Easily Bulk Edit Files in Visual Studio Code

Overview

• Learn how to bulk edit files in Visual Studio Code (VS Code) using the Change All Occurrences and Multi-Cursor Editing features.
• Customize keybindings to tailor these features to your workflow.
• This guide is for beginner VS Code users on macOS.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Preparations
• Steps to Bulk Edit Files in VS Code
  • Using Change All Occurrences
  • Using Multi-Cursor Editing
  • Using Add Cursors to Line Ends
• Customizing Keybindings for Bulk Editing
• Restrictions
• Support and References
• FAQs

Introduction

This guide will walk you through using the Change All Occurrences and Multi-Cursor Editing features to efficiently modify multiple lines or text snippets. It is intended for users looking to enhance their editing speed. By the end of this guide, you will be able to make bulk edits across multiple lines of text quickly.

📝 Windows users can follow these steps; however, specific keybindings may differ. Please refer to the Keyboard shortcuts for Windows VS Code document.

Preparations

Before beginning, make sure to:

1. Open Visual Studio Code - Install Visual Studio Code if you have not already done so.
2. Have a Workspace or File Open - You need an open file or project to work with bulk edit features. A long file with repeated text or similar lines is ideal for practice.

Steps to Bulk Edit Files in VS Code

Using Change All Occurrences

The Change All Occurrences feature in VS Code allows you to select all instances of a word or selection and edit them simultaneously. This feature is helpful for fixing typos or changing variable names across the entire document.

1. Select the Word or Text
   
   Highlight the text snippet you want to edit with your cursor.

2. Invoke Change All Occurrences
   
   Press Command (⌘) + Shift + L to highlight all occurrences of the selected text.

3. Edit the Text
   
   With all instances selected, type to edit. Changes you make will apply to each selected instance.

⚡ You can also use the Change All Occurrences feature by right-clicking on the selected text and choosing Change All Occurrences from the context menu.

Using Multi-Cursor Editing

Multi-Cursor Editing allows you to place multiple cursors in different parts of your file, enabling simultaneous editing in those locations. This feature is useful for making similar changes, such as to Markdown lists or CSS properties.

1. Place Multiple Cursors
   
   To place a cursor on multiple lines, hold Option and click on each line where you want a cursor. You can also hold Command (⌘) + Option + Down Arrow or Command (⌘) + Option + Up Arrow to add a cursor on the line below or above, respectively.

2. Edit the Lines Simultaneously
   
   Once your cursors are in place, type to make changes. Each cursor will apply your edits to its position.

Using Add Cursors to Line Ends

Similar to multi-cursor editing, you can add cursors to the end of each line in a selection. This is useful when you want to edit a section of a file in the same way (for example, adding a period at the end of each line).

1. Select the Lines
   
   Highlight the lines you want to edit.

2. Add Cursors to Line Ends
   
   Open the command palette by pressing Command (⌘) + Shift + P and type Add Cursors to Line Ends. Select this option to place a cursor at the end of each line.

3. Edit the Lines Simultaneously
   
   Type to make changes. Each cursor will apply your edits to its position.

Customizing Keybindings for Bulk Editing

VS Code allows you to customize keybindings for nearly all features, including Change All Occurrences and Multi-Cursor Editing. By assigning custom shortcuts, you can streamline your workflow and make bulk editing even more efficient.

1. Open Keyboard Shortcuts
   
   Go to Code > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts or use the shortcut Command (⌘) + K, Command (⌘) + S.

2. Search for Change All Occurrences
   
   In the search bar, type Change All Occurrences to locate this feature. Right-click and select Change Keybinding to assign a new shortcut.

3. Search for Multi-Cursor Keybindings
   
   Search for Add Cursor Above or Add Cursor Below to adjust multi-cursor shortcuts. Right-click and select Change Keybinding to modify these as well.

4. Search for Add Cursors to Line Ends
   
   Search for Add Cursors to Line Ends to adjust the shortcut for this feature. Right-click and select Change Keybinding to assign a new shortcut.

5. Save and Test the New Keybindings
   
   After adjusting your shortcuts, test them in a file to ensure they work as expected.

⚡ You can easily export your custom keybindings to a file for backup or sharing with others by using the Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON) command from the command palette to access the keybindings.json file.

Restrictions

The Change All Occurrences and Multi-Cursor Editing features are limited to individual files. They do not apply across multiple open files or the entire project. For project-wide modifications, consider using Find and Replace across files (Command (⌘) + Shift + F).

Support and References

• For more information on macOS-specific VS Code keybindings, refer to the Visual Studio Code Keyboard Shortcuts Reference for macOS.
• For more information on VS Code editing features, refer to the Basic Editing in Visual Studio Code documentation.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about bulk editing in VS Code.

Q1. Why is this article written in a super-rigid structure?

I am testing out a Help-Guide template for a different project and decided to post it here as well.

Q2. Why write about something so basic as bulk editing in VS Code?

There were a few times where I noticed coworkers manually editing multiple lines of text in their documents and figured I should put together something specifically about bulk editing. Despite being a basic feature, it is not something you become aware of until you see someone else using it. Hopefully, this guide helps someone in a similar situation.