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Linker

Intelligent Import Management for Multi-Language Projects

VS Code Marketplace Installs Rating License

Never break imports again — Automatically update all import statements when you rename or move files and folders.

🎬 Watch Linker in Action

Linker Demo

Complete workflow: Install → Rename files → Auto-update imports → Git integration

🌐 Official Website | Features • Installation • Quick Start • Languages • Configuration • Documentation

⚠️ Large Codebase? READ THIS FIRST

If your project has 1,000+ files, add these settings to .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "linker.performance.maxFilesToScan": 8000,
  "linker.performance.maxConcurrentFiles": 10,
  "linker.exclude": ["**/node_modules/**", "**/.git/**", "**/dist/**", "**/build/**"]
}

Then reload VS Code.

✨ Features

🔄 Smart Import Updates

  • Automatically detect and update imports when files or folders are renamed
  • Works across your entire workspace instantly
  • Preserves your code formatting style (quotes, semicolons, indentation)

📊 Visual Diff Preview

  • See all import changes before applying them
  • Side-by-side or inline diff view with syntax highlighting
  • One-click apply or cancel with full control

⏮️ Complete Undo/Redo System

  • Full history tracking for all import changes
  • Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+Alt+Z (undo) / Ctrl+Alt+Y (redo)
  • History preserved across VS Code sessions
  • Configurable history limit (default: 50 entries)

🌐 Multi-Language Support

  • JavaScript/TypeScript — ES6 imports, CommonJS require, dynamic imports
  • Python — import and from...import statements with dot notation
  • Go — Single and block import statements
  • CSS/SCSS/LESS — @import and @import url() statements

🎨 Advanced Path Resolution

  • TypeScript/JavaScript path aliases — @/, ~/, custom tsconfig.json paths
  • Python path aliases — Auto-detects src/, app/, lib/ structures, pyproject.toml support
  • Go module paths — go.mod module paths and replace directives
  • CSS build tool aliases — webpack, vite, parcel @ and ~ aliases
  • Relative imports (./, ../)
  • Absolute imports
  • Nested folder structures

🎯 USP: Only extension with full alias support across ALL 4 languages!

⚡ Performance Optimized

  • Production-ready for large codebases — Handles 50,000+ files
  • Smart scanning with configurable limits (default: 10,000 files)
  • File size filtering — Automatically skips oversized files
  • Operation timeouts — Prevents hanging on massive projects
  • Dynamic concurrency — Adjusts based on workspace size
  • Workspace analysis — Auto-detects and optimizes for large projects
  • File caching to avoid redundant reads
  • Batch processing for optimal performance

💡 Having issues with large projects? See configuration settings below

🔧 Git Integration

  • Automatic git mv for tracked files
  • Optional auto-staging of modified files
  • Works seamlessly with your Git workflow

⚙️ Flexible Configuration

  • Choose your settings scope — Workspace or Global settings
  • First-time setup prompt — Decide if you want .vscode folder created
  • Change anytime — Switch between workspace and global settings via command palette
  • No forced folders — Defaults to global settings if you dismiss the prompt

📦 Installation

Method 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

  1. Open Visual Studio Code
  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (Mac)
  3. Search for "Linker" or "Import Linker"
  4. Click Install

Method 2: Command Line

code --install-extension linkerdev.import-linker

Method 3: Manual Installation

  1. Download the .vsix file from Releases
  2. Open VS Code
  3. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
  4. Click ... menu → Install from VSIX...
  5. Select the downloaded file

🚀 Quick Start

Basic Usage (3 Steps)

  1. Rename a file or folder in VS Code Explorer

    • Right-click → Rename or press F2

  2. Review the preview showing which imports will be updated

    • Visual diff shows before/after comparison
    • See exactly which files will be modified

  3. Click "Apply" to update all imports

    • All imports updated instantly across your workspace
    • Or click "Cancel" to abort

That's it! ✅ No configuration needed to get started.

Your First Rename

Try this simple example:

  1. Create two files:

    // utils.ts
export const hello = () => "Hello!";

// app.ts
import { hello } from './utils';

  2. Rename utils.ts → helpers.ts

  3. Watch Linker automatically update app.ts:

    import { hello } from './helpers'; // ✅ Updated!

