A lightweight VS Code extension that provides everyday text processing tools for developers. Select text, transform it with one action, and the result replaces your selection in place.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| URL Encode / Decode | Percent-encode or decode selected text |
| Base64 Encode / Decode | Encode or decode selected text as Base64 |
| MD5 Hash | Compute the MD5 hash (32-char lowercase hex) of selected text |
| JSON Format | Pretty-print compressed JSON with 2-space indentation |
| JSON Minify | Compress formatted JSON into a single line |
| JSON Escape | Escape special characters (", \, \n, \r, \t) |
| JSON Unescape | Unescape sequences back to original characters, auto-strips surrounding quotes |
| JSON Viewer | Interactive tree view for browsing JSON — shows Array[n] and Object{n} counts |
| Timestamp → Date | Convert Unix timestamp to YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss (UTC+8) |
| Date → Timestamp | Convert date string to seconds-level Unix timestamp (UTC+8) |
| Run Curl | Auto-detect curl commands in any file and run them via CodeLens |
Usage
Context Menu
- Select text in the editor
- Right-click to open the context menu
- Find the DevKit submenu
- Pick the tool you need
The DevKit submenu only appears when text is selected.
Command Palette
- Press
Cmd+Shift+P(Mac) orCtrl+Shift+P(Windows/Linux) - Type
DevKitto filter commands - Select the desired command
Keyboard Shortcuts
All shortcuts require a text selection (except JSON Viewer). Forward operations use 3 keys; reverse operations add one more modifier.
Mac:
| Feature | Forward (⌥⌘ + key) | Reverse (⌃⌥⌘ + key) |
|---|---|---|
| URL Encode / Decode | ⌥⌘U |
⌃⌥⌘U |
| Base64 Encode / Decode | ⌥⌘B |
⌃⌥⌘B |
| MD5 Hash | ⌥⌘M |
— |
| JSON Format / Minify | ⌥⌘J |
⌃⌥⌘J |
| JSON Escape / Unescape | ⌥⌘E |
⌃⌥⌘E |
| JSON Viewer | ⌥⌘V |
— |
| Timestamp ↔ Date | ⌥⌘T |
⌃⌥⌘T |
Windows / Linux:
| Feature | Forward (Ctrl+Alt + key) | Reverse (Ctrl+Alt+Shift + key) |
|---|---|---|
| URL Encode / Decode | Ctrl+Alt+U |
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U |
| Base64 Encode / Decode | Ctrl+Alt+B |
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+B |
| MD5 Hash | Ctrl+Alt+M |
— |
| JSON Format / Minify | Ctrl+Alt+J |
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+J |
| JSON Escape / Unescape | Ctrl+Alt+E |
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E |
| JSON Viewer | Ctrl+Alt+V |
— |
| Timestamp ↔ Date | Ctrl+Alt+T |
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T |
Mnemonic: each letter matches the feature — Url, Base64, Md5, Json, Escape, Viewer, Timestamp.
JSON Viewer (Tree View)
The JSON Viewer displays JSON data as an interactive tree in the Explorer sidebar. It gives you a structured overview of complex JSON without scrolling through raw text.

What it shows:
- Object nodes: displayed as
key: Object{n}wherenis the number of properties, with a collapsible arrow to expand - Array nodes: displayed as
key: Array[n]wherenis the number of elements - String values: displayed with quotes, e.g.
"model": "tts" - Number / Boolean / Null values: displayed inline with type-specific icons
- Nested structures: fully expandable — drill into deeply nested objects and arrays
How to use:
- Auto-detect: Select JSON text or open a
.jsonfile, and the tree updates automatically - Manual trigger: Use
⌥⌘V(Mac) orCtrl+Alt+Vto open and focus the viewer - Array nodes show element count:
Array[4] - Object nodes show property count:
Object{6} - Click a primitive value to copy it to clipboard
- Collapse All button to fold the entire tree
Curl Runner (CodeLens)
The extension automatically scans all open files for curl commands and displays a ▶ Run Curl button above each one.
Supported curl formats:
Single-line:
curl https://api.example.com/users
Backslash continuation:
curl -X POST https://api.example.com/users \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "test"}'
Multi-line JSON body (single-quoted):
curl -X POST https://api.example.com/chat \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "gpt-4",
"messages": [
{"role": "user", "content": "hello"}
]
}'
Click ▶ Run Curl and the full command is merged into a single line and sent to the terminal.
You can also select curl command text and run DevKit: Run Curl from the command palette.
Detailed Reference
URL Encode / Decode
- Encode: uses
encodeURIComponentfor percent-encoding - Decode: uses
decodeURIComponentto restore original text - Shows an error for invalid encoded strings (e.g.
%ZZ)
Before: hello world&foo=bar
After: hello%20world%26foo%3Dbar
Base64 Encode / Decode
- Encode: converts UTF-8 text to Base64
- Decode: restores Base64 back to UTF-8 text
- Shows an error for invalid Base64 input (e.g.
!!!)
Before: Hello, World!
After: SGVsbG8sIFdvcmxkIQ==
MD5 Hash
- Computes the MD5 hash of selected text
- Outputs a 32-character lowercase hexadecimal string
- Uses Node.js built-in
cryptomodule — no extra dependencies
Input: hello
Output: 5d41402abc4b2a76b9719d911017c592
JSON Format / Minify
- Format: expands JSON with 2-space indentation
- Minify: compresses JSON into a single line with no extra whitespace
- Shows an error for invalid JSON
Before minify:
{
"name": "test",
"value": 123
}
After minify: {"name":"test","value":123}
JSON Escape / Unescape
- Escape: converts
",\,\n,\r,\tto escape sequences - Unescape: restores escape sequences to original characters
- On unescape, surrounding double quotes are automatically stripped (useful for strings copied from JSON values)
- Shows an error if no valid escape sequences are found
Before escape: {"name": "test"}
After escape: {\"name\": \"test\"}
Before unescape: "[{\"id\":\"123\"}]"
After unescape: [{"id":"123"}]
Timestamp Conversion
- Timestamp → Date: auto-detects seconds (10 digits) and milliseconds (13 digits)
- Date → Timestamp: outputs seconds-level timestamp
- All conversions use UTC+8 timezone
- Date format:
YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss
Timestamp: 1704067200
Date: 2024-01-01 08:00:00
Milliseconds: 1704067200000
Date: 2024-01-01 08:00:00
Installation
From Marketplace
Search for Dev Kit in the Extensions view, or install from the VS Code Marketplace.
From VSIX
- Download the
.vsixfile - Open VS Code / Kiro
Cmd+Shift+P→Extensions: Install from VSIX...- Select the
.vsixfile - Reload the window (
Cmd+Shift+P→Developer: Reload Window)
Build from Source
git clone https://github.com/xuxiao415/vs-dev-tools.git
cd vs-dev-tools
npm install
npm run package
Tech Stack
- TypeScript
- VS Code Extension API
- Node.js built-in
cryptomodule (MD5) - Zero runtime dependencies
License
Apache-2.0