Bookmarks

The Bookmarks feature provides a comprehensive system for marking and navigating to important locations in your code across your entire workspace.

Overview

The Bookmark system enhances your coding workflow by allowing you to:

• Mark important code locations with visual indicators
• Navigate between bookmarks globally across all files
• Organize bookmarks in a dedicated tree view
• Add labels to bookmarks for better organization
• Integrate with debugging breakpoints for unified navigation
• Use keyboard shortcuts for efficient bookmark management

Getting Started

Accessing Bookmarks

Bookmarks are available in the Tools section of the Solution Explorer:

1. Open the Solution Explorer from the Activity Bar
2. Expand the Tools section
3. The Bookmarks subsection shows all your workspace bookmarks

Creating Your First Bookmark

There are several ways to create a bookmark:

Using Keyboard Shortcut:

1. Position your cursor on the line you want to bookmark
2. Press Alt+Shift+Down to toggle a bookmark

Using Gutter Right-Click:

1. Right-click on the line number in the editor gutter
2. Select Toggle Bookmark or Add Labeled Bookmark

Using Command Palette:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette
2. Type "Toggle Bookmark" and select the command

Navigation

Global Navigation

Unlike many bookmark systems that only navigate within the current file, C# Dev Tools provides global navigation across your entire workspace:

• Next Bookmark: Alt+Shift+Right - Jump to the next bookmark in any file
• Previous Bookmark: Alt+Shift+Left - Jump to the previous bookmark in any file

Navigation wraps around, so after the last bookmark, it will jump to the first bookmark in your workspace.

Unified Bookmark and Breakpoint Navigation

Press Alt+Shift+Up to open a unified quick-pick interface that shows:

• All workspace bookmarks with their labels and file locations
• All active debugging breakpoints
• Visual separator between bookmarks and breakpoints

This allows you to quickly jump between both code bookmarks and debugging breakpoints from a single interface.

Tree View Navigation

In the Solution Explorer's Tools > Bookmarks section:

1. File Level: See all files that contain bookmarks
2. Bookmark Level: Expand files to see individual bookmarks with their labels and line numbers
3. Click to Navigate: Click any bookmark to jump directly to that location

Visual Indicators

Gutter Icons

Bookmarked lines display a bookmark icon in the editor gutter, making them easily visible while coding.

Bookmark Management

Adding Labels

When creating a bookmark via right-click gutter menu:

1. Right-click on a line number in the gutter
2. Select Add Labeled Bookmark
3. Enter a descriptive label for the bookmark
4. The label will appear in the tree view and quick-pick interface

Removing Bookmarks

Individual Bookmarks:

• Use Alt+Shift+Down on a bookmarked line to toggle it off
• Right-click the gutter and select Remove Bookmark
• Click the X button next to a bookmark in the tree view (appears on hover)

File-Level Clearing:

• In the tree view, hover over a file with bookmarks
• Click the X button to clear all bookmarks in that file

Clear All Bookmarks:

• Click the Clear All button in the Bookmarks tree view header
• Or use the command palette: "Clear All Bookmarks"

Inline Actions

The bookmark tree view provides hover-activated inline actions:

• X Button on Files: Clear all bookmarks in the selected file
• X Button on Bookmarks: Remove individual bookmarks
• Clear All Button: Remove all bookmarks from the workspace

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Alt+Shift+Down	Toggle bookmark at current line
Alt+Shift+Right	Go to next bookmark (globally)
Alt+Shift+Left	Go to previous bookmark (globally)
Alt+Shift+Up	Show bookmark and breakpoint quick-pick

Context Menus

Gutter Context Menu

Right-click on any line number in the editor gutter to access:

• Toggle Bookmark: Add or remove a bookmark on that line
• Add Labeled Bookmark: Create a bookmark with a custom label
• Remove Bookmark: Remove an existing bookmark (when present)

Tree View Context Menu

Right-click on items in the bookmark tree view:

File Items:

• Clear File Bookmarks: Remove all bookmarks from the selected file

Bookmark Items:

• Go to Bookmark: Navigate to the bookmark location
• Remove Bookmark: Delete the selected bookmark

Integration Features

Auto-Refresh

The bookmark tree view automatically updates when:

• New bookmarks are added
• Existing bookmarks are removed
• Files are renamed or moved
• The workspace is refreshed

Multi-File Support

Bookmarks work seamlessly across:

• Multiple files in the same project
• Files in different projects within the solution
• Files outside of projects but within the workspace

Smart Sorting

Bookmarks are displayed in a logical order:

• Tree View: Grouped by file, then by line number
• Quick-Pick: Sorted by file path, then by line number
• Global Navigation: Sequential order across all files

Tips and Best Practices

Effective Labeling

Use descriptive labels for your bookmarks:

• TODO: Refactor this method
• Bug: Fix null reference here
• Review: Performance bottleneck
• Entry point for feature X

Workflow Integration

Combine bookmarks with other features:

• Mark important code sections while debugging
• Bookmark areas that need refactoring
• Mark entry points for complex features
• Use with breakpoints for comprehensive code navigation

Keyboard-Driven Workflow

For maximum efficiency:

1. Use Alt+Shift+Down to quickly mark locations while coding
2. Use Alt+Shift+Right/Left for fast navigation during code reviews
3. Use Alt+Shift+Up when you need to choose between multiple bookmarks or breakpoints

Project Organization

Organize bookmarks by purpose:

• Keep temporary bookmarks for current work sessions
• Use labeled bookmarks for permanent reference points
• Clear old bookmarks regularly to maintain a clean workspace

The bookmark system is designed to enhance your coding productivity by providing quick access to important code locations while maintaining a clean and organized development environment.