Notes on miscellaneous stuff

Last updated on 18 Oct. 2025

13:55 04 September 2025

From notes of past few days:

Copy-paste numbered list from HTML to text preserving the numbers

Seems like there is no direct way to do that. Checked with ChatGPT - its suggestions did not work.

Free online utilities to convert HTML to text are around but they did not provide numbers and line separation.

Solution: Copy-paste numbered list from HTML page in browser to https://onlinetexttools.com/add-line-numbers . This will add the list without numbers but as separate lines in the input box. The 'Numbered Text Lines' box will have the content with the numbers which can be copied to clipboard after a delay of some seconds followed by providing permission to copy to clipboard.

[Later update: Another solution is to ask an AI chatbot to do it. But that will need creating a simple but unambiguous prompt which I can save for later reuse.]

---------------------

==========================

Excluding folder (or file) in .gitignore that has been committed to repo

Me: I want to exclude dist folder in my .gitignore. I added the entry (see uploaded file) but VSCode does not show dist as ignored folder (not gray colour).

Gem or ChatGPT don't recall which: ..

The reason VS Code is not showing the dist folder as ignored is because the .gitignore file only affects files and folders that have not yet been committed to your Git repository.

If the dist folder was created and committed to your repository before you added dist to your .gitignore file, Git will continue to track it. VS Code, in turn, will continue to show it as a tracked directory, and its contents will not appear in gray.

To fix this, you need to tell Git to stop tracking the dist folder. You can do this with a two-step process:

Stop Tracking the Folder: Use the git rm --cached command to remove the folder from the Git index.

git rm -r --cached dist

rm: The "remove" command.

-r: The "recursive" flag, which tells Git to remove the folder and everything inside it.

--cached: This is the crucial flag. It tells Git to only remove the folder from the repository's index (its tracking list), but to leave the actual files on your local file system.

Commit the Change: Now you need to commit this change to your repository. This will tell Git that from now on, it should ignore the dist folder.

git commit -m "Remove dist folder from tracking"

After you run these two commands, you will see that the dist folder and its contents are no longer tracked by Git. You will also notice that VS Code now shows the folder name in gray, as you expected, indicating that it is being correctly ignored.

Me: That fixed it though I had to close and reopen VSCode for dist to be shown as gray.

================================

Blogger seems to trip up on tag; Blogger shows 'invalid' HTML in red

20:30 06 September 2025

In https://raviswdev.blogspot.com/2025/09/vscode-extension-to-auto-add-id.html , when I would go to HTML view and then try to go back to Compose view without making any changes, I would be shown an error message that HTML is invalid and switching to Compose view may lead to loss of some data (paraphrasing).

At first, I could not figure out the exact issue and also how to identify the tags that Blogger is complaining about. Later i saw that Blogger was showing tags in red and some other tags that contained it like </div> in red. [Note that I had figured that out using W3C validation service and fixed it but ... see update] Removing all the tags fixed the issue. Apparently alone is enough and one does not need . Even W3C validation service pointed that out but it pointed some other issues too (like instead of ) which Blogger does not seem to complain about (and probably uses).

Update: After saving the post and then going back to HTML view mode, Blogger seems to have inserted the tags itself, and now complains about it! The solution was to simply remove all tags as well (so not tags in the post). That fixed the issue. Now I can switch between Compose and HTML view without any error messages from Blogger.

MDN: : The Line Break Opportunity element

========================

14 Sept. 2025

Blogger Compose View Limitation for Paragraphs in List Items

In Blogger’s Compose view, when writing inside an ordered (<ol>) or unordered (<ul>) list, pressing Enter always creates a new list item (<li>). There is no direct way to insert multiple paragraphs or line breaks inside the same list item.

Common Workarounds & Trade-offs

 inside <li>: Has to be done in HTML view: Works but can cause Blogger to complain or strip tags; not ideal.
  inside <li>: Has to be done in HTML view: Simple, valid, but creates inconsistent spacing between long items and subsequent short items.
Nested bulleted or numbered list <ul> or <ol>: Can be done in Compose view or HTML view: Maintains consistent spacing for long items. Limitation: Compose view does not easily allow adding a continuation sentence after the nested list within the parent <li>.

