Activity Tracker

A Visual Studio Code extension to track time spent on project activities, log modified files (optional), and visualize activities with Mermaid.js Gantt diagrams.

Overview

Activity Tracker helps you monitor how much time you spend on different tasks during development. It tracks:

Time spent on activities
Files modified during each activity (optional)
Creates visual Gantt charts to represent your work timeline

Perfect for freelancers, teams that need to report time spent, or developers who want insights into their work patterns.

Features

Timer Management: Start, pause, and stop a timer using colored buttons in the Status Bar (Play, Pause, Stop)
Time Display: Shows elapsed time in the Status Bar (e.g., Timer: 00:15:32) while the timer is running
File Change Tracking: Automatically detects modified files during an activity
Activity Logging: Add custom descriptions for each activity period
Activity Management: View, edit, and delete activity logs
Visualization: Display a Gantt chart diagram of activities using Mermaid.js
Persistent Storage: Store logs in a JSON file (.vscode/activity-log.json)

Status Bar Controls

The extension provides easy-to-use controls in the VS Code status bar:

Green Play Button (▶): Start or resume the timer
Yellow Pause Button (⏸): Pause the current timer
Red Stop Button (⏹): Stop the timer and log the activity

Commands

All functionality is available through the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P):

Activity Tracker: Start Timer: Start the timer for a new activity
Activity Tracker: Pause Timer: Pause the current timer
Activity Tracker: Stop Timer: Stop the timer and log the activity
Activity Tracker: View Logs: Display all logged activities in a webview
Activity Tracker: Edit Log: Modify the description of an existing activity
Activity Tracker: Delete Log: Remove an activity log
Activity Tracker: Delete All Logs: Remove all activity logs after confirmation
Activity Tracker: Show Activity Diagram: Display a Mermaid.js Gantt diagram of activities

Installation

From VSIX

Download the .vsix file from the releases section
In VS Code, go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X)
Click the "..." menu at the top and select "Install from VSIX..."
Choose the downloaded file

From Source

Clone the repository
Run npm install to install dependencies
Package the extension with vsce package
Install the generated VSIX file as above

Usage

Open a workspace in VS Code
Click the play button (▶) in the status bar or run Activity Tracker: Start Timer command
Work on your tasks, the extension will track time and modified files
When finished, click the stop button (⏹) or run Activity Tracker: Stop Timer
Enter a description of your activity
Choose whether to include modified files in the log
View logs with the Activity Tracker: View Logs command
Generate a timeline diagram with Activity Tracker: Show Activity Diagram

Data Storage

All activity data is stored in .vscode/activity-log.json in your workspace directory. The format is:

{
  "activities": [
    {
      "id": "1715680200000",
      "startTime": "2025-05-12T19:00:00.000Z",
      "endTime": "2025-05-13T01:05:00.000Z",
      "duration": 21900,
      "description": "Implemented feature X",
      "filesModified": ["src/components/feature.js", "src/styles/feature.css"],
      "includeFiles": true
    }
  ]
}

Example Diagram

gantt
    title Activity Timeline
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss
    axisFormat %H:%M:%S
    section Activities
    Implemented login feature :task0, 2025-05-12 10:00:00, 2025-05-12 12:30:00
    Files :ftask0, 2025-05-12 10:00:00, 2025-05-12 12:30:00
    Fixed UI bugs :task1, 2025-05-12 13:00:00, 2025-05-12 14:00:00

Additional Features

Notifications

The extension sends periodic notifications to remind you that the timer is active. The interval can be configured in the settings.

Tags and Categories

You can now add tags to activities for categorization and filter activities by tags.

Advanced Configuration

The extension provides the following configurable settings:

activity-tracker.timerUpdateInterval: Interval (in minutes) for periodic notifications. Default is 15 minutes.
activity-tracker.timeFormat: Format of time display (12h or 24h). Default is 24h.
activity-tracker.language: Language of the interface. Default is en (English).

Versioning and Packaging

Automatic Version Increment

The extension now automatically increments the version number in package.json before packaging. This ensures that each package has a unique version.

Packaging the Extension

Run the following command to package the extension:
```
npm run prepackage && vsce package
```
This will:
- Increment the patch version in package.json.
- Generate a .vsix file for the extension.

Installing the Packaged Extension

After packaging, install the .vsix file:
- Open the Extensions view in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X).
- Click the ... menu and select Install from VSIX....
- Choose the generated .vsix file.

Local Mermaid.js Support

If there is no internet connection, the extension will use a local version of mermaid.min.js located in the local/ directory. Ensure the file is present for offline functionality.

Requirements

Visual Studio Code 1.85.0 or higher

Extension Settings