Log Ninja: The Ultimate VS Code Extension for Effortless Debug Logging

Stop wasting time writing repetitive logging statements. Generate contextual logs instantly with a single keystroke.

TL;DR

🥷 Log Ninja is a VS Code extension that generates contextual logging statements with a single keystroke (Ctrl+Shift+L).

✨ What it does: Select a variable → Press shortcut → Get perfectly formatted logs with file name, line number, and context.

🌐 Languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, C++, Go, Rust, PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift, and more.

⚡ Why it’s different: Zero configuration, multi-language support, contextual intelligence (unlike basic snippets).

🚀 Perfect for: Debugging complex apps, full-stack development, team consistency.

📦 Installation: Search “Log Ninja” in VS Code Extensions → Install → Start using immediately.

🆓 Open Source: v0.0.1 – contributions welcome!

The Problem Every Developer Faces

We’ve all been there. You’re deep in debugging mode, trying to trace a bug, and you find yourself typing the same logging statements over and over:

console.log('userName:', userName);
console.log('userAge:', userAge);
console.log('isActive:', isActive);

After the 20th time writing similar statements, you start asking yourself: “There has to be a better way, right?”

What Makes Debug Logging Frustrating?

Repetitive Typing: Writing console.log, print(), or System.out.println repeatedly
Context Loss: Forgetting which file and line the log came from
Inconsistent Format: Different developers use different logging styles
Time Consuming: Breaking focus to write logging statements
Multi-Language Hassle: Switching between projects with different languages means remembering different syntax

Enter Log Ninja: Silent, Swift, and Smart

Log Ninja is a VS Code extension that solves all these problems with a single keyboard shortcut. Select a variable, press Ctrl+Shift+L, and watch contextual logging magic happen.

What Makes Log Ninja Different?

🎯 Contextual Intelligence

Unlike basic snippet extensions, Log Ninja doesn’t just insert text—it understands your context:

// Before: Your cursor is on 'userName' at line 15 in auth.js
const userName = "john_doe";

// After: Press Ctrl+Shift+L
const userName = "john_doe";
console.log('[JS] auth.js:15 - userName:', userName);

The generated log includes:

File type ([JS] for JavaScript)
File name (auth.js)
Line number (15)
Variable name (userName)

🌐 True Multi-Language Support

Most logging extensions focus on one language. Log Ninja supports 13+ languages with language-specific syntax:

JavaScript/TypeScript:

console.log('[JS] file.js:10 - variable:', variable);

Python:

print(f'[PY] file.py:10 - variable: {variable}')

Java:

System.out.println("[JAVA] File.java:10 - variable: " + variable);

C#:

Console.WriteLine($"[CS] File.cs:10 - variable: {variable}");

Go:

fmt.Printf("[GO] file.go:10 - variable: %v\n", variable)

⚡ Zero Configuration

No setup required. Install and start using immediately. No JSON configurations, no custom templates to define—it just works.

🎪 Flexible Selection

Works in two ways:

Select text and press the shortcut
Place cursor on a variable and press the shortcut (auto-detects word boundaries)

Comparison with Existing Solutions

vs. Manual Typing

❌ Manual: 15-30 seconds per log statement
✅ Log Ninja: 1 second with keyboard shortcut

vs. Basic Snippets

❌ Basic Snippets: Generic templates, no context
✅ Log Ninja: File-aware, line-aware, language-specific

vs. Language-Specific Extensions

❌ Single Language: Only works for one programming language
✅ Log Ninja: Works across 13+ languages in the same project

vs. Complex Logging Frameworks

❌ Complex Tools: Require configuration, setup, learning curve
✅ Log Ninja: Zero configuration, instant productivity

Real-World Impact

Before Log Ninja:

⏰ Time to add debug logs: 5-10 minutes for 20 statements
🧠 Mental overhead: High (syntax, formatting, context)
🔄 Consistency: Low across team members
📁 Multi-language projects: Painful context switching

After Log Ninja:

⏰ Time to add debug logs: 30 seconds for 20 statements
🧠 Mental overhead: None (muscle memory)
🔄 Consistency: Perfect across entire team
📁 Multi-language projects: Seamless experience

Perfect for These Scenarios

🔍 Debugging Complex Applications

When you need to trace data flow through multiple functions and files:

// Quickly add logs throughout your application
const processUser = (userData) => {
    console.log('[JS] userService.js:23 - userData:', userData);

    const validation = validateUser(userData);
    console.log('[JS] userService.js:26 - validation:', validation);

    const result = saveUser(userData);
    console.log('[JS] userService.js:29 - result:', result);

    return result;
};

🏗️ Full-Stack Development

Working with multiple languages in the same project:

# Python backend
def get_user_data(user_id):
    print(f'[PY] api.py:15 - user_id: {user_id}')
    return database.get_user(user_id)

// JavaScript frontend
const fetchUser = async (userId) => {
    console.log('[JS] userApi.js:8 - userId:', userId);
    const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`);
    return response.json();
};

👥 Team Development

Ensuring consistent logging format across team members:

Everyone uses the same contextual format
Easy to grep logs by file: grep "auth.js" logs.txt
Quick identification of log sources during debugging

Installation and Usage

Quick Setup

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for “Log Ninja”
Click Install

Usage

Select a variable in your code
Press Ctrl+Shift+L (or Cmd+Shift+L on Mac)
Done! Contextual log statement appears

Alternative Method

Place cursor on a variable (no selection needed)
Press Ctrl+Shift+L
Log Ninja auto-detects the variable name

Supported Languages

JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, C++, C, Go, Rust, PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift

More languages coming based on community feedback!

The Developer Experience Transformation

Before:

1. Think about log syntax for current language
2. Type console.log/print/System.out.println
3. Add variable name
4. Remember to include context manually
5. Repeat 50 times per debugging session
6. End up with inconsistent log formats

After:

1. Select variable
2. Ctrl+Shift+L
3. Continue coding
4. Perfect contextual logs everywhere

Community and Future

Log Ninja is open source and actively maintained. The roadmap includes:

🎨 Customizable log formats
🌍 Additional language support
🔧 User-defined templates
📊 Log level configuration

🚀 This is Just the Beginning!

Log Ninja v0.0.1 is the first release, and this is where the community comes in! As an open-source project, Log Ninja thrives on developer feedback and contributions.