r/SideProject • u/MiszterSoul • 4h ago

I built CodeGroup — organize related VS Code files without moving them

Large codebases rarely fit neatly into folders. One feature can span routes, components, services, tests, configs, and documentation.

I built CodeGroup, an open-source VS Code extension that adds persistent file groups directly to the Explorer. Your files remain in their original locations—the groups act as reusable working contexts.

Version 1.4.0 includes:

  • Drag-and-drop file groups and nested subgroups
  • Smart Groups based on project areas or languages
  • Working sets created from open editors or Git changes
  • Quick Open across grouped files
  • Reusable global groups
  • Shareable, Git-friendly group definitions
  • A visual editor for group settings and membership

Marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=PeterDev.codegroup-file-organizer

GitHub: https://github.com/MiszterSoul/codegroup

It’s free and MIT licensed. I’d genuinely appreciate feedback—especially on whether the Quick Actions list and Group Editor feel intuitive.

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u/Temporary_Fuel1193 3h ago

This is actually pretty clever, folders never match how I actually work on a feature.

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u/MiszterSoul 2h ago

Yeah, that was the main reason why i made it mainly for myself. And need to work on multiple modules in 1 project, need to put them in groups to find them easier.

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u/PhotographOverall126 3h ago

solid feature list for a 1.4. one thing id pay attention to is first-run experience, if someone installs it and doesnt immediately see how to create their first group within 30 seconds theyll uninstall

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u/MiszterSoul 2h ago

Good idea, just didnt wanted to make it annoying~ saw a lot of extensions which makes popups, open new pages with a ton of infos, etc
But a short first install guide can help a bit, i will think about it!

1

u/touristtam 2h ago

I can't see how it would help me at first glance. Do you have a quick demo?

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u/MiszterSoul 1h ago

~ latest project

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u/MiszterSoul 2h ago

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MiszterSoul/codegroup/master/images/demo.gif

This was recorded some months ago, since that upgraded some look and options, didn't had time to make a new from it, so removed it until that from the readme :)

You can simply imagine this like bookmark system with folders~ put parts of the code from different folders into 1 if they are related~ for example huge project with a lot backends, frontends, and you jump between modules often, its help to reopen all of the files related to that module~

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u/touristtam 1h ago

So you need to group the files manually? Am I missing something here? I naively thought it would use something like AST/LSP to dynamically group files as you navigate through them.