Preserving No clutter! Your sketches are automatically mapped to individual code files. Switching files instantly swaps your canvas context without creating extra
.pngor.jsonfiles in your active workspace directory. -
Infinite Whiteboard (Zoom & Pan) Scale your board infinitely. Zoom in/out with
Ctrl + Scroll, and pan around by holdingSpacebar + Drag(Figma-style) or using the Hand tool. -
Figma-Style Multi-Selection & Resizing Switch to the Select Tool (↖️) to select elements. Hold
Shiftto select multiple elements, orCtrl + Ato select all. Drag the bounding box's circular corner handles to scale individual elements with mathematically precise uniform scaling. -
Clipboard Support (Copy/Cut/Paste) Easily duplicate your sketches. Use
Ctrl + Cto copy orCtrl + Xto cut single or multiple selected elements, andCtrl + Vto paste them anywhere on the board. -
Flexible Deletion Delete a single element by selecting it and pressing
Delete, or use the Eraser tool for quick swipes. Multiple selected elements can also be deleted all at once. -
Dynamic Text Editing Click to type any text. Double-click on any existing text using the Select Tool to edit its content in-place, dynamically.
-
Sleek Vector Engine Every pencil stroke, shape (including sharp, pointy arrows), and text box is stored as a lightweight vector element. Drawings render beautifully at high-DPI on Retina/4K displays.
-
Continuous Drag Eraser Swipe across drawing strokes with a dynamic eraser cursor that adapts to your brush size, making cleanup quick and effortless.
-
Unlimited Undo/Redo History Complete peace of mind with an infinite history stack. Accidental "Clear Board" actions or deletions can be instantly reverted, with no limits.
-
Ultra-Compact Dual-Column Toolbar A beautifully optimized, ultra-thin vertical panel that fits comfortably even when your terminal is fully open.
⌨️ Advanced Keyboard Shortcuts
Efficiency is key. FileSketch supports standard design-tool hotkeys:
| Action | Shortcut (Windows/Linux) | Shortcut (macOS) |
|---|---|---|
| Select / Move Tool | S |
S |
| Hand / Pan Tool | H |
H |
| Pen Tool | P |
P |
| Eraser Tool | E |
E |
| Text Tool | T |
T |
| Pan Board | Spacebar + Drag |
Spacebar + Drag |
| Zoom In/Out | Ctrl + Wheel Scroll |
Cmd + Wheel Scroll |
| Multi-Select | Shift + Click |
Shift + Click |
| Select All | Ctrl + A |
Cmd + A |
| Copy | Ctrl + C |
Cmd + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X |
Cmd + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V |
Cmd + V |
| Delete Selected | Delete / Backspace |
Delete / Backspace |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
Cmd + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y / Ctrl + Shift + Z |
Cmd + Y / Cmd + Shift + Z |
⚙️ How It Works (Behind the Scenes)
FileSketch is engineered to protect your privacy and project integrity:
- Zero Cloud Uploads — Your notes are stored 100% locally.
- Local Application Storage — Notes are serialized into lightweight JSON arrays mapped to file hashes in VS Code's secure
globalStorageUridirectory. - DPI-Aware Canvas — Autodetects high-DPI monitors and scales the backing store automatically to prevent low-pixelated text or blurry lines.
🛠️ Manual Installation (VSIX)
If you downloaded the .vsix package manually:
- Open VS Code.
- Go to the Extensions view (
Ctrl+Shift+XorCmd+Shift+X). - Click the Views and More Actions (...) menu button at the top-right of the Extensions panel.
- Select Install from VSIX...
- Locate and select your
filesketch-1.0.0.vsixfile.
📄 License
This extension is released under the MIT License.