Actions For VSCode

A VS Code extension that adds custom commands to context menus in the Explorer, Source Control, and Editor views.

Features

• Visual settings manager with form-based interface
• Multiple custom actions with configurable commands
• Context-aware menu entries (Explorer, Source Control, Editor)
• Command execution in background with configurable working directory
• Placeholder support for dynamic file paths
• Enable/disable actions, customize notifications, add icons
• Quick picker interface for action selection

Installation

Quick Install

git clone https://github.com/bassmanitram/actions-for-vscode.git
cd actions-for-vscode
./install.sh

The script will install dependencies, compile TypeScript, package the extension, and install it into VS Code.

Manual Install

npm install
npm run compile
npm run package
code --install-extension $(ls -t *.vsix | head -n1)

NPM Scripts

• npm run compile - Compile TypeScript
• npm run package - Create .vsix package
• npm run reinstall - Compile, package, and install
• npm run watch - Watch mode for development

Development Mode

1. Clone the repository
2. Run npm install
3. Run npm run compile
4. Press F5 to open Extension Development Host

Configuration

Visual Settings Manager

The extension provides a form-based interface for managing actions:

1. Open Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Type "Actions For VSCode: Manage Actions"
3. Add, edit, or delete actions using the visual interface

Alternatively, open VS Code Settings, search for "Actions For VSCode", and click the link at the top of the Actions setting.

The visual manager provides:

• Form validation for required fields and ID format
• Context selection with checkboxes
• Field descriptions and help text
• Duplicate ID detection
• Direct link to icon reference

JSON Configuration

For direct JSON editing:

1. Open Command Palette
2. Type "Actions For VSCode: Open Settings"
3. Edit the actionsForVscode.actions array

Basic example:

{
  "actionsForVscode.actions": [
    {
      "id": "openOrigin",
      "label": "Open Origin",
      "command": "G",
      "contexts": ["explorer"],
      "icon": "link-external"
    }
  ]
}

Multiple actions example:

{
  "actionsForVscode.actions": [
    {
      "id": "gitLog",
      "label": "Git Log",
      "command": "git log --oneline -n 20 {path}",
      "cwd": "{dir}",
      "contexts": ["explorer", "scm"],
      "icon": "git-commit",
      "showNotification": false
    },
    {
      "id": "openInTerminal",
      "label": "Open Terminal Here",
      "command": "gnome-terminal",
      "cwd": "{dir}",
      "contexts": ["explorer"],
      "icon": "terminal"
    }
  ]
}

Action Properties

Each action supports the following properties:

Property	Type	Required	Default	Description
id	string	Yes	-	Unique identifier (alphanumeric, hyphens, underscores)
label	string	Yes	-	Text shown in the menu
command	string	Yes	-	Command to execute
cwd	string	No	auto	Working directory (supports placeholders)
contexts	string[]	No	["explorer"]	Where to show: explorer, scm, editor
icon	string	No	-	VS Code icon ID (reference)
showNotification	boolean	No	true	Show success/error notifications
enabled	boolean	No	true	Enable or disable this action

Command Placeholders

Use these placeholders in commands and working directory paths:

Placeholder	Files	Folders	Description
{path}	/home/user/project/file.txt	/home/user/project/folder	Full path to selected item
{file}	file.txt	folder	Name only (no path)
{dir}	/home/user/project	/home/user/project	Parent directory
{filename}	file.txt	folder	Alias for {file}
{files}	"/file1.txt" "/file2.txt"	-	All selected files (quoted, space-separated)
{workspace}	/home/user/project	/home/user/project	Workspace root

Placeholder Examples

For file /home/user/project/src/main.ts:

• {path} → /home/user/project/src/main.ts
• {file} → main.ts
• {dir} → /home/user/project/src
• {workspace} → /home/user/project

For folder /home/user/project/src:

• {path} → /home/user/project/src
• {file} → src
• {dir} → /home/user/project
• {workspace} → /home/user/project

Working Directory

The cwd property specifies where commands execute. It supports all placeholders.