🌐 Supported Languages

JavaScript / TypeScript

// ES6 imports
import { Component } from './Component';
import * as utils from '@/utils';  // ✅ Path aliases supported!

// CommonJS
const helper = require('../helper');

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

Alias Support: Reads tsconfig.json for path mappings (@/*, ~/*, etc.)

Python

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

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

# Path aliases (NEW!)
from @.models.user import User  # ✅ Alias support!

Alias Support: Auto-detects src/, app/, lib/ directories, or reads pyproject.toml

Go

// Single imports
import "project/utils"

// Block imports
import (
    "fmt"
    "github.com/user/myproject/utils"  // ✅ Module paths!
    "github.com/user/myproject/helpers"
)

Alias Support: Reads go.mod for module paths and replace directives

CSS / SCSS / LESS

/* CSS imports */
@import "partials/variables.css";
@import url("partials/mixins.css");

/* SCSS imports with aliases (NEW!) */
@import '@styles/base/reset';  /* ✅ Webpack/Vite aliases! */
@import '@assets/fonts/custom';

Alias Support: Reads webpack.config.js and vite.config.js for @ and ~ aliases

⚙️ Configuration

Linker works out-of-the-box with smart defaults. Customize via VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,).

Essential Settings

{
  // File scanning
  "linker.fileExtensions": ["js", "ts", "py", "go", "css"],
  "linker.exclude": ["**/node_modules/**", "**/.git/**"],
  
  // Preview options
  "linker.preview.diffView": true,
  "linker.preview.layout": "side-by-side",
  
  // Formatting preferences
  "linker.formatting.quoteStyle": "auto",
  "linker.formatting.semicolons": "auto",
  
  // History management
  "linker.history.enabled": true,
  "linker.history.maxEntries": 50,
  
  // Language toggles
  "linker.multiLanguage.python": true,
  "linker.multiLanguage.python.aliasSupport": true,  // NEW!
  "linker.multiLanguage.go": true,
  "linker.multiLanguage.go.aliasSupport": true,      // NEW!
  "linker.multiLanguage.css": true,
  "linker.multiLanguage.css.aliasSupport": true,     // NEW!
  
  // Git integration
  "linker.autoStageChanges": false
}

Quick Settings Guide

Setting Description Default
fileExtensions File types to scan All supported
exclude Patterns to ignore node_modules, .git
preview.diffView Show visual preview true
preview.layout Diff layout style side-by-side
formatting.quoteStyle Quote preference auto
formatting.semicolons Semicolon usage auto
history.enabled Enable undo/redo true
history.maxEntries History limit 50
autoStageChanges Auto-stage in Git false

See USER_GUIDE.md for detailed configuration options.

🎯 Multi-Language Alias Support

NEW in v1.3.0: Linker now supports path aliases across ALL 4 languages!

TypeScript/JavaScript Aliases

Configuration: tsconfig.json

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

Example:

import { Button } from '@/components/Button';  // Before rename
import { ButtonNew } from '@/components/ButtonNew';  // After rename ✅

Python Aliases

Configuration: pyproject.toml (optional)

[tool.linker.paths]
app = "src"
models = "src/models"
utils = "src/utils"

Auto-Detection: Linker automatically detects src/, app/, lib/, utils/ directories

Example:

from @.models.user import User  # Before rename
from @.models.account import User  # After rename ✅

Go Aliases

Configuration: go.mod

module github.com/user/myproject

replace github.com/user/myproject/old => ./new

Example:

import "github.com/user/myproject/models"  // Before rename
import "github.com/user/myproject/entities"  // After rename ✅

CSS Aliases

Configuration: webpack.config.js or vite.config.js

// webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      '@styles': path.resolve(__dirname, 'src/styles'),
      '@assets': path.resolve(__dirname, 'src/assets')
    }
  }
};

Example:

@import '@styles/variables';  // Before rename
@import '@styles/theme';  // After rename ✅

💡 Examples

Example 1: Simple File Rename

Scenario: Rename utils.ts → helpers.ts

// Before
// src/utils.ts
export const formatDate = () => { /* ... */ };

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

After (Linker auto-updates):

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

Example 2: Folder Rename

Scenario: Rename services/ → api/

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

// After (Linker auto-updates)
import { fetchUsers } from '../api/userService'; // ✅ Updated!

