Node Modules URL Extractor

A powerful VSCode extension for real-time monitoring of node_modules changes and extracting URL information from package.json files to generate structured dependency documentation.

📋 Table of Contents

✨ Features
🚀 Installation & Usage
⚙️ Configuration Options
📋 Command List
📄 Output Examples
🎯 Use Cases
🔧 FAQ
🛠️ Development Guide
🤝 Contributing
📄 License
🙏 Acknowledgments

✨ Features

Core Features

🔍 Real-time Monitoring - Automatically monitors node_modules directory changes
📊 Deep Traversal - Configurable traversal depth (1-10 levels) for deep dependency analysis
🔗 Smart URL Extraction - Extracts homepage, repository, bugs, documentation and other fields
🌳 Complete Dependency Paths - Shows full dependency chains like: has-flag (nodemon->supports-color)
📝 Multiple Output Formats - Supports both Markdown and JSON output formats
🎨 Visual Interface - Dedicated activity bar panel for viewing dependency information
⚙️ Flexible Configuration - Multiple customizable options to meet different needs
💾 Auto-save - Results automatically saved to specified files
🚀 Incremental Updates - Smart change detection, only updates changed packages for efficiency
🎯 Project Exclusion - Support for excluding specific projects from monitoring
👁️ Status Monitoring - Clear monitoring status display (open/closed eye icons)
🌍 Multi-language Support - Supports Chinese and English interface switching

Technical Highlights

⚡ High Performance - Uses incremental update mechanism to significantly improve processing speed
🎯 Precise Recognition - Intelligently identifies different dependency types (dependencies, devDependencies, etc.)
📊 Statistical Analysis - Automatically generates dependency statistics including coverage analysis
🔍 Hierarchical Display - Clearly displays dependency hierarchy for better understanding of project structure
💡 User-friendly - Intuitive tree view, click to view detailed information

🚀 Installation & Usage

Installation Methods

Method 1: Install from VSCode Marketplace

Open VSCode
Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open Extensions panel
Search for "Node Modules URL Extractor"
Click Install

Method 2: Install from Local Development

git clone https://github.com/shawn-web/node_modules-url-extractor.git
cd node_modules-url-extractor
npm install
npm run compile

Usage Methods

1. Automatic Monitoring Mode

The extension automatically starts monitoring node_modules changes after activation:

Status bar shows current monitoring status
Dependency documentation is automatically updated when changes are detected
No manual operation required, fully automated

2. Manual Extraction Mode

# Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open command palette
# Type "Extract all dependency URLs" or select relevant command
# Wait for processing to complete

3. Viewing Dependency Information

# Click "Dependency Documentation" icon in activity bar
# Browse complete dependency tree structure
# Click package names to view detailed information
# Click URL links to visit them directly

4. Switch Language

# Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open command palette
# Type "Change Language"
# Select "简体中文" or "English"
# Language takes effect immediately, no restart needed

⚙️ Configuration Options

Search for "nodeModulesExtractor" in VSCode settings to configure:

Configuration	Type	Default	Description
`maxDepth`	number	3	Maximum traversal depth for node_modules (1-10)
`outputFileName`	string	`dependency-urls.md`	Output file name
`outputFormat`	enum	`markdown`	Output format (markdown/json)
`autoMonitoring`	boolean	`true`	Auto-monitor node_modules changes
`extractOnStartup`	boolean	`true`	Auto-extract dependencies on VSCode startup
`initialDelay`	number	3000	Delay before extraction after startup (ms)
`incrementalUpdate`	boolean	`true`	Enable incremental updates, only extract changed packages
`excludedProjects`	array	`[]`	List of excluded project paths
`autoDetectProjects`	boolean	`true`	Auto-detect multi-workspace projects
`includeFields`	array	`["homepage","repository","bugs","documentation"]`	URL fields to extract
`language`	enum	`zh-CN`	Interface language (zh-CN/en)

📋 Command List

Command ID	Description	Access Method
`nodeModulesExtractor.extractUrls`	Extract all dependency URLs	Command Palette
`nodeModulesExtractor.configure`	Configure extractor settings	Command Palette
`nodeModulesExtractor.toggleMonitoring`	Toggle monitoring on/off	Status Bar Button
`nodeModulesExtractor.refresh`	Refresh dependency information	Tree View Button
`nodeModulesExtractor.manageExclusions`	Manage excluded projects list	Command Palette
`nodeModulesExtractor.changeLanguage`	Switch language	Command Palette

