Master the Art of Jumping Lines in Selection Mode in VSCode

Discover how to efficiently jump multiple lines while in selection mode in Visual Studio Code with this easy-to-follow guide.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/77953529/ asked by the user 'Ayhan' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/18189616/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/77957934/ provided by the user 'Mark' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/836330/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Master the Art of Jumping Lines in Selection Mode in VSCode

If you're a frequent user of Visual Studio Code (VSCode), you might find yourself needing to navigate large blocks of text quickly. One common challenge is trying to jump multiple lines vertically while in selection mode. This can enhance your coding efficiency, especially when editing large documents. Thankfully, there are straightforward solutions to this problem!

Understanding the Problem

When you're in selection mode in VSCode, your ability to navigate using keyboard shortcuts becomes limited. You might want to select a larger block of text without having to drag your cursor manually. This is where the need to jump multiple lines vertically comes into play.

Let’s explore a practical solution to quickly and effortlessly jump a set number of lines while retaining your selection.

The Solution

To enable the ability to jump multiple lines while in selection mode in VSCode, follow the steps below to customize your keybindings.

Step 1: Open Keybindings Configuration

Launch VSCode.

Go to File Preferences Keyboard Shortcuts (or you can use the shortcut Ctrl + K Ctrl + S).

This will open the keybindings configuration file where you can add new customized keybindings.

Step 2: Add the Keybinding to Jump Lines

You will now add a keybinding to enable line jumping in selection mode. Follow these instructions:

Click on the Open keybindings.json link at the top right.

You will enter a JSON file. Add the following code snippet:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Save the changes to the keybindings.json.

Optional Simpler Alternative

While the above method uses runCommands, it's also possible to create a straightforward version, which avoids nesting commands. Here’s how:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Test Your Keybinding

With your keybinding in place, try selecting a few lines of code in your editor.

Use the key combination you set (cmd+ [Backquote] in this case).

You should see your selection extend upwards by ten lines!

Summary

Customizing your VSCode keybindings can significantly enhance your coding experience. Now that you know how to set up jumps of multiple lines in selection mode, you can edit and manipulate text far more efficiently.

Key Takeaways

You can easily adjust your keybindings to jump lines while maintaining your text selection.

Using the select: true option allows you to expand your current highlight, streamlining your editing process.

With these simple steps, you're equipped to work more efficiently in VSCode. Happy coding!