Solution to Nested Bulleted or Numbered List Limitation for Sentences After Nested List

Switch to HTML view and manually add the sentences after nested list as follows:


<li>
  Main point text
  <ul>
    <li>Subpoint 1</li>
    <li>Subpoint 2</li>
  </ul>
  Additional sentence at parent level.
</li>

The nested bulleted or numbered list with above solution ensures:

Proper line spacing and alignment
Ability to continue parent list item text after nested lists

Mobile Hotspot Internet Connection related Powershell scripts

ismetered.ps1 - Powershell script that reports whether Internet connection is metered or not

CheckUnmetered.ps1 - Powershell script that checks and notifies if Internet connection is Unmetered

Comment: Creating Scheduled Task(s) in Windows Task Scheduler to run CheckUnmetered.ps1 script

CheckISP.ps1 - Powershell script that reports ISP name of Jio or Airtel and whether metered or not

Comment: Pinning Script to Windows Task bar

-----------------------------------

TXT Files Concatenation Powershell Script

This PowerShell script allows a user to specify a top-level folder as input and recursively collects all .txt files within that folder and its subfolders. Before concatenation, it lists all found files along with the total count, prompting the user for confirmation to proceed. The output file is created in the current directory where the script is run, with a name that starts with the current date, followed by -concat-, and a truncated, sanitized representation of the input folder path.

-----------------------------------

Add a “TreeView” Option to the Send To Menu in Windows 11

Summary info. from ChatGPT chat 'GUI equivalent of tree' on 21 Sep. 2025 is given below.

If you often need a full folder tree listing like the tree command provides, you can add a Send To context menu entry to quickly generate it for any folder. Here’s a simple, safe method using a batch file:

1️⃣ Create the PowerShell Script

Create a PowerShell script TreeView.ps1 with the following content:


param([string]$folderPath)

# Default to current directory if no path is provided
if (-not $folderPath) { $folderPath = "." }

# Generate tree output and save to a temporary file
tree $folderPath /f | Out-File "$env:TEMP\treeview.txt" -Encoding UTF8

# Open the result in Notepad
notepad "$env:TEMP\treeview.txt"

Save it in a convenient folder, e.g.,


C:\Users\<YourUser>\Scripts\TreeView.ps1

2️⃣ Create a Batch File Wrapper

Windows SendTo menu reliably passes folder paths to batch files, so we create a small wrapper .bat file:

@echo off
REM Pass the selected folder to TreeView.ps1
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "TreeView.ps1" "%~1"

Save this as TreeView.bat in same folder as above TreeView.ps1

3️⃣ Add to SendTo Menu

Create a shortcut to your TreeView.bat.
In Windows Explorer, open the folder: %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Copy the shortcut you just created into this SendTo folder.
Rename the shortcut to TreeView (you can remove the .bat in the name).
(Optional) Change the icon of the shortcut for a cleaner look:
- Right-click the shortcut → Properties → Change Icon

4️⃣ Using the TreeView Option

Right-click any folder → Send to → TreeView
A Notepad window opens showing the full folder and file hierarchy (like tree /f).

✅ Notes

The .bat wrapper ensures the folder path is passed correctly to PowerShell.
No registry edits are needed.
You can create a second shortcut/batch for “folders only” (omit /f) if desired.

This method is safe, easy, and fully reversible: remove the shortcut from SendTo to disable it.

[I used the above process and it is working for me.]

...

Why we use a batch file wrapper:
Windows Send To menu reliably passes the selected folder path only to executable files like .exe or .bat. If you try to put the PowerShell script (.ps1) directly in SendTo, Explorer will not pass the folder argument correctly — the script sees a literal %1 instead of the folder path.

Using a small batch file wrapper ensures the selected folder path is correctly passed to the PowerShell script, making the Send To option work reliably.

...

[I have not tried what is suggested below but I think it should work ...]

Extending to Any PowerShell Script that takes a folder as the first argument

The same procedure can be used to add Send To context menu support for any PowerShell script that takes a folder as its first (or only) argument. Simply create a small batch file wrapper for your script, place a shortcut to the batch file in the %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo folder, and optionally rename or change the icon of the shortcut. This ensures the selected folder path is correctly passed to the script, allowing it to run reliably from the right-click menu.

Strange issue with Excel.

07:58 22 September 2025
Insert Row context menu command is greyed out. Tried out some suggestions after Net search ... no solution.
But Home -> Insert -> Insert sheet Rows works. So I have a workaround.

==================

6 to 7 October 2025

ChatGPT:

Using PowerShell Script Shortcuts with System-Wide Hotkeys on Windows 11

Overview

You can create a shortcut that runs a PowerShell command or script and assign a global keyboard shortcut (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+T) to it. This allows you to trigger scripts anywhere in Windows without opening a terminal window.

