How can I format documents that are not saved in visual studio code?

If i Shift + Alt + F (or use the command from the palette) on a Untitled tab on vscode the following command appear:

There is no formatter for 'plaintext' files installed.

Is there any way to specify a different format for the unsaved file to enable the formatter of choice? This need usually arise when I usually copy/paste some json/xml.

• visual-studio-code
• plaintext

2 Answers 2

In the latest VS Code (v1.47):

The detected file type is printed on the lower bar of the window, and by default it'll likely say Plain Text for new, unsaved, files.

Click on Plain Text , that'll bring up a box where you can select other formats VS Code knows about. Select the one you want or start typing what you want in the search, such as JSON , and that'll convert the detected file-type over.
Now you can use the standard Format Document command from the command palette, so long as VS Code has a formatter for that file-type.

UPDATE 2 Now the new tab shows directly a selection mode that says:

Select a language to get started. Start typing to dismiss, or don't show this again.

So you just need to press Select a language

UPDATE 1
In the bottom right corner is available the Select Language Mode functionality that now let you select a formatting option, the default one is Plain Text . The same functionality can be used with Ctrl + K M or by selecting Change Language Mode from the command palette.

OLD ANSWER
I found two solutions to this specific problem, even if they seems more a workaround than a proper solution:

1. Using a specific extension to format particular code (json or xml)
2. Trick VSCode into thinking default unsaved files are json

1 Extensions that format as specific code

Install specific extension that add language specific commands:

• XML Tools
  default keybinding Ctrl + Shift + Alt + B
• JSON Tools
  default keybinding Ctrl + Alt + M

• no default settings are changed
• specific format can be used on any selection in any file
• it's the same solution that notepad++ implement

• additional extensions to download may look overkill only to format something
• more keybindings and additional non standard behaviours

2 VSCode default unsaved files trick

Add a configuration to settings.json that specify json as the type of document for untitled files:

"files.associations":

• default Format document is used
• no additional download is required

• only one format can be specified
• locale-dependant (in languages other than English it should not work)