simple-start

simple-start is a clean startup dashboard for VS Code empty windows.

When you launch VS Code with no folder/workspace open, it can show a fast project picker that:

• lists immediate child folders of a configured root
• shows the best available project icon (with hi-res preference)
• opens the selected project in the current window

Screenshot

Install

• Visual Studio Marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ElectricPants.simple-start
• Open VSX: https://open-vsx.org/extension/ElectricPants/simple-start
• Local .vsix: simple-start-0.0.1.vsix in this repository root

Including install links keeps onboarding fast and helps users choose the right channel for VS Code, Cursor, and other Open VSX-compatible editors.

Quick Start

1. Install the extension.
2. Set Workbench: Startup Editor to none.
3. Run simple-start: Select Projects Root and choose your parent projects folder.
4. Open a new empty VS Code window.
5. Pick a project card to open it.

If the page does not open automatically, run simple-start: Open Start Page.

Features

• Startup-aware open behavior for empty windows.
• One-click project open in the current window.
• Search/filter project cards.
• Hi-res icon preference (Apple touch/app icons and larger assets favored over tiny favicons).
• Broad icon discovery for web, iOS, Android, macOS, Electron, Node, and more.
• Configurable shared app icon map for team-wide naming conventions.
• Type-based SVG fallback icon when no file icon exists.

Commands

• simple-start: Open Start Page
• simple-start: Select Projects Root
• simple-start: Refresh Start Page

Configuration

• simpleStart.openOnStartup Opens on startup for empty windows when workbench.startupEditor is none.
• simpleStart.projectsRoot Absolute path to the parent folder containing your projects.
• simpleStart.applicationIconMap Map app names to icon candidate paths relative to each project root.

Example:

"simpleStart.applicationIconMap": {
	"shopper": [
		"assets/icon.png",
		"ios/Runner/Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset",
		"android/app/src/main/res/mipmap-xxxhdpi/ic_launcher.png"
	],
	"admin": [
		"public/apple-touch-icon.png",
		"public/android-chrome-192x192.png",
		"public/favicon-512x512.png"
	]
}

Matching is name-based (admin-portal matches admin).

Icon Selection Strategy

simple-start prefers higher quality icons first:

1. App-specific paths from simpleStart.applicationIconMap.
2. iOS/Android/macOS/Electron conventional app icon locations.
3. package.json icon field.
4. Generic *.appiconset discovery.
5. Ranked website icons (apple-touch-icon, android-chrome-*, large 192/512 assets).
6. Fallback search for likely icon/logo assets.
7. Generated type-based SVG icon.

Icon paths are cached in-memory per project path for speed and refreshed when root changes or Refresh Start Page is used.

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ (or current LTS)
• npm
• VS Code 1.109+

Local Workflow

npm install
npm run compile
npm run lint

• Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host.
• Use npm run watch for incremental rebuilds.

Tests

npm test

Packaging And Publishing

npm run package:vsix

Publish scripts:

• npm run publish:vsce
• npm run publish:ovsx

Required secrets for CI release workflow:

• VSCE_PAT
• OVSX_PAT

Compatibility

• VS Code: full support
• Cursor / VS Code-compatible editors: install via Open VSX or .vsix

Troubleshooting

• Start page not opening: Set workbench.startupEditor to none and ensure no folder/workspace is open.
• Wrong or blurry icon: Run simple-start: Refresh Start Page to clear icon cache and re-rank candidates.
• No projects listed: Re-check simpleStart.projectsRoot and ensure it points to a directory with child folders.

Contributing

Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, workflow, testing expectations, and PR guidance.

Community standards are in CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md.

Security

See SECURITY.md for private vulnerability reporting instructions.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.