📄 Output Examples

Markdown Format Example

# 📚 Node Modules Dependency Documentation

> 📅 Generated: 2026/1/21 10:11:34
> 🔍 Scan Depth: 3 levels
> 📦 Total Packages: 207
> 🔗 Packages with URLs: 207

---

## 📊 Statistics

| Metric | Count |
|--------|-------|
| Total Packages | 207 |
| Packages with URLs | 207 |
| Max Depth | 2 |
| Total URLs | 491 |
| Coverage | 100.0% |

---

## 📦 Complete Dependency List

### 🛠️ Development Dependencies (devDependencies)

#### 📦 nodemon (v3.1.9)

**Path:** `d:\other\node\backend\node_modules\nodemon`

**Related Links:**
- 🏠 **Homepage**: [nodemon.io/](https://nodemon.io)
- 📁 **Repository**: [github.com/remy/nodemon](https://github.com/remy/nodemon)

**Sub-dependencies:**
- #### 📦 supports-color (nodemon) (v5.5.0)
  - #### 📦 has-flag (nodemon->supports-color) (v3.0.0)

JSON Format Example

{
  "extractedAt": "2024-01-21T10:11:34.000Z",
  "configuration": {
    "maxDepth": 3,
    "outputFileName": "dependency-urls.md",
    "outputFormat": "markdown",
    "autoMonitoring": true,
    "includeFields": ["homepage", "repository", "bugs", "documentation"]
  },
  "statistics": {
    "totalPackages": 207,
    "packagesWithUrls": 207,
    "maxDepth": 2,
    "totalUrls": 491
  },
  "tree": {
    "dependencies": {},
    "devDependencies": {
      "nodemon": {
        "name": "nodemon",
        "version": "3.1.9",
        "path": "d:\\other\\node\\backend\\node_modules\\nodemon",
        "depth": 0,
        "dependencyType": "devDependencies",
        "urls": {
          "homepage": "https://nodemon.io",
          "repository": "https://github.com/remy/nodemon"
        },
        "dependencies": {
          "supports-color": {
            "name": "supports-color",
            "version": "5.5.0",
            "depth": 1,
            "dependencies": {
              "has-flag": {
                "name": "has-flag",
                "version": "3.0.0",
                "depth": 2
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

🎯 Use Cases

📚 Project Documentation Management - Quickly understand all dependencies' official documentation
🔍 Dependency Security Auditing - Check official addresses and issue reporting channels
📊 Technology Stack Analysis - Statistics on technology stacks used in project
🔄 Dependency Migration - Quick access to all dependencies' official info during migration
📖 Team Onboarding - Help new team members understand project dependency structure
🎓 Learning and Research - Study open source projects' dependency relationships and best practices
🔧 Version Upgrades - Quickly view official docs and changelogs before upgrading dependencies
📋 Compliance Checking - Check dependency licenses and compliance

🔧 FAQ

Q1: What to do if the extension doesn't work properly?

A: Please follow these troubleshooting steps:

Check if there's a node_modules folder in the project root
Confirm package.json file exists and is properly formatted
Check error messages in VSCode output panel
Try reloading the window (Ctrl+Shift+P -> "Reload Window")

Q2: How to extract only specific types of dependencies?

A: Modify the includeFields option in settings to select only needed fields:

{
  "includeFields": ["homepage", "repository"]
}

Q3: What to do if incremental updates don't work?

A: Ensure incrementalUpdate is set to true, and allow sufficient time for the extension to detect changes.

Q4: How to exclude certain projects?

A: Use the manageExclusions command or configure excludedProjects in settings:

{
  "excludedProjects": ["/path/to/excluded/project"]
}

Q5: Where is the output file saved?

A: By default, it's saved in the project root as dependency-urls.md, which can be modified via outputFileName configuration.

