VSCode Launch Configuration UI

A Visual Studio Code extension that provides an intuitive user interface for managing launch configuration arguments. Easily enable, disable, and toggle command line arguments in your launch.json files through a dedicated sidebar panel with checkbox controls.

✨ Features

🎯 Sidebar Integration

• Dedicated Activity Bar Icon: Access your launch configurations through a custom sidebar panel
• Tree View Display: Hierarchical view of all launch configurations and their arguments
• Always Accessible: Available whenever you have a workspace open

☑️ Interactive Argument Management

• Checkbox Controls: Toggle arguments on/off with simple checkbox clicks
• Comment-Based Toggling: Arguments are enabled/disabled by commenting/uncommenting them in the JSON
• Real-time Updates: Changes are immediately reflected in both the UI and the launch.json file
• State Persistence: Checkbox states are remembered during your editing session

📝 Smart JSON Parsing

• Comment Support: Parses both active arguments and commented-out arguments from launch.json
• Maintains JSON Validity: Uses // comments to disable arguments while keeping valid JSON structure
• Automatic Detection: Scans your .vscode/launch.json file and displays all configurations

🔄 Live Synchronization

• Bidirectional Sync: UI reflects current state of launch.json and updates the file when changed
• Refresh Capability: Manual refresh button to reload configurations
• Error Handling: Graceful handling of missing or invalid launch configuration files

🚀 Getting Started

Installation

1. Install the extension from the VSCode Marketplace
2. Open a workspace that contains a .vscode/launch.json file
3. Look for the new debug icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar)

Basic Usage

1. Open the Panel: Click the debug icon in the Activity Bar to open the "Launch Configurations" panel
2. Expand Configurations: Click the arrow next to any configuration name to see its arguments
3. Toggle Arguments: Check/uncheck boxes next to arguments to enable/disable them
4. See Changes: Arguments are automatically commented/uncommented in your launch.json file

📋 Requirements

• VS Code: Version 1.103.0 or higher
• Workspace: Must have a .vscode/launch.json file in your workspace
• Node.js: Required for extension runtime (typically bundled with VS Code)

⚙️ Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

• launchConfigurationUI.groupArguments: Enable/disable grouping of arguments by type (default: true)

📖 Usage Examples

Example 1: Basic Argument Toggling

{
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "Debug App",
      "type": "node",
      "args": [
        "--verbose",
        // "--debug-mode",  // This argument is disabled
        "--port=3000"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

In the UI, you'll see:

• ☑️ --verbose (checked/enabled)
• ☐ --debug-mode (unchecked/disabled)
• ☑️ --port=3000 (checked/enabled)

Example 2: Multiple Configurations

The extension automatically detects and displays all launch configurations:

• Each configuration appears as an expandable item
• Arguments are grouped under their respective configuration
• Toggle states are maintained independently for each configuration

🛠️ Commands

🔧 Technical Details

How It Works

1. File Parsing: The extension reads your launch.json file and parses both active and commented arguments
2. UI Generation: Creates a tree view with checkboxes representing the state of each argument
3. State Management: Tracks which arguments are enabled/disabled through comment status
4. File Updates: When you toggle checkboxes, the extension adds or removes // comments in the JSON file

Supported Argument Types

• Command Line Arguments: Items in the args array
• Environment Variables: Items in the env object
• Program Settings: Properties like program, cwd, console

File Structure

The extension expects your launch configuration to be located at:

your-workspace/
├── .vscode/
│   └── launch.json
└── ...

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"No launch.json found"

• Ensure you have a .vscode/launch.json file in your workspace root
• Check that your workspace folder is properly opened in VS Code

Arguments not showing up

• Verify your launch.json has valid JSON syntax
• Use the refresh button to reload the configurations
• Check that arguments are properly formatted in the args array

Checkboxes not responding

• Ensure the launch.json file is not read-only
• Check VS Code's output panel for any error messages
• Try refreshing the view using the refresh button

Debug Information

The extension logs debug information to the VS Code output panel. To view:

1. Open View → Output
2. Select "Launch Configuration UI" from the dropdown
3. Look for any error messages or warnings

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository
2. Run npm install to install dependencies
3. Press F5 to launch the extension in a new Extension Development Host window
4. Make your changes and test them

📄 License

This extension is licensed under the MIT License.

🔗 Links

• GitHub Repository
• VS Code Marketplace
• Report Issues

📝 Changelog

0.0.1

• Initial release
• Basic sidebar integration with Activity Bar icon
• Tree view display of launch configurations
• Checkbox-based argument toggling
• Comment-based enable/disable functionality
• Real-time synchronization with launch.json files

Happy debugging! 🐛✨