RecurringTasks Extension

A VS Code extension for managing recurring tasks with periodicity, validation, and time tracking.

Features

• Recurring Task Management: Create tasks that repeat at specified intervals (days, weeks, months, years)
• Activity Bar Integration: Dedicated icon in the VS Code Activity bar for easy access
• Visual Task View: See all your tasks in the VS Code sidebar with time remaining indicators
• Smart Task Sorting: Tasks are automatically sorted by due date with overdue tasks at the top
• Task Details View: Click on any task to view full details and comments in a webview panel
• Webview Task Creation: Create new tasks using a modern webview form interface
• Inline Task Editing: Edit task properties (title, description, periodicity) directly from the task details view
• Task Validation: Mark tasks as complete with comments and automatically calculate next due date
• Smart Task Notifications: Intelligent notification system for due and overdue tasks with configurable frequency
• Calendar View: Monthly calendar view showing all tasks organized by due date with interactive navigation
• Calendar Meeting Creation: Create calendar meetings from tasks with automatic pre-filling of details
• Multi-Calendar Support: Choose between Outlook Web and Google Calendar for meeting creation
• Calendar Preferences: Set your preferred calendar provider to avoid repeated prompts
• JIRA Integration: Create JIRA issues directly from tasks with automatic population of task details
• JIRA Configuration: Easy setup with your JIRA instance URL, email, and API token
• Project and Issue Type Selection: Choose from available projects and issue types when creating JIRA issues
• Task Export/Import: Export all tasks to JSON format for backup and sharing, import tasks from JSON files
• Non-destructive Import: Import tasks without deleting existing ones, with automatic duplicate ID handling
• Colored Icons: Rich visual experience with colored icons throughout the interface
• Smart Time Display: Shows time remaining in human-readable format (e.g., "Due in 3 days", "Overdue by 2 days")
• Visual Status Indicators: Different icons for overdue, due soon, and normal tasks
• Persistent Storage: Tasks are saved and persist across VS Code sessions

How to Use

Accessing Tasks

• Click the Tasklist icon (📋) in the VS Code Activity bar to open the Recurring Tasks view
• Alternatively, find "Recurring Tasks" in the Explorer sidebar

Viewing Task Details

• Click on any task in the sidebar to open a detailed view in the main editor area
• Reusable View: The same panel is reused when switching between tasks, providing a smooth experience
• The details view shows:
  • Task title and description
  • Current status and time remaining
  • Periodicity information
  • Creation date and next due date
  • Complete comment history with timestamps

Adding a Task

1. Click the "+" button in the "Recurring Tasks" view
2. Fill out the webview form with:
   • Task title
   • Description
   • Periodicity (value and unit: days, weeks, months, years, or "One Shot")
   • Next due date and time
3. Click "Create Task" to save

One Shot Tasks: Tasks with "One Shot" periodicity have no recurrence and are automatically archived when validated. These are perfect for one-time tasks that don't need to repeat.

Validating a Task

1. Right-click on a task in the sidebar
2. Select "Validate Task"
3. Add an optional comment
4. The task will be marked as complete and the next due date will be calculated automatically
   • One Shot tasks: Will be automatically archived after validation since they don't recur

Editing Tasks

You can edit task properties directly from the task details view:

1. Open Task Details: Click on any task in the sidebar to open the details view
2. Edit Title: Click the edit icon next to the task title
3. Edit Description: Click the edit icon next to the task description
4. Edit Periodicity: Click the edit icon next to the periodicity value
5. Validate Task: Use the "Validate Task" section at the bottom to mark the task as complete

All changes are saved automatically and the task list will refresh to show the updates.

Creating Calendar Meetings

You can create calendar meetings directly from your tasks with pre-filled details:

1. Click the calendar icon (📅) next to the task
2. Choose your calendar provider (if not set as default):
   • Outlook Web: Opens in browser with task details pre-filled
   • Google Calendar: Opens Google Calendar with task details pre-filled
3. Meeting details are automatically populated:
   • Subject: Task title
   • Description: Task description
   • Date/Time: Task due date
   • Duration: 1 hour (Google Calendar)

Setting Your Preferred Calendar

To avoid the calendar selection prompt every time:

1. Method 1 - Command Palette:

   • Press Ctrl+Shift+P
   • Type "Recurring Tasks: Set Preferred Calendar"
   • Choose your preferred calendar provider

2. Method 2 - VS Code Settings:

   • Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
   • Search for "Recurring Tasks"
   • Find "Preferred Calendar" setting
   • Choose: "Outlook Web", "Google Calendar", or "Ask each time"