🛠️ Development Guide

Project Structure

├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts                 # Extension entry point
│   ├── NodeModulesExtractor.ts      # Main extraction logic
│   ├── PackageJsonParser.ts         # package.json parsing
│   ├── DependencyTree.ts            # Dependency tree construction
│   ├── DependencyTreeProvider.ts     # VSCode tree view provider
│   ├── MarkdownGenerator.ts         # Markdown documentation generation
│   ├── DependencyDetailProvider.ts  # Detail panel provider
│   ├── IncrementalExtractor.ts     # Incremental update logic
│   └── i18n/                     # Internationalization
│       ├── I18n.ts                # I18n class implementation
│       ├── I18nConfig.ts          # I18n configuration interface
│       ├── zhCN.ts                # Chinese translation
│       └── en.ts                 # English translation
├── resources/
│   ├── icon.svg                   # Activity bar icon
│   ├── logo.svg                   # Extension icon
│   └── icon.png                  # Backup icon
├── test-project/                  # Test project
├── package.json                  # Extension configuration
├── package.nls.json             # English localization
├── package.nls.zh-cn.json       # Chinese localization
├── tsconfig.json                 # TypeScript configuration
├── README.md                     # English documentation
└── README.zh-CN.md              # Chinese documentation

Build Project

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile project
npm run compile

# Watch mode
npm run watch

Debug Extension

Open this project in VSCode
Press F5 to launch debug window
Test extension features in new window
Check logs in output panel

Package Extension

# Install vsce tool
npm install -g @vscode/vsce

# Package as .vsix file
vsce package

# Publish to marketplace
vsce publish

🤝 Contributing

We welcome all forms of contributions!

Contributing Process

Fork this repository
Create your feature branch
```
git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature
```
Commit your changes
```
git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature'
```
Push to the branch
```
git push origin feature/AmazingFeature
```
Open a Pull Request

Code Style

Follow TypeScript best practices
Add appropriate comments and documentation
Ensure code compiles and passes tests
Keep code clean and readable

📄 License

This project is licensed under MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

VSCode team for excellent extension API
All open source package.json field standards
Community feedback and suggestions
All contributors' hard work

📞 Contact

GitHub Issues: Report Issues
GitHub Discussions: Join Discussions

📝 This documentation is partially auto-generated by Node Modules URL Extractor extension

💡 If you find this extension useful, please give us a ⭐ Star!

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Node Modules URL Extractor

📋 Table of Contents

✨ Features

Core Features

Technical Highlights

🚀 Installation & Usage

Installation Methods

Method 1: Install from VSCode Marketplace

Method 2: Install from Local Development

Usage Methods

1. Automatic Monitoring Mode

2. Manual Extraction Mode

3. Viewing Dependency Information

4. Switch Language

⚙️ Configuration Options

📋 Command List

📄 Output Examples

Markdown Format Example

JSON Format Example

🎯 Use Cases

🔧 FAQ

Q1: What to do if the extension doesn't work properly?

Q2: How to extract only specific types of dependencies?

Q3: What to do if incremental updates don't work?

Q4: How to exclude certain projects?

Q5: Where is the output file saved?

🛠️ Development Guide

Project Structure

Build Project

Debug Extension

Package Extension

🤝 Contributing

Contributing Process

Code Style

📄 License

🙏 Acknowledgments

📞 Contact

FilesExpand file tree

README.en.md

Latest commit

History

README.en.md

File metadata and controls

Node Modules URL Extractor

📋 Table of Contents

✨ Features

Core Features

Technical Highlights

🚀 Installation & Usage

Installation Methods

Method 1: Install from VSCode Marketplace

Method 2: Install from Local Development

Usage Methods

1. Automatic Monitoring Mode

2. Manual Extraction Mode

3. Viewing Dependency Information

4. Switch Language

⚙️ Configuration Options

📋 Command List

📄 Output Examples

Markdown Format Example

JSON Format Example

🎯 Use Cases

🔧 FAQ

Q1: What to do if the extension doesn't work properly?

Q2: How to extract only specific types of dependencies?

Q3: What to do if incremental updates don't work?

Q4: How to exclude certain projects?

Q5: Where is the output file saved?

🛠️ Development Guide

Project Structure

Build Project

Debug Extension

Package Extension

🤝 Contributing

Contributing Process

Code Style

📄 License

🙏 Acknowledgments

📞 Contact