Key Points

Shortcut Location
- The shortcut can be on the Desktop or in a Start Menu Programs folder:
```
C:\Users\<YourUserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
```
- Windows monitors these locations for global shortcut keys.
Using .ps1 Scripts
- In Windows 11, shortcut keys reliably work with PowerShell scripts (.ps1) or inline PowerShell commands.
- .bat files sometimes do not respond to global hotkeys, especially if they require a console window or elevated privileges.
Creating a Self-Contained Shortcut
- No .ps1 file needed — you can embed the command directly in the shortcut.
- Example (copies timestamp to clipboard, no console visible): powershell -NoProfile -WindowStyle Hidden -Command "Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss' | Set-Clipboard"
Assigning a Hotkey
- Right-click shortcut → Properties → Shortcut key → type your letter (e.g., T) → it will show Ctrl+Alt+T.
- Optional: set Run → Minimized to avoid flashing any window.
Testing
- Press your assigned hotkey anywhere in Windows (Desktop, Notepad, browser, etc.)
- The command executes silently.
Notes
- If the shortcut needs admin rights, Windows may block the hotkey. Use PowerShell commands that do not require elevation for smooth operation.
- For advanced automation or more complex scripts, consider AutoHotkey or a VBS launcher to make shortcuts fully invisible.

✅ Summary

Use .ps1 scripts or inline PowerShell commands for reliable Windows 11 hotkeys.
Desktop shortcuts usually work, but the Start Menu Programs folder is safest.
.bat files are less reliable for global hotkeys in Windows 11.
Inline PowerShell command in a shortcut is a simple, single-step solution.

--- end CG extract ---

I used a shortcut called CopyTimestamp on desktop with target as:

C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -NoProfile -WindowStyle Hidden -Command "Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss' | Set-Clipboard"

I specified keyboard shortcut of Ctrl + Alt + T. To check whether this shortcut key is used for some other command, I first tried using it on desktop. It gave a beep and did nothing indicating that it was not mapped to any command.

Note that I created the shortcut by specifying location as: powershell -NoProfile -WindowStyle Hidden -Command "Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss' | Set-Clipboard"

Windows added the initial part of the powershell.exe by itself.

This shortcut is working well.

Later I added a clock icon from C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll to the shortcut and copied it onto taskbar. So now besides Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut, I can invoke the Powershell code by clicking on taskbar icon.

=================================

2025-10-18 13:55:19

Search terms:

VSCode console.log statements regex search

VS Code console.log statements regex search

VSCode find console.log lines regex

VS Code regex to exclude commented console.log

ChatGPT Summary note:

🔍 VS Code Regex Search for Active `console.log` Statements

When reviewing JavaScript or TypeScript code, you may want to find all active console.log statements while skipping lines that are commented out.
You can do this directly in VS Code’s Search (Ctrl + Shift + F) using a regular expression.

Note: This excludes only inline // comments but does not exclude block comments like /* console.log(...) */

Regex pattern:


^(?!\s*//).*console\.log

[Ensure that above pattern is used without any accidental newline after the pattern as that will not work. Also make sure the “Use Regular Expression” (.*) option is enabled in VS Code’s search box.]

Explanation:

^ → Start of the line
(?!\s*//) → Negative lookahead ensures the line does not begin with optional whitespace followed by //
.* → Any characters after that
console\.log → Matches actual console.log occurrences

✅ Matches


console.log("Debug info");
if (x) console.log('Value:', x);

❌ Skips


// console.log("Debug info");
//    console.log('Value:', x);

...

Regex pattern for all commented console log statements in VS Code search (enable `.*` for regex mode):

Note: This matches only inline // comments and does not match block comments like /* console.log(...) */

✅ Regex for commented-out `console.log` lines


^\s*//.*console\.log

🧩 Explanation

Part	Meaning
`^`	Start of the line
`\s*`	Optional spaces or tabs before the comment
`//`	Matches the start of a single-line comment
`.*`	Any characters following that
`console\.log`	Finds `console.log` (escaped dot for literal `.`)

✅ Matches


// console.log("Debug info");
//    console.log('value', val);
    //console.log(x);

❌ Does NOT match


console.log("Debug info");      // active line
/* console.log("Debug info"); */ // block comment

[I tried out both the regex patterns above and they seem to work. But I will know whether they work properly only after more usage of them.]

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Ravi S. Iyer: Software Development