Keyboard Cursor Color Extension

This VS Code extension automatically changes the cursor color based on your current keyboard layout. Now you can see which layout is active before you start typing. No more erase-and-type-again!

Features

• Automatic Layout Detection: Detects keyboard layout changes on macOS, Windows, and Linux
• Customizable Colors: Configure different colors for each keyboard layout
• Status Bar Indicator: Shows current keyboard layout in the status bar
• Toggle Functionality: Enable/disable the extension with a single click
• Reset Option: Reset cursor color to default

Installation

1. Clone this repository
2. Run npm install in the extension directory
3. Press F5 in VS Code to run the extension in development mode
4. Or package the extension with vsce package and install the .vsix file

Configuration

You can customize the cursor colors for different keyboard layouts in VS Code settings:

{
  "keyboardCursorColor.enabled": true,
  "keyboardCursorColor.layouts": {
    "en-US": "#007ACC",
    "ru": "#FF0000",
    "de": "#00FF00",
    "fr": "#0000FF"
  }
}

Supported Platforms

• macOS: Uses defaults read to detect keyboard layout
• Windows: Uses PowerShell to detect input method
• Linux: Uses setxkbmap to detect keyboard layout

Commands

• Keyboard Cursor Color: Toggle - Enable/disable the extension
• Keyboard Cursor Color: Reset - Reset cursor color to default

Development

1. Install dependencies: npm install
2. Compile: npm run compile
3. Watch for changes: npm run watch
4. Test: npm run test

How it Works

The extension:

1. Detects the current keyboard layout using platform-specific commands
2. Maps the layout to a predefined color
3. Updates VS Code's cursor color through the workbench.colorCustomizations setting
4. Monitors for layout changes at a configurable interval (default: 250 ms)
5. Shows the current layout in the status bar

Troubleshooting

• If the extension doesn't detect layout changes, check that the platform-specific commands are available
• For macOS, ensure you have the necessary keyboard layouts installed
• For Windows, the extension requires PowerShell access
• For Linux, ensure setxkbmap is installed

License

MIT