CodePack - VS Code Configuration Manager

CodePack is an intelligent VS Code configuration management extension that solves the pain point of sharing configurations across different accounts and machines. Unlike VS Code's built-in sync (which requires GitHub authentication), CodePack allows you to manually export, import, and migrate your complete VS Code setup with smart conflict resolution and cross-platform support.

✨ Features

🎯 Core Functionality

• Complete Configuration Export: Settings, keybindings, extensions, and snippets in one JSON file
• Selective Import: Choose exactly what to import (extensions only, settings only, etc.)
• Smart Validation: Automatic security scanning for dangerous settings
• Progress Tracking: Real-time progress indicators for all operations

🧠 Intelligent Features

• Cross-Platform Conversion: Automatically converts ctrl ↔ cmd keybindings between Windows/Linux and macOS
• Snippet Conflict Detection: Smart merging when importing snippets that already exist
• Extension Management: Intelligent installation/removal with conflict prevention
• Persistent Dialogs: Interruption-resistant UI that won't disappear unexpectedly

🛡️ Enterprise-Grade Security

• Settings Validation: Scans for potentially dangerous executable paths
• Safe Extension Handling: Prevents accidental removal of development extensions
• Backup Verification: Validates configuration integrity before import

🚀 Quick Start

Export Your Configuration

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Run CodePack: Export Configuration
3. Choose save location for your .json backup file
4. Get detailed export summary

Import Configuration

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Run CodePack: Import Configuration
3. Select your .json backup file
4. Choose what to import (all or selective)
5. Handle any conflicts with smart resolution options

📋 What Gets Exported/Imported

🔄 Cross-Platform Magic

CodePack automatically detects platform differences and offers intelligent conversion:

// Windows/Linux keybinding
{ "key": "ctrl+shift+t", "command": "terminal.new" }

// Automatically converts to macOS
{ "key": "cmd+shift+t", "command": "terminal.new" }

⚔️ Smart Conflict Resolution

When importing snippets that already exist, CodePack offers multiple resolution strategies:

• Merge: Keep your existing snippets + add new ones
• Replace: Replace existing with imported versions
• Skip: Keep your existing snippets unchanged
• Cancel: Abort the import operation

🎮 Use Cases

👥 Team Configuration Sharing

• Share standardized settings across team members
• Distribute recommended extensions for projects
• Maintain consistent development environments

🏢 Multi-Account Management

• Personal vs work configurations
• Different VS Code setups for different clients
• Backup before major configuration changes

🔄 Machine Migration

• Moving to a new computer
• Setting up development environments
• Synchronizing multiple workstations

🚀 VS Code Version Migration

• Upgrading from VS Code to VS Code Insiders
• Testing configurations on different VS Code versions
• Rolling back problematic configuration changes

⚡ Performance & Reliability

• Fast Operations: Optimized for large configuration files
• Robust Error Handling: Graceful failure with detailed error messages
• Persistent UI: Dialogs that survive interruptions and focus changes
• Memory Efficient: Minimal resource usage during operations

🛠️ Technical Details

Supported Platforms

• ✅ Windows
• ✅ macOS
• ✅ Linux

VS Code Compatibility

• Minimum: VS Code 1.74.0
• Tested: Latest stable and Insiders builds

File Format

CodePack uses a structured JSON format:

{
  "metadata": {
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "platform": "darwin",
    "vscodeVersion": "1.85.0",
    "exportDate": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
  },
  "settings": { /* VS Code settings */ },
  "keybindings": [ /* Custom keybindings */ ],
  "extensions": [ /* Extension list */ ],
  "snippets": { /* User snippets */ }
}

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Extensions not installing?

• Check internet connection
• Verify extension availability in marketplace
• Review VS Code extension permissions

Settings not applying?

• Restart VS Code after import
• Check for conflicting workspace settings
• Verify setting key formats

Cross-platform keybindings not working?

• Ensure platform conversion was accepted
• Check for conflicting default keybindings
• Test individual keybindings in Keyboard Shortcuts

📝 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.

📞 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

Made with ❤️ for the VS Code community