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Available Styles

Draw Folder Structure offers over 20 different visual styles to match your documentation preferences. From minimalist ASCII to colorful emoji designs, there’s a style for every taste.
The default style is EmojiDashes, which combines the classic tree structure with folder and file emojis.

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Style Categories

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Emoji Styles

These styles use emojis to create visually appealing, modern folder structures.
Combines classic dashes with emoji icons for folders and files.
└── 📁 my-project ├── package.json ├── README.md ├── 📁 src ├── index.ts ├── types.ts └── 📁 utils ├── helpers.ts └── constants.ts └── 📁 tests └── index.test.ts
Best for: General documentation, README files, GitHub repositories

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ASCII/Text Styles

These styles use only text characters, perfect for environments where emojis might not render properly.
Traditional tree structure with dashes and pipes.
└── my-project ├── package.json ├── README.md ├── src ├── index.ts ├── types.ts └── utils ├── helpers.ts └── constants.ts └── tests └── index.test.ts
Best for: Terminal output, code comments, traditional docs

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Comparing Styles

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Emoji vs ASCII

Choose between emoji and ASCII styles based on your use case:

Emoji Styles

Pros:
  • Visually appealing and modern
  • Instant recognition of files vs folders
  • Great for web documentation
  • More engaging for users
Cons:
  • May not render in all environments
  • Can look inconsistent across platforms
  • Not ideal for terminal/CLI docs

ASCII Styles

Pros:
  • Universal compatibility
  • Renders correctly everywhere
  • Professional appearance
  • Perfect for code comments
Cons:
  • Less visually distinctive
  • Can be harder to scan quickly
  • May look dated in modern docs

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How to Change Styles

There are two ways to change the style used for generating folder structures:
1

Open Settings

Press Cmd/Ctrl+, or go to File > Preferences > Settings
2

Search for Draw Folder Structure

Type “draw folder structure” in the search bar
3

Select Style

Find the Draw Folder Structure: Style dropdown and select your preferred style
4

Generate Structure

Your next generation will use the new style automatically

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Previewing Styles

Want to see all styles in action? Try generating the same folder structure multiple times with different styles to find your favorite!

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Quick Preview Method

  1. Choose a small folder or file to test
  2. Generate the structure with the current style
  3. Change the style in settings
  4. Generate again to compare
  5. Repeat until you find the perfect style

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Style Recommendations by Use Case

Recommended Styles:
  • EmojiDashes - Professional yet modern
  • ClassicDashes - Traditional and clean
  • MinimalistDots - Simple and elegant
These styles are widely supported and render well on GitHub, GitLab, and other platforms.
Recommended Styles:
  • ClassicDashes - Professional standard
  • PipesAndHyphens - Traditional technical style
  • MinimalistDots - Clean and readable
ASCII styles work best for technical documentation that might be viewed in various formats.
Recommended Styles:
  • EmojiFun - Engaging and friendly
  • SparklesDesing - Eye-catching
  • EmojiDashes - Modern and clear
Emoji styles make content more engaging and easier to scan in long-form content.
Recommended Styles:
  • ClassicDashes - Traditional format
  • MinimalistDots - Compact
  • PipesAndHyphens - Clean in monospace
ASCII-only styles ensure consistent rendering in code editors and version control.
Recommended Styles:
  • EmojiDashes - Professional with flair
  • EmojiFun - Engaging and memorable
  • FloralDesign or GalacticDesign - Unique themes
Visual styles make presentations more memorable and easier to follow.

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Next Steps

Configuration

Learn about all configuration options

Exclude Patterns

Filter what appears in your structures

.gitignore Integration

Automatically respect .gitignore rules

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