3. Method 3 - Settings.json:

   {
     "recurringTasks.preferredCalendar": "Google Calendar"
   }
   

Keyboard Shortcut

• Create Meeting: Ctrl+Shift+M (when in the tasks view)
  • Creates a meeting for the first available task if no specific task is selected

Smart Task Notifications

The extension includes an intelligent notification system that helps you stay on top of your tasks:

How Notifications Work

• Automatic Checking: The system periodically checks for due and overdue tasks
• Smart Throttling: Notifications are intelligently throttled to prevent spam
• Task Status Awareness: Only active tasks receive notifications (archived tasks are ignored)
• Real-time Updates: Notification states are immediately reflected in the task details view

Notification Actions

When a notification appears, you have several options:

1. Validate Task: Mark the task as complete with an optional comment
2. Show Details: Open the task details view to see full information
3. Snooze: Temporarily suppress notifications for this task
4. Disable Notifications: Turn off all notifications globally

Smart Snooze Duration

The snooze duration automatically adapts to your notification frequency:

• Immediate frequency: Snooze for 30 minutes
• Hourly frequency: Snooze for 2 hours (longer than frequency for effectiveness)
• Daily frequency: Snooze for 6 hours
• Disabled frequency: Snooze for 24 hours

This ensures that snoozing is always meaningful and gives you appropriate time to handle tasks.

Notification Settings

Configure your notification preferences in VS Code settings:

1. Open Settings: Press Ctrl+, and search for "Recurring Tasks Notifications"
2. Configure options:
   • Enabled: Turn notifications on/off globally
   • Frequency: Choose how often notifications can appear
   • Show Overdue Only: Only notify about overdue tasks
   • Max Notifications Per Task: Limit notifications per task to avoid spam

Notification Frequency Options

• Immediate: Show notifications as soon as tasks become due/overdue
• Hourly: Show at most once per hour (default)
• Daily: Show at most once per day
• Disabled: Never show notifications

Managing Notification States

Viewing Notification State

• Task Details View: Open any task to see its current notification state
• Real-time Updates: The notification state updates automatically when notifications are shown, snoozed, or reactivated

Reactivating Notifications

• From Task Details: Click the "Reactivate Notifications" button in the task details view
• From Context Menu: Right-click on a task and select "Reactivate Notifications"
• Manual Check: Use "Check Notifications Now" command to manually trigger notification checks

Notification Commands

• Check Notifications Now: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Recurring Tasks: Check Notifications Now"
• Reset Notification States: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Recurring Tasks: Reset Notification States"
• Notification Settings: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Recurring Tasks: Notification Settings"

Calendar View

The extension includes a comprehensive calendar view that shows all your tasks organized by due date:

Accessing the Calendar

• Sidebar Tab: Click the "Calendar" tab in the Recurring Tasks sidebar
• Command: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Recurring Tasks: Show Calendar View"
• Button: Click the calendar button in the tasks view header

Calendar Features

• Monthly View: See all tasks for the current month at a glance
• Navigation: Use previous/next month buttons or "Go to Today" to navigate
• Task Visualization: Tasks appear as colored dots on their due dates
• Status Colors:
  • Red dots: Overdue tasks
  • Yellow dots: Tasks due soon
  • Blue dots: Normal tasks
• Interactive: Click on any task dot to view task details or validate the task
• Responsive: Calendar adapts to different sidebar widths

Calendar Configuration

First Day of Week

You can customize which day starts your week:

1. Method 1 - Command Palette:

   • Press Ctrl+Shift+P
   • Type "Recurring Tasks: Set First Day of Week"
   • Choose your preference

2. Method 2 - VS Code Settings:

   • Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
   • Search for "Recurring Tasks Calendar"
   • Set "First Day of Week" to:
     • Auto: Uses your system locale (Monday for most countries, Sunday for US)
     • Sunday: Always start week on Sunday
     • Monday: Always start week on Monday

Calendar Commands

• Show Calendar: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Recurring Tasks: Show Calendar View"
• Set First Day of Week: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Recurring Tasks: Set First Day of Week"

Creating JIRA Issues

You can create JIRA issues directly from your tasks with all task details automatically populated:

1. Click the JIRA icon (🐛) next to the task in the sidebar, or
2. Open Task Details and click "Create JIRA Issue" in the JIRA Integration section
3. Choose your project and issue type (if you have multiple options)
4. The JIRA issue will be created with:
   • Summary: Task title
   • Description: Task description plus recurring task details
   • Task metadata: Periodicity, due date, and creation date
   • Assignee: Automatically assigned to you (if enabled)

Setting Up JIRA Integration

Before you can create JIRA issues, you need to configure your JIRA connection:

1. Method 1 - Command Palette:

   • Press Ctrl+Shift+P
   • Type "Recurring Tasks: Configure JIRA"
   • Follow the setup instructions

