LaTeX Vertical Comment Formatter

Automated, idempotent LaTeX vertical comment line (%) formatter for Sanskrit critical editions, classical TeX text structures, and multi-layered commentary environments.

Metadata & Author Information

• Author: lalitaalaalitah
• Website: https://www.lalitaalaalitah.com
• GitHub Profile: https://github.com/lalitaalaalitah
• Repository: https://github.com/lalitaalaalitah/01_AddCommentedLines
• Version: 1.0.0

Overview

In Sanskrit critical editions and complex LaTeX typesetting pipelines (such as reledmac / ekdosis), structural markers and tag boundaries must be cleanly isolated using exact vertical comment lines (%).

This extension automatically inserts, normalizes, and enforces a configurable number of pure comment lines (default: 3) directly before and after key LaTeX constructs:

• Tag Markers: %<*1>%, %</1>%, %<*१>%, %</१>%, %<*2>%, %</2>%
• TeX Block Markers: \pstart%, \pend% (and variants without %)
• Environment Boundaries: \begin{vyAkhyA}, \end{vyAkhyA}, \begin{Jnanankusham}, \begin{Pathabhedah}, etc.
• Structural Commands: \section, \subsection, \subsubsection, \shlokaH, \granthaH

Key Features

• Format on Save & Manual Format: Seamlessly format files automatically when saving (editor.formatOnSave / latexVerticalCommentFormatter.formatOnSave) or manually via shortcut/command palette.
• Preserves Indentation: Adapts to line indentation so % comments align with surrounding code structure.
• Guaranteed Idempotency: Running formatting multiple times yields the exact same clean output without accumulating redundant duplicate % lines.
• Smart Batch Workspace Formatting: Format all content .tex files across your workspace in a single click with progress reporting, automatically skipping non-content macro definitions (02_macros_*.tex) and root project driver files (03_AllTexFiles.tex).
• Secondary Post-Formatter Execution: Optionally kick a custom VS Code command (e.g. latex-workshop.indent) or CLI tool (e.g. latexindent -w {file}) automatically after formatting.
• Companion CLI Python Script: This extension is tightly coupled with the official LaTeX Project Helpers CLI Script (latex_vertical_comment_formatter.py), sharing the exact same core formatting engine and smart batch filtering logic.

Example Before & After

Before Formatting

%<*1>%
\pstart%
\shlokaH{धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।}
\pend%
%</1>%

After Formatting (3-Line Comment Padding)

%
%
%
%<*1>%
%
%
%
%
%
%
\pstart%
%
%
%
    %
    %
    %
    \shlokaH{धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।}
    %
    %
    %
%
%
%
\pend%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%</1>%
%
%
%

Extension Settings

Customize extension behavior in VS Code settings (settings.json):

Commands & Keyboard Shortcuts

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS / Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux) and search for:

• LaTeX Formatter: Format Current Document
• LaTeX Formatter: Format Selection
• LaTeX Formatter: Format All TeX Files in Workspace

Standard VS Code formatting shortcuts also apply:

• Format Document: Shift+Option+F (macOS) / Shift+Alt+F (Windows/Linux)
• Format Selection: Cmd+K Cmd+F (macOS) / Ctrl+K Ctrl+F (Windows/Linux)

License

Distributed under the MIT License. Copyright (c) 2026 lalitaalaalitah (https://www.lalitaalaalitah.com).