Linker Documentation

Method 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

1. 1.Open Visual Studio Code
2. 2.Click the Extensions icon in the sidebar or press Ctrl+Shift+X
3. 3.Search for "Linker" or "Import Linker"
4. 4.Click Install
5. 5.Reload VS Code if prompted

Method 2: Command Line

Open your terminal and run:

Method 3: Manual Installation

1. 1.Download the .vsix file from GitHub Releases
2. 2.In VS Code, go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. 3.Click the menu at the top
4. 4.Select "Install from VSIX..."
5. 5.Choose the downloaded file

Verify Installation

After installation:

• •Check that Linker appears in your Extensions list
• •Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
• •Type "Linker" and you should see Linker commands

Your First Example

Create two files and try renaming one:

export const greet = (name: string) => {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
};

import { greet } from './utils';

console.log(greet('World'));

JavaScript / TypeScript

Supported Import Patterns:

// ES6 Imports
import Component from './Component';
import { named } from './utils';
import * as utils from './utils';

// CommonJS
const utils = require('./utils');
const { helper } = require('../helpers');

// Dynamic Imports
const module = await import('./dynamic');

// Re-exports
export { something } from './other';
export * from './all';

// Type Imports (TypeScript)
import type { User } from './types';

File Extensions: .js, .ts, .jsx, .tsx, .mjs, .cjs

Python

Supported Import Patterns:

# Absolute imports
import utils
import utils.helpers
from utils import helper
from utils.helpers import format_date, format_time

# Relative imports
from . import helpers
from .helpers import format_date
from .. import utils
from ..utils.helpers import format_date

# Import with alias
import utils as u
from utils import helper as h

Java

Supported Import Patterns:

// Package imports
import com.example.utils.Helper;
import com.example.utils.*;

// Static imports
import static com.example.utils.Helper.doSomething;
import static com.example.utils.Constants.*;

Go

Supported Import Patterns:

// Single imports
import "fmt"
import "project/utils"

// Block imports
import (
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "project/utils"
    "project/helpers"
)

// Import with alias
import (
    u "project/utils"
    h "project/helpers"
)

CSS / SCSS / LESS

Supported Import Patterns:

/* CSS @import */
@import "styles/variables.css";
@import url("styles/mixins.css");
@import url('styles/reset.css');

/* SCSS/LESS @import */
@import 'base/variables';
@import 'components/buttons';
@import '../shared/mixins';

Visual Diff Preview

Shows you exactly what will change before applying updates.

How to use:

1. 1.Rename a file or folder
2. 2.A preview window appears showing each file that will be modified
3. 3.Review before/after comparison for each import

{
  "linker.preview.diffView": true,
  "linker.preview.layout": "side-by-side"
}

Undo/Redo System

Tracks all import changes so you can easily revert or reapply them.

{
  "linker.history.enabled": true,
  "linker.history.maxEntries": 50
}

Format Preservation

Maintains your code style when updating imports.

Preserves:

• •Quote Style: Single quotes, double quotes, or backticks
• •Semicolons: Present or absent
• •Indentation: Spaces or tabs
• •Line Breaks: Empty lines and spacing

{
  "linker.formatting.quoteStyle": "auto",
  "linker.formatting.semicolons": "auto"
}

TypeScript Path Aliases

Resolves and updates TypeScript path aliases from tsconfig.json.

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "baseUrl": "./src",
    "paths": {
      "@/*": ["*"],
      "@components/*": ["components/*"],
      "~/*": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

// Before renaming utils → helpers
import { validateEmail } from '@/utils/validators';

// After renaming (auto-updated)
import { validateEmail } from '@/helpers/validators';

Folder Rename Support

Updates all imports when you rename or move folders.

// Before: Folder named "services"
import { fetchUsers } from '../services/userService';

// After: Renamed to "api"
import { fetchUsers } from '../api/userService';

Git Integration

Uses git mv for tracked files and optionally auto-stages changes.

Benefits:

• •Preserves Git history
• •Works with Git workflows
• •Automatic staging of modified imports

{
  "linker.git.enabled": true,
  "linker.autoStageChanges": false
}

Basic Settings

{
  // File types to scan for imports
  "linker.fileExtensions": [
    "js", "ts", "jsx", "tsx", "mjs", "cjs",
    "py",
    "java",
    "go",
    "css", "scss", "less"
  ],
  
  // Folders to exclude from scanning
  "linker.exclude": [
    "**/node_modules/**",
    "**/.git/**",
    "**/dist/**",
    "**/build/**",
    "**/__pycache__/**",
    "**/*.egg-info/**"
  ]
}

Preview Settings

{
  // Enable visual diff preview
  "linker.preview.diffView": true,
  
  // Layout: "side-by-side" or "inline"
  "linker.preview.layout": "side-by-side"
}

Formatting Settings

{
  // Quote style: "single", "double", or "auto"
  "linker.formatting.quoteStyle": "auto",
  
  // Semicolons: "always", "never", or "auto"
  "linker.formatting.semicolons": "auto"
}

History Settings

{
  // Enable undo/redo functionality
  "linker.history.enabled": true,
  
  // Maximum number of history entries
  "linker.history.maxEntries": 50
}

Language Settings

{
  // Enable/disable specific language support
  "linker.multiLanguage.python": true,
  "linker.multiLanguage.java": true,
  "linker.multiLanguage.go": true,
  "linker.multiLanguage.css": true
}

Git Settings

{
  // Use git mv for tracked files
  "linker.git.enabled": true,
  
  // Automatically stage files modified by Linker
  "linker.autoStageChanges": false
}

Performance Settings

{
  // Debounce delay in milliseconds (default: 500)
  "linker.performance.debounceDelay": 500,
  
  // Batch size for processing files (default: 50)
  "linker.performance.batchSize": 50,
  
  // Enable file caching for better performance
  "linker.performance.caching": true
}

Example 1: Simple File Rename

Scenario: Rename utils.ts → helpers.ts

// src/app.ts
import { formatDate } from './utils';

// src/app.ts
import { formatDate } from './helpers';

Example 2: Folder Rename

Scenario: Rename services/ → api/

import { fetchUsers } from '../services/userService';

import { fetchUsers } from '../api/userService';

Example 3: Python Imports

Scenario: Rename helpers.py → utilities.py

from utils.helpers import format_date

from utils.utilities import format_date

Example 4: Java Package Imports

Scenario: Rename Helper.java → Utility.java

import com.example.utils.Helper;
import static com.example.utils.Helper.doSomething;

import com.example.utils.Utility;
import static com.example.utils.Utility.doSomething;

Example 5: CSS Imports

Scenario: Rename variables.css → vars.css

@import "partials/variables.css";

@import "partials/vars.css";

Issue: "No import updates needed"

Issue: Preview not showing

Issue: Wrong quote style used

Issue: Slow performance

1. Review Before Applying

Always review the preview before clicking "Apply":

• •Check all files are correct
• •Verify import paths look right
• •Look for unexpected changes

2. Use Version Control

Protect your codebase:

• •Commit before large refactoring
• •Review Git diff after Linker updates
• •Use branches for major renames

3. Configure Exclusions

Exclude unnecessary directories for better performance:

{
  "linker.exclude": [
    "**/node_modules/**",
    "**/dist/**",
    "**/build/**",
    "**/.next/**",
    "**/coverage/**"
  ]
}

4. Consistent Code Style

Maintain consistent formatting:

• •Use Prettier or ESLint
• •Set explicit quoteStyle if needed
• •Keep semicolon usage consistent

5. Test After Refactoring

After using Linker:

• •Run your tests
• •Check the app runs
• •Verify imports resolve correctly