Making #regions actually useful in VSCode
Hey HN, For anyone unfamiliar: you can use `#region My Region` and `#endregion` comments to organize your code into foldable "regions". Before building this extension, I'd use regions as a last resort, e.g. for large test files or classes that aren't worth splitting up more, or code that can't be split at all. They'd help somewhat, but the lack of tooling made them pretty underwhelming to work with. So I built out Region Helper, which as of yesterday's release provides: - Commands / hotkeys for jumping between / selecting regions - Fuzzy search (like "Go to Symbol" but for regions)…
In plain words
Region Helper is a VSCode extension that enhances code organization using #region comments. It provides commands and hotkeys to jump between regions, fuzzy search functionality similar to "Go to Symbol," interactive tree views for navigating regions and code outlines, and diagnostics to detect unmatched region markers. The tool is designed for developers working with large files or classes that are difficult to split into smaller modules, making region-based organization more practical and efficient.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hey HN, For anyone unfamiliar: you can use `#region My Region` and `#endregion` comments to organize your code into foldable "regions". Before building this extension, I'd use regions as a last resort, e.g. for large test files or classes that aren't worth splitting up more, or code that can't be split at all. They'd help somewhat, but the lack of tooling made them pretty underwhelming to work with. So I built out Region Helper, which as of yesterday's release provides: - Commands / hotkeys for jumping between / selecting regions - Fuzzy search (like "Go to Symbol" but for regions) - A "Regions" tree view (interactive: click to navigate, and auto-highlights cursor's active region) - A "Full Outline" tree view: like the builtin Outline, but incorporates regions (also interactive) - Diagnostics: blue squiggle warnings when you have unmatched #region / #endregion markers - Builtin support for 49 languages, customizable via settings - An API for accessing Region Helper's data, so devs can build their own region extensions without needing to re-parse regions - (New) Expand/Collapse All tree actions and persisted tree item collapse state across sessions It's also performant even on massive files, e.g. TypeScript's ~50K LOC `checker.ts`. These days, I personally enjoy using regions way more, and also add them more often to my code, now that they also serve as quick-jump points while navigating a file. Still definitely important not to overuse them, but I don't find them to be nearly as much of a code smell as I might have before. If you're extra curious, you can check out Region Helper's source code to see a few real examples of where I've used them while building out this extension. P.S. if you didn't know, your VSCode settings files (e.g. `settings.json`) are JSONC and support `// #region` and `// #endregion` markers. Since they can't be split into multiple files, regions are a pretty convenient way to organize them. Feel free to share your own thoughts on regions and whether or not you find them useful ever, always curious to hear others' opinions.
More dev tools this month
the category →
Open-source GTM skills for technical founders
Dev tools · 29d ago · gtmcofounder.com
OpenTrailPaper is open-source bike computer firmware for the LilyGO T5S3 4.7" E-Paper PRO. It supports offline maps, GPX routes, FIT recording and Bluetooth sensors.
Dev tools · 1d ago · opentrailpaper.com
Launched alongside, May 2025
the whole month →
- C9
Life & fun · 2025 · felixrieseberg.github.io