Example 3: Python Imports

Scenario: Rename helpers.py → utilities.py

# Before
from utils.helpers import format_date

# After (Linker auto-updates)
from utils.utilities import format_date  # ✅ Updated!

Example 4: CSS Imports

Scenario: Rename variables.css → vars.css

/* Before */
@import "partials/variables.css";

/* After (Linker auto-updates) */
@import "partials/vars.css";  /* ✅ Updated! */

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Windows/Linux Mac
Undo last import changes Ctrl+Alt+Z Cmd+Alt+Z
Redo import changes Ctrl+Alt+Y Cmd+Alt+Y
Show import history Ctrl+Shift+P → "Linker: Show History" Same

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

🆘 Support

🌟 Show Your Support

If Linker saves you time, please:

📊 Project Status

Current Version: 1.1.7 Status: Production Ready ✅
Languages: 4 (JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Go, CSS)
Active Development: Yes
Last Updated: November 2025

🐛 Troubleshooting

Imports not updating after rename

Possible causes:

  1. File extension not included in linker.fileExtensions
  2. File excluded by linker.exclude patterns
  3. Unsupported import syntax

Solutions:

  • Check your configuration settings
  • Verify file extension is in the list
  • Reload VS Code window: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window"
Performance issues with large projects

Solutions:

  1. Increase debounce delay: 
    { "linker.performance.debounceDelay": 1000 }
  2. Reduce batch size: 
    { "linker.performance.batchSize": 25 }
  3. Add more exclusion patterns
  4. Disable progress reporting for very large projects
Git auto-stage not working

Checklist:

  • ✅ Ensure linker.git.enabled is true
  • ✅ Ensure linker.git.autoStage is true
  • ✅ Verify file is tracked by Git (not untracked/new)
  • ✅ Check Git is initialized in your project
TypeScript aliases not resolving

Requirements:

  • ✅ tsconfig.json exists in project root
  • ✅ baseUrl is properly configured
  • ✅ paths are properly defined
  • ✅ Alias pattern matches your tsconfig

Try: Reload VS Code window after updating tsconfig.json

❌ Python imports not working / Pylance conflict

Problem: Pylance and Linker both try to update Python imports, causing conflicts.

Solution: Linker automatically disables Pylance's auto-import features. If issues persist:

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "python.analysis.autoImportCompletions": false,
  "python.analysis.autoFormatStrings": false
}

Full documentation: See PYLANCE-CONFLICT.md

🤝 Contributing

We welcome and appreciate contributions from the community! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, or improving documentation, your help makes Linker better for everyone.

How to Contribute

  1. 📖 Read the Contributing Guide — Check out CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines
  2. 🐛 Report Bugs — Open an issue with detailed information
  3. 💡 Request Features — Share your ideas and use cases
  4. 💻 Submit Pull Requests — Fix bugs, add features, or improve performance
  5. 📝 Improve Documentation — Help others understand and use Linker

Quick Start for Contributors

# 1. Fork and clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/Linker.git
cd Linker

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Build the extension
npm run build

# 4. Run in development mode
# Press F5 in VS Code to open Extension Development Host

# 5. Make your changes and test thoroughly

# 6. Submit a pull request

What We're Looking For

  • 🐛 Bug Fixes — Help squash bugs from our issue tracker
  • ✨ New Features — Add support for new languages or enhance existing features
  • 🚀 Performance Improvements — Make Linker faster and more efficient
  • 📚 Documentation — Improve guides, add examples, fix typos
  • 🧪 Tests — Add test cases to improve code quality
  • 🌍 Translations — Help make Linker accessible worldwide

Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before starting your contribution!

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🌟 Support This Project

If you find Linker useful, please consider:

  • ⭐ Star this repository on GitHub
  • 📢 Share it with your team and friends
  • 💬 Leave a review on the VS Code Marketplace
  • 🐛 Report bugs to help improve the extension
  • 💡 Request features you'd like to see

🔗 Links

Extension

Developer

Made with ❤️ for the developer community

Developed by Soumen Das | LinkedIn

Version 1.1.7 | 🌐 Official Site | ⬆ Back to Top

About

Linker helps keep imports in sync when files or folders are renamed/moved. It scans your project for import statements referencing the old path, shows a preview, and applies edits when you confirm.

www.importlinker.xyz/

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MIT license

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Releases 1

v.1.1.7 Latest
Nov 25, 2025

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