2. Method 2 - VS Code Settings:

   • Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
   • Search for "Recurring Tasks JIRA"
   • Configure the following settings:
     • Base URL: Your JIRA instance URL (e.g., https://yourcompany.atlassian.net)
     • Email: Your JIRA account email
     • API Token: Create one at Atlassian API Tokens
     • Default Project Key: Your default project (e.g., "PROJ")
     • Default Issue Type: Default issue type (e.g., "Task", "Bug", "Story")

3. Test Your Connection:

   • Use the command "Recurring Tasks: Test JIRA Connection" to verify your setup

JIRA Keyboard Shortcut

• Create JIRA Issue: Ctrl+Shift+J (when in the task details view)

Exporting and Importing Tasks

You can export your tasks to a JSON file for backup or sharing, and import tasks from JSON files to add them to your collection.

Exporting Tasks

1. Click the export button (📤) in the "Recurring Tasks" view header, or
2. Use Command Palette: Press Ctrl+Shift+P and type "Recurring Tasks: Export Tasks"
3. Choose save location: Select where to save the JSON file
4. File is created: A timestamped JSON file with all your tasks is created
5. Optional actions: After export, you can:
   • Open File: View the exported JSON directly in VS Code
   • Show in Explorer: Open the file location in your system file manager

The exported JSON includes:

• Export metadata: Date and version information
• All tasks: Both active and archived tasks
• Complete data: All task properties, comments, and history

Importing Tasks

1. Click the import button (⬇️) in the "Recurring Tasks" view header, or
2. Use Command Palette: Press Ctrl+Shift+P and type "Recurring Tasks: Import Tasks"
3. Select JSON file: Choose the file containing tasks to import
4. Import process: The system will:
   • Validate the JSON format
   • Check for required fields
   • Handle duplicate IDs (generates new unique IDs if needed)
   • Convert date strings to proper Date objects
   • Migrate old periodicity formats if present
5. Results: You'll see a summary of imported tasks and any warnings/errors

Important Notes:

• Non-destructive import: Imported tasks are added to your existing collection without deleting current tasks
• Duplicate handling: If imported tasks have duplicate IDs, new unique IDs are automatically generated
• Data validation: Invalid tasks are skipped with detailed error reporting
• Progress tracking: Import progress is shown with a progress indicator

Export/Import Use Cases

• Backup: Export your tasks before making major changes
• Sharing: Share task collections with team members
• Migration: Move tasks between different VS Code installations
• Recovery: Restore tasks from a previous export
• Testing: Import sample tasks for testing purposes

Smart Notification System

The RecurringTasks extension includes a comprehensive notification system that helps you stay on top of your tasks without being overwhelmed.

How Notifications Work

• Automatic Checks: The system checks for due/overdue tasks every 30 minutes
• Smart Throttling: Notifications are intelligently throttled based on your frequency settings
• Task Status Awareness: Only active tasks receive notifications (archived tasks are ignored)
• Real-time Updates: Notification states are immediately reflected in the task details view

Notification Actions

When a notification appears, you have several options:

1. Validate Task: Mark the task as complete with an optional comment
2. Show Details: Open the task details view to see full information
3. Snooze: Temporarily suppress notifications for this task
4. Disable Notifications: Turn off all notifications globally

Smart Snooze Duration

The snooze duration automatically adapts to your notification frequency:

• Immediate frequency: Snooze for 30 minutes
• Hourly frequency: Snooze for 2 hours (longer than frequency for effectiveness)
• Daily frequency: Snooze for 6 hours
• Disabled frequency: Snooze for 24 hours

This ensures that snoozing is always meaningful and gives you appropriate time to handle tasks.

Notification Settings

Configure your notification preferences in VS Code settings:

1. Open Settings: Press Ctrl+, and search for "Recurring Tasks Notifications"
2. Configure options:
   • Enabled: Turn notifications on/off globally
   • Frequency: Choose how often notifications can appear
   • Show Overdue Only: Only notify about overdue tasks
   • Max Notifications Per Task: Limit notifications per task to avoid spam

Notification Frequency Options

• Immediate: Show notifications as soon as tasks become due/overdue
• Hourly: Show at most once per hour (default)
• Daily: Show at most once per day
• Disabled: Never show notifications

Managing Notification States

Viewing Notification State

• Task Details View: Open any task to see its current notification state
• Real-time Updates: The notification state updates automatically when notifications are shown, snoozed, or reactivated

Reactivating Notifications

If a task has reached its maximum notifications or been snoozed, you can reactivate notifications:

