VSCodeKeymapNpp

VSCodeKeymapNpp is a native C++ plugin for Notepad++ that ports the stock Windows VS Code shortcut set as far as Notepad++ can reasonably follow it. Where there is a clean Notepad++ or Scintilla equivalent, the plugin maps it. Where there is not, the shortcut is either reserved as a strict no-op or documented as intentionally unported.

What changed

• Source of truth is now the current VS Code Windows default shortcuts page: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/reference/default-keybindings
• Coverage is generated, not hand-curated
• Runtime bindings come from generated tables in src/GeneratedBindings.inc
• Release flow now supports x86, x64, and arm64

The plugin still registers two menu commands:

• Plugins > VSCode Keymap NPP > Toggle VSCode Strict Keymap
• Plugins > VSCode Keymap NPP > Show VSCode Coverage Summary

Coverage model

Each Windows-default VS Code binding is tracked in docs/VSCodeKeybindingCoverage.MD.

Bindings land in one of three states:

• mapped: handled by Notepad++, Scintilla, or plugin custom logic
• reserved-noop: swallowed so unrelated Notepad++ behavior does not fire
• documented-unported: listed, but intentionally not emulated

Current generated totals live in the coverage report and are also shown in the plugin summary dialog.

Repository layout

• src/VSCodeKeymapPlugin.cpp: plugin runtime and custom editor actions
• src/GeneratedBindings.inc: generated runtime binding tables
• data/keybinding-mappings.json: mapping manifest for portable shortcuts
• data/vscode-default-keybindings.windows.json: generated normalized source snapshot
• docs/VSCodeKeybindingCoverage.MD: generated coverage report
• scripts/sync-vscode-keybindings.ps1: refresh source snapshot, report, and runtime tables
• scripts/package-release.ps1: build and package release zips

Refresh generated shortcut data

Run this whenever the VS Code defaults page changes or when you update the mapping manifest:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\sync-vscode-keybindings.ps1

That script will:

• fetch the current VS Code default keybindings page
• regenerate the normalized Windows shortcut snapshot
• validate manifest coverage and runtime collisions
• regenerate the runtime include file
• regenerate the Markdown coverage report

Build

Prerequisites:

• CMake 3.20 or newer
• Visual Studio 2022 or Build Tools with Desktop C++ workload
• Windows SDK
• For ARM64 builds: Visual Studio ARM64 C++ toolchain/components

Manual build examples:

cmake -S . -B build-x86 -A Win32
cmake --build build-x86 --config Release

cmake -S . -B build-x64 -A x64
cmake --build build-x64 --config Release

cmake -S . -B build-arm64 -A ARM64
cmake --build build-arm64 --config Release

Outputs:

• build-x86\Release\VSCodeKeymapNpp.dll
• build-x64\Release\VSCodeKeymapNpp.dll
• build-arm64\Release\VSCodeKeymapNpp.dll

Package release zips

Build and package one architecture:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\package-release.ps1 -Platform x64

Build and package all architectures:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\package-release.ps1 -Platform all

Skip build and package from existing outputs:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\package-release.ps1 -Platform x86 -SkipBuild

Artifacts:

• dist/VSCodeKeymapNpp-<version>-x86.zip
• dist/VSCodeKeymapNpp-<version>-x64.zip
• dist/VSCodeKeymapNpp-<version>-arm64.zip

Each zip is Plugin Admin-friendly:

• VSCodeKeymapNpp.dll at archive root
• doc/README.MD
• doc/VSCodeKeybindingCoverage.MD

Install

Manual install path:

%AppData%\Notepad++\plugins\VSCodeKeymapNpp\VSCodeKeymapNpp.dll

Or under a machine-wide Notepad++ install:

%ProgramFiles%\Notepad++\plugins\VSCodeKeymapNpp\VSCodeKeymapNpp.dll
%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Notepad++\plugins\VSCodeKeymapNpp\VSCodeKeymapNpp.dll

Use the DLL whose architecture matches the installed Notepad++ build exactly. Restart Notepad++ after copying the plugin.

Feedback and contributions

If a shortcut still behaves differently from VS Code, opens the wrong Notepad++ command, or should be mapped to a better equivalent, please open an issue. Shortcut parity is easiest to improve with concrete reproduction steps from real editor use.

• Contribution guide: CONTRIBUTING.md
• Change history: CHANGELOG.md

Limits

This is still not a full VS Code emulation layer. Workbench-only features like debug panes, Problems, hover, format providers, theme picker, and extension UI remain outside clean Notepad++ parity, so they stay reserved or documented as unported instead of being mapped loosely.