Better Regions for Python Interactive

A VS Code extension that highlights Python code regions with colored backgrounds and provides a tree view for easy navigation.

Features

Region Highlighting

Automatically highlights Python code regions using # region and #endregion comments:

# region Setup
import numpy as np
import pandas as pd
# endregion

# region Data Processing
data = np.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
processed = data * 2
# endregion

# region Output
print(processed)
# endregion

• Colored backgrounds - Each region gets a unique color based on its name
• Nested regions - Supports hierarchical region structures
• Auto-detection - Regions are highlighted automatically when you open or edit Python files

Region Explorer

A dedicated tree view in the Explorer panel showing all regions in your Python files:

• Hierarchical view - Displays nested regions as expandable tree nodes
• Quick navigation - Click on any region to reveal it in the editor
• Line range info - Hover over a region to see its line numbers
• Refresh button - Manually refresh the region list

Run Region in Python Interactive

Execute any region directly in the Python Interactive window:

1. Right-click on a region in the Region Explorer
2. Select "Run in Python Interactive"
3. The region's code is sent to the Jupyter/Python Interactive window

Note: Requires the Python extension with Jupyter support.

Reveal in Editor

Quickly navigate to any region by clicking "Reveal in Editor" from the context menu.

Configuration

Customize the region highlighting behavior through VS Code settings:

Setting	Default	Description
regionBackground.enabled	true	Enable or disable region background highlighting
regionBackground.highlightOnlyLastRegion	false	Only highlight the region containing the cursor
regionBackground.opacity	0.15	Background opacity (0.0 - 1.0)
regionBackground.saturation	0.6	Color saturation (0.0 - 1.0)
regionBackground.lightness	0.85	Base lightness (0.0 - 1.0)

Requirements

• VS Code version 1.74.0 or higher
• Python language support (for syntax highlighting)
• Jupyter extension (optional, for "Run in Python Interactive" feature)

Usage

Creating Regions

Add # region and #endregion comments to define code regions:

# region My Region Name
# Your code here
# endregion

Nested Regions

Regions can be nested within other regions:

# region Outer Region
x = 1

# region Inner Region
y = 2
# endregion

z = 3
# endregion

Keyboard Shortcut

Add a keyboard shortcut for quick region refresh:

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Search for "Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts"
3. Search for "Refresh Regions"
4. Assign your preferred keybinding

Commands

Command	Description
regionExplorer.refresh	Refresh the region list
regionExplorer.runInInteractive	Run selected region in Python Interactive
regionExplorer.revealInEditor	Navigate to selected region in editor

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.