Pull every date and timestamp out of the current file in one keystroke
JSON, YAML, CSV, XML, logs, HTML, JavaScript, and TypeScript
Open a file, press Ctrl+Alt+D (Cmd+Alt+D on Mac), and every date in the document lands in a new editor — deduplicate, sort, analyze, convert, filter, or validate it from there. Works in VS Code and in VS Code–based editors like Cursor and VSCodium (installable from Open VSX).
- Log analysis — timestamps from server logs: ISO, syslog, and Apache access-log formats
- Data review — dates and epochs from JSON, YAML, CSV, and XML
- Code audit — date literals and
new Date()/Date.parse()/moment()/dayjs()/DateTime.fromISO()arguments in JS/TS, including calls formatted across multiple lines
| Format | Language IDs | What gets extracted |
|---|---|---|
| JSON | json |
Every recognized date pattern in the content |
| YAML | yaml, yml |
Every recognized date pattern in the content |
| CSV | csv |
Every recognized date pattern, cell by cell |
| XML | xml |
Date patterns outside comments (inline and multiline comments are skipped) |
| Log / plain text | log, plaintext |
Everything above plus YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss log lines, syslog (Mon DD HH:mm:ss), and Apache access-log timestamps |
| JavaScript / TypeScript | javascript, javascriptreact, typescript, typescriptreact |
Everything above plus string arguments to new Date(), Date.parse(), moment(), dayjs(), DateTime.fromISO() |
| HTML | html |
Everything above plus datetime attributes, date-bearing <meta> tags, and JSON-LD datePublished/dateModified |
Recognized date patterns: ISO 8601 (2024-01-15T10:30:00Z, with optional milliseconds and offset), RFC 2822 (Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:30:00 GMT), Unix epochs (exactly 10 or 13 digits in a plausible range — digits embedded in longer numbers are never matched), UTC strings, US-style M/D/YYYY HH:mm:ss, and bare YYYY-MM-DD. Every occurrence is reported with its real line and column. Values that cannot be parsed to a timestamp are not extracted.
Known limitations: M/D/YYYY assumes US ordering; syslog lines carry no year, so the current year is assumed.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
Dates-LE: Extract Dates (Ctrl+Alt+D / Cmd+Alt+D) |
Extract all dates from the active document |
Dates-LE: Analyze Dates |
Statistics, patterns, clusters, gaps, and anomalies |
Dates-LE: Convert Dates |
Convert extracted dates to ISO, RFC 2822, Unix, UTC, local, simple, or a custom format |
Dates-LE: Filter Dates |
Filter by range, format, duplicates, future/past |
Dates-LE: Validate Dates |
Check extracted dates against selectable rules |
Dates-LE: Deduplicate Dates |
Remove duplicate lines from the results |
Dates-LE: Sort Dates |
Sort results chronologically or alphabetically |
Dates-LE: Open Settings |
Open Dates-LE settings |
Dates-LE: Help |
Built-in documentation |
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
dates-le.openResultsSideBySide |
true |
Open results beside the current editor |
dates-le.copyToClipboardEnabled |
false |
Also copy results to the clipboard |
dates-le.notificationsLevel |
silent |
all = every notification, important = warnings + errors, silent = errors only |
dates-le.safety.enabled |
true |
Guardrails for very large files |
dates-le.safety.fileSizeWarnBytes |
1000000 |
Refuse extraction above this file size |
dates-le.statusBar.enabled |
true |
Show the status bar item |
dates-le.telemetryEnabled |
false |
Local-only event log (see Privacy) |
The settings UI is translated into 12 languages besides English.
- No network access. The extension never sends data anywhere. The
telemetryEnabledsetting only writes events to a local Output Channel you can inspect (Dates-LE Telemetry). - Error notifications redact home directories and credential-shaped fragments.
bun install
bun run build # esbuild bundle -> dist/extension.js
bun run typecheck # tsc --noEmit (includes tests)
bun run test # vitest unit suite
bun run test:integration # real VS Code extension host
bun run lint # biome
bun run package # VSIX into release/Architecture and conventions live in AGENTS.md. Changes are tracked in CHANGELOG.md.
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- Secrets-LE - Detect and sanitize secrets before you commit • VS Code Marketplace
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- Colors-LE - Extract and analyze colors from stylesheets • VS Code Marketplace
- URLs-LE - Extract URLs from any codebase with precision • VS Code Marketplace
MIT © nolindnaidoo