Vijay Gangatharan

Posted on Aug 31

Get File Insights Running in 5 Minutes ⚡

#vscode #extensions #productivity #codenewbie

The fastest path from installation to productivity

Tired of breaking your coding flow just to check file sizes? File Insights puts real-time file size information directly in your VS Code status bar. Here's how to get it working in under 5 minutes! 🚀

Step 1: Install (30 seconds) 📦

Option A: VS Code Marketplace

Open VS Code
Click Extensions icon (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search "File Insights"
Click Install on the VijayGangatharan.file-insights result

Option B: Command Line

code --install-extension VijayGangatharan.file-insights

✅ Success check: You should see a file size appear in your status bar immediately!

Step 2: Verify It's Working (1 minute) 🔍

Open any file in your workspace
Look at the bottom-right of VS Code
See the file icon and size (e.g., $(file) 2.4 KB)

Not seeing it? Check these common gotchas:

❌ No file open: File Insights only shows sizes for real files
❌ Untitled document: Save the file first, then sizes will appear
❌ Git diff view: Switch to a regular file tab

Step 3: Customize to Your Workflow (2 minutes) ⚙️

Quick settings you'll love:

// Press Ctrl+, to open settings, then search "File Insights"
{
  "fileInsights.displayFormat": "auto",    // or "kb", "mb", "bytes"
  "fileInsights.statusBarPosition": "right", // or "left"
  "fileInsights.showTooltip": true         // hover for file details
}

Pro tip: Try different display formats to match your workflow:

Web developers: Use "kb" for asset size awareness
Data scientists: Use "mb" for dataset tracking
General use: Keep "auto" for smart formatting

Step 4: Explore Power Features (1 minute) 🎯

Command Palette magic:

Press Ctrl+Shift+P
Type "File Insights"
Try these commands:
- Show Details: Get file path, size, and modification time
- Refresh: Force update if size seems stale
- Show Output Channel: Debug any issues

Hover tooltip: Hover over the status bar item for full file information!

Step 5: Experience the Magic (30 seconds) ✨

Try this workflow:

Open a large image file → See "2.3 MB" instantly
Edit a text file → Watch size update in real-time
Switch between files → Notice instant size updates
Change display format → See changes apply immediately

That's it! You're now saving 5+ minutes per hour by eliminating context switches for file size checks.

Common Gotchas Solved 🛠️

File size not updating?

Large files (>1GB) show "File too large to analyze" by default
Increase limit in settings: fileInsights.maxFileSize

Status bar too crowded?

Move to left side: fileInsights.statusBarPosition: "left"
Hide tooltips: fileInsights.showTooltip: false

Want more precision?

Force KB display: fileInsights.displayFormat: "kb"
Need bytes? Use: fileInsights.displayFormat: "bytes"

🎉 Congratulations! You're now part of 10,000+ developers who never waste time checking file sizes manually again.

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