1. Right-click on task in the sidebar
2. Select "Recurring Tasks: Reactivate Notifications"
3. Or use Command Palette: Press Ctrl+Shift+P and type "Recurring Tasks: Reactivate Notifications"

Notification Statistics

The system tracks notification statistics including:

• Total active tasks
• Tasks with notification states
• Overdue tasks with notifications
• Current notification settings

Notification Commands

Access notification management through the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

• "Recurring Tasks: Check Notifications Now": Manually trigger a notification check
• "Recurring Tasks: Reset Notification States": Clear all notification states (useful for testing)
• "Recurring Tasks: Notification Settings": Open notification settings directly

Notification Best Practices

• Start with Hourly: The default hourly frequency provides good balance
• Use Snooze Wisely: Snooze when you need time to handle a task
• Reactivate When Ready: Reactivate notifications when you're ready to receive them again
• Monitor in Task Details: Check the notification state in task details for full visibility
• Adjust Frequency: Change frequency based on your workflow and task urgency

Troubleshooting Notifications

Notifications not appearing?

• Check if notifications are enabled in settings
• Verify the task is active (not archived)
• Check if the task has reached maximum notifications
• Ensure the task is actually due/overdue

Too many notifications?

• Increase the frequency setting (e.g., from hourly to daily)
• Enable "Show Overdue Only" to reduce notification volume
• Use snooze to temporarily suppress specific tasks

Need immediate notifications?

• Set frequency to "Immediate" for instant notifications
• Use "Check Notifications Now" command for manual checks

Deleting a Task

1. Right-click on a task in the sidebar
2. Select "Delete Task"
3. Confirm the deletion

Refreshing the View

• Click the refresh button in the sidebar header to manually refresh the task list

Task Status Indicators

• 🔴 Red Error Icon: Task is overdue
• 🟡 Yellow Warning Icon: Task is due soon depending on the periodicity
• ✅ Green Task Icon: Task is due normally

Time Display Format

• "Overdue by X days" - for past due tasks
• "Due today" - for tasks due today
• "Due tomorrow" - for tasks due tomorrow
• "Due in X days" - for tasks due within a week
• "Due in X weeks" - for tasks due in more than a week

Extension Settings

This extension includes the following configuration options:

Calendar Meeting Settings

• recurringTasks.preferredCalendar: Set your preferred calendar provider for meeting creation
  • Options: "Outlook Web", "Google Calendar", "Ask each time"
  • Default: "Ask each time"
  • Scope: Global (applies to all workspaces)

JIRA Integration Settings

• recurringTasks.jira.baseUrl: Your JIRA instance base URL

  • Example: "https://yourcompany.atlassian.net"
  • Default: ""
  • Scope: Global

• recurringTasks.jira.email: Your JIRA account email address

  • Default: ""
  • Scope: Global

• recurringTasks.jira.apiToken: JIRA API token for authentication

  • Note: Create one at Atlassian API Tokens
  • Default: ""
  • Scope: Global

• recurringTasks.jira.defaultProjectKey: Default JIRA project key for creating issues

  • Example: "PROJ"
  • Default: ""
  • Scope: Global

• recurringTasks.jira.defaultIssueType: Default JIRA issue type for creating issues

  • Options: "Task", "Bug", "Story", etc. (depends on your JIRA configuration)
  • Default: "Task"
  • Scope: Global

• recurringTasks.jira.autoAssignToMe: Automatically assign created JIRA issues to yourself

  • Options: true/false
  • Default: true
  • Scope: Global

Notification Settings

• recurringTasks.notifications.enabled: Enable or disable all task notifications

  • Options: true/false
  • Default: true
  • Scope: Global

• recurringTasks.notifications.frequency: How often notifications can appear for the same task

  • Options: "immediate", "hourly", "daily", "disabled"
  • Default: "hourly"
  • Scope: Global

• recurringTasks.notifications.showOverdueOnly: Only show notifications for overdue tasks

  • Options: true/false
  • Default: false
  • Scope: Global

• recurringTasks.notifications.maxNotificationsPerTask: Maximum number of notifications per task

  • Options: 1-50
  • Default: 5
  • Scope: Global

Calendar Settings

• recurringTasks.calendar.firstDayOfWeek: First day of the week for calendar display

  • Options: "auto", "sunday", "monday"
  • Default: "auto" (uses system locale)
  • Scope: Global

Known Issues

None at this time.

Development

This extension is built with TypeScript and uses VS Code's extension API.

Building the Extension

yarn compile

Running in Development

1. Open the project in VS Code
2. Press F5 to run the extension in a new Extension Development Host window
3. The extension will be loaded and you can test all features

For more information

• VS Code Extension API
• Extension Guidelines

Enjoy managing your recurring tasks!