Navigating Large Codebases in VS Code

Working with large codebases is different. Let me show you some ways I navigate through massive piles of code.

In small projects you can feel like a magician. With AI wind in your sails, you storm through backlog like crazy. This changes when features pile up and cost of failure increases.

Here’s what I do:

(For windows in most of the cases replace CMD with CTRL!)

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🔹 CMD+P - an absolute killer

Start typing - fuzzy file name search across the project

@ … - go to symbol (variable or function name) in the file you’re in

: … - jump to line number

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🔹 CTRL+G - jump to line number shortcut

🔹 CMD+Shift+o - jump to symbol

🔹 CMD+Shift+\ - jump to matching bracket ⭐️

🔹 CMD+click - go to definition

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🔹 CMD+Shift+P and then „Find all references”

It actually finds places where given function, class or whatever is used. Better than just find all.

In general the command opens a command palette, which I use all the time, but it’s the one everyone (likely) knows.

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🔹 VS Code Bookmarks! Check out the extension by Alessandro Fragnani

It lets you bookmark lines in files across the project and jump between them.

Huge time saver when working across many files, often cleaner than looking up got diffs.

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🔹 Copy Python Path by kawamataryo

In VS code you can easily copy a relative path. But there’s no option to copy an import statement by right clicking on a symbol or a file.

For months I copied the path and replaced slashes with dots. Then I discovered this extension!

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These are life saving in my daily work.

Which ones do you use?

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