Default behavior when cwd is not specified:

• Files: Execute in the file's parent directory
• Folders: Execute in the folder itself

Example:

{
  "id": "gitStatus",
  "label": "Git Status",
  "command": "git status",
  "cwd": "{dir}"
}

Common patterns:

• {dir} - Parent directory (consistent for files and folders)
• {workspace} - Workspace root
• /tmp - Specific absolute directory

Note: Using {path} in cwd works for folders but not for files (file path is not a valid directory).

Auto-append Behavior

If a command contains no placeholder, the full path is automatically appended:

{
  "command": "G"
}
// Executes as: G "/path/to/selected/item"

Usage

From Explorer

1. Right-click on a file or folder
2. Select "Actions For VSCode..."
3. Choose the action to execute

From Source Control

1. Right-click on a changed file in the Source Control view
2. Select "Actions For VSCode..."
3. Choose the action

From Editor

1. Right-click in an open file
2. Select "Actions For VSCode..."
3. Choose the action

Settings

Command Timeout

Configure maximum execution time for commands:

{
  "actionsForVscode.commandTimeout": 30000
}

Value in milliseconds. Default: 30000 (30 seconds).

Example Use Cases

Git Operations

{
  "id": "gitBlame",
  "label": "Git Blame",
  "command": "git blame {path}",
  "cwd": "{dir}",
  "contexts": ["explorer"],
  "icon": "git-commit"
}

Build Commands

{
  "id": "npmBuild",
  "label": "NPM Build",
  "command": "npm run build",
  "cwd": "{workspace}",
  "contexts": ["explorer"],
  "icon": "tools"
}

File Operations

{
  "id": "duplicateFile",
  "label": "Duplicate File",
  "command": "cp {path} {path}.copy",
  "cwd": "{dir}",
  "contexts": ["explorer"],
  "icon": "files"
}

Custom Scripts

{
  "id": "runCustomScript",
  "label": "Run Script",
  "command": "/home/user/scripts/process.sh {path}",
  "cwd": "{workspace}",
  "contexts": ["explorer"]
}

Multiple File Operations

{
  "id": "compressFiles",
  "label": "Compress Selected",
  "command": "tar -czf archive.tar.gz {files}",
  "cwd": "{dir}",
  "contexts": ["explorer"],
  "icon": "archive"
}

Troubleshooting

Commands Not Appearing

• Verify enabled: true is set (or omitted, as it defaults to true)
• Check the contexts array includes the correct context
• Reload VS Code: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window"

Command Execution Fails

• Open Developer Console: Help → Toggle Developer Tools → Console tab
• Look for [actionId] prefixed messages showing command and working directory
• Verify the command exists in your system PATH
• Test the command manually in a terminal from the same working directory

Working Directory Issues

• Check Developer Console for resolved paths
• For folders, omit cwd or use {dir} for parent directory
• Avoid using {path} in cwd for files
• Verify workspace vs user settings (workspace settings override user settings)

Visual Settings Manager Issues

• If the manager doesn't open, reload VS Code
• Check Developer Console for JavaScript errors
• Verify the extension is activated

Development

Setup

npm install

Compile

npm run compile

Watch Mode

npm run watch

Package

npm run package

Debug

Press F5 in VS Code to launch Extension Development Host.

View Logs

1. Open Developer Tools: Help → Toggle Developer Tools
2. Go to Console tab
3. Filter by extension name or action ID

Requirements

• VS Code 1.80.0 or higher
• Node.js 18+ (20+ recommended for packaging)
• Commands must be available in system PATH

Security

This extension executes system commands based on user configuration. Only configure commands you trust and understand.

Related Projects

Actions for Nautilus provides similar functionality for the GNOME Files (Nautilus) file manager.

License

Apache-2.0