Alert On Error - VS Code Extension

🚨 Never miss a terminal failure again! 🚨

This extension provides high-visibility visual and audio alerts whenever a terminal command fails (returns a non-zero exit code). Perfect for busy developers who multitask or run long-running scripts.

Key Features

🔊 Audio Alerts

• Pre-installed Sounds: Choose from a library of funny and professional sounds (Airhorn, Mario Death, CID Dialogue, etc.).
• Automatic Default: Defaults to a high-energy airhorn.mp3.
• Custom Sound Picker: Easily select any MP3, WAV, M4A, or AAC file from your computer.
• Adjustable Volume: Fine-tune the alert volume to your preference.

🚨 Visual Alerts

• Animated Status Bar Siren: A rapidly toggling emoji siren (🚨 ERROR 🚨 📢 ERROR 📢 🔴 ERROR 🔴) appears in the status bar on failure.
• Blinking Interface: The entire status bar and title bar blink red and white for 5 seconds, then stay solid red until your next successful command.
• Zero Clutter: No extra tabs or panels—everything happens in the standard VS Code status bar.

Commands

Access these via the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P):

• Alert On Error: Select Sound: Choose from the built-in sound library.
• Alert On Error: Set Custom Sound: Pick a custom audio file from your disk.
• Alert On Error: Test Sound: Play the current alert sound to verify your settings.
• Alert On Error: Toggle Error Sound: Quickly enable or disable the audio alerts.

Settings

Customize the extension in your settings.json:

{
  "alertOnError.enabled": true,
  "alertOnError.volume": 0.5,
  "alertOnError.statusBarBlink": true,
  "alertOnError.selectedSound": "airhorn.mp3",
  "alertOnError.customSoundPath": ""
}

Included Sounds

• airhorn.mp3 (Default)
• Camera_Man_Jaldi_Focus_Karo.mp3
• FHAAAAAA.mp3
• Mario Death.mp3
• Ruko_Jara_Sabar_Karo.mp3
• kuch_to_gadbad_hai_daya.mp3
• big-explosion.mp3
• ghopghop.mp3

Requirements

• VS Code 1.93.0 or higher: Required for the terminal shell execution detection API.

License

MIT - myfilesvivek

Audio Player Requirements

The extension uses system audio players to play sounds:

• Linux: Requires paplay (PulseAudio), aplay (ALSA), or ffplay (FFmpeg)
• macOS: Uses built-in afplay
• Windows: Uses PowerShell's SoundPlayer

Installing Audio Players (Linux)

If you don't have an audio player installed:

# For Ubuntu/Debian (PulseAudio)
sudo apt-get install pulseaudio-utils

# For ALSA
sudo apt-get install alsa-utils

# For FFmpeg
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

Packaging the Extension

To package and install the extension:

1. Install vsce (VS Code Extension Manager):

   npm install -g @vscode/vsce
   

2. Package the extension:

   vsce package
   

3. Install the .vsix file:

   • Open VS Code
   • Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
   • Click the "..." menu → "Install from VSIX"
   • Select the generated .vsix file

Publishing (Optional)

To publish to the VS Code Marketplace:

1. Create a publisher account at https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/
2. Update publisher in package.json
3. Run:

   vsce publish
   

How It Works

1. The extension monitors terminal command execution using VS Code's onDidEndTerminalShellExecution event.
2. When a command finishes, it checks the exit code.
3. If the exit code is non-zero (indicating an error), it plays the configured sound file and briefly flashes the workspace status bar and title bar red before leaving them solid red.
4. The sound is played using system audio players (platform-specific).
5. The visual colors are automatically restored to normal immediately upon the next successful command (exit code 0).

Troubleshooting

Sound not playing?

1. Check the sound file exists: Make sure sounds/alert.mp3 exists
2. Test the sound: Use the "Alert On Error: Test Sound" command
3. Check audio player: Ensure you have a compatible audio player installed (see requirements)
4. Check system volume: Make sure your system volume is not muted
5. Check extension logs: Open Output panel → select "Alert On Error"

Getting false positives?

The extension responds when a terminal command exits with a non-zero code. If a command intentionally returns a non-zero code, it will trigger the sound.

Sound too loud/quiet?

Adjust the alertOnError.volume setting (0.0 to 1.0).

Development

Project Structure

Alert extension/
├── extension.js          # Main extension code
├── package.json          # Extension manifest
├── sounds/
│   ├── alert.mp3         # Your sound file
│   └── README.txt       # Instructions
└── README.md            # This file

Testing

1. Open the extension folder in VS Code
2. Press F5 to start debugging
3. Test in the Extension Development Host window

License

MIT License - Feel free to use and modify!

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

• Add new features
• Improve error detection
• Add support for more audio formats
• Report bugs or issues

Changelog

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Terminal error detection using exit codes
• Configurable custom sound file
• Volume control
• Toggle command
• Test sound command

Made with ❤️ for developers who want audible error notifications!