cdelalama / EnvAutoExample

EnvExample Generator is a VSCode extension that automates .env.example file creation and updates by analyzing .env files. It scans .env files, masks sensitive info, and generates .env.example with placeholders, making it easy to share environment variables structure securely. Streamlines .env.example maintenance, ensuring up-to-date configurations.

EnvAutoExample Extension

Automate .env.example file generation by scanning existing .env files in projects, masking sensitive information, and creating corresponding .env.example files with placeholders. This efficiently maintains up-to-date example configurations while keeping actual values secure.

Key Features

• Automatically generate a .env.example file based on the existing .env file.
• Support for multiple .env.* files (e.g. .env.test, .env.production). The extension can generate corresponding .env.*.example files.
• Update .env.example each time the .env file is saved.
• Replace sensitive data with placeholders.
• Preserve comments from the .env file in the generated .env.example file.
• Minimize manual intervention by automating the updating process.
• Exclude specific .env files from being processed using a flag in the first line (e.g., #noexample).
• Newly introduced configuration option to specify an inclusion flag, #example, for processing .env files. If this configuration is set, only the .env files with #example on the first line will generate the respective .env.example files.

How to Use

1. Install the extension from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.
2. Open a project that contains a .env file or multiple .env.* files.
3. The extension automatically generates corresponding .env.example or .env.*.example files when you open the project. You can also use the "Generate .env.example from .env" command from the Command Palette (press Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) or simply save your .env or .env.* file to trigger an update of .env.example or .env.*.example files.
4. Comments in your .env or .env.* files that follow a # symbol on the same line as a variable assignment will be preserved in the generated .env.example or .env.*.example files. This provides context for each configuration item while keeping the actual values masked.
5. To exclude a specific .env file from being processed, simply add #noexample as the first line in the file. The extension will ignore this file when generating the .env.example files.
6. To set the new configuration option, go to the VS Code settings and search for "Env Auto Example". When the "Only Generate From Marked Files" option is checked (true), the extension will only process .env files with a #example flag in the first line. In this case, .env.example files will be created only for .env files marked with #example, and if the flag is removed, the corresponding .env.example file will be deleted. When the option is unchecked (false), the extension will generate .env.example files for all .env files, unless they are marked with #noexample. If a .env file is marked with #noexample, it will be ignored and no corresponding .env.example file will be created. This feature provides the option to decide whether the extension should automatically process all .env files for generating corresponding .env.example files, or only those specifically marked with a '#example' flag. This capability enables granular control over which .env files should be processed, allowing for privacy of certain environment configurations while exposing others. It is particularly useful in larger projects where multiple environment configurations exist, or when certain sensitive configurations are best left without a corresponding example file.