Todo.txt VS Code Extension

A VS Code extension that provides syntax highlighting and formatting for todo.txt files.

Features

🎨 Syntax Highlighting: Beautiful color coding for different todo.txt elements
✅ Completed Tasks: Completed tasks (x 2024-01-15 Task) appear in green with strikethrough
🎯 Priority Support: Priority levels (A), (B), etc. highlighted in red
📅 Date Recognition: ISO dates highlighted in purple
🏷️ Projects & Contexts: Projects +project in blue, contexts @context in orange
💡 Auto-completion: Smart suggestions for priorities, dates, and completion markers
⌨️ Commands: Toggle task completion and add priorities

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace (Coming Soon)

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "Todo.txt"
Click "Install"

From VSIX File

Download the .vsix file from Releases
Open VS Code
Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac)
Type "Extensions: Install from VSIX"
Select the downloaded .vsix file

Usage

Todo.txt Format Support

The extension recognizes the standard todo.txt format:

Basic Tasks

Call Mom
Buy groceries

Completed Tasks (Green + Strikethrough)

x 2024-01-15 Call Mom
x 2024-01-14 Buy groceries

Priority Tasks (Red + Bold)

(A) Important meeting
(B) Less urgent task
(C) Low priority item

Projects and Contexts

Call Mom +family @home
Buy groceries +household @store

Dates and Key-Value Pairs

2024-01-15 Call Mom +family due:2024-01-16
x 2024-01-14 Buy groceries +household @store

Commands & Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts

Toggle Task Completion: Alt+Shift+T (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+T (Mac)
- Toggles x YYYY-MM-DD prefix on current line
- Works in reverse: removes completion if already completed
Move Completed Tasks to done.txt: Alt+Shift+D (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+D (Mac)
- Finds all completed tasks (lines starting with x)
- Moves them to configurable done file (default: done.txt) in the same directory
- Creates done file if it doesn't exist
- Removes completed tasks from current file

Command Palette Commands

Add Priority: Ctrl+Shift+P then search "Add Priority"
- Shows quick-pick menu to select priority (A-F)
- Inserts (A) format at cursor position

Configuration

The extension is fully configurable through VS Code settings. Access via:

File > Preferences > Settings (Windows/Linux)
Code > Preferences > Settings (Mac)
Search for "todotxt"

Available Settings

{
  "todotxt.toggleCompletionKey": "alt+shift+t",
  "todotxt.toggleCompletionKeyMac": "cmd+shift+t",
  "todotxt.moveCompletedKey": "alt+shift+d",
  "todotxt.moveCompletedKeyMac": "cmd+shift+d",
  "todotxt.doneFileName": "done.txt",
  "todotxt.autoSave": false
}

Setting Descriptions

toggleCompletionKey: Keyboard shortcut for Windows/Linux (default: alt+shift+t)
toggleCompletionKeyMac: Keyboard shortcut for Mac (default: cmd+shift+t)
moveCompletedKey: Archive shortcut for Windows/Linux (default: alt+shift+d)
moveCompletedKeyMac: Archive shortcut for Mac (default: cmd+shift+d)
doneFileName: Name of archive file (default: done.txt)
autoSave: Automatically save after toggling completion (default: false)

Custom Key Bindings

You can override the default shortcuts in your keybindings.json:

[
  {
    "key": "ctrl+enter",
    "command": "todotxt.toggleCompletion",
    "when": "editorTextFocus && resourceExtname == '.todo.txt'"
  }
]

Color Scheme

✅ Completed tasks: Green with strikethrough
🔴 Priorities: Red and bold
🔵 Projects (+project): Blue and bold
🟡 Contexts (@context): Orange and italic
🟣 Dates: Purple
🔷 Key-value pairs: Cyan for keys, green for values
💬 Comments (#comment): Gray and italic

File Associations

The extension automatically activates for:

.todo.txt files
.todotxt files

Troubleshooting

Strikethrough not showing?

Reload window: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window"
Check language mode: Bottom-right corner should show "Todo.txt"
Theme compatibility: Some themes may override strikethrough styling
Manual activation: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Change Language Mode" → "Todo.txt"

Note: If strikethrough doesn't appear immediately:

Try reloading VS Code window (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window")
Ensure you're using a compatible theme
Check that the file is recognized as todo.txt language (bottom-right corner of VS Code)

Shortcuts not working?

Check conflicts: Go to File > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts and search for conflicts
Customize bindings: Override in settings or keybindings.json
File context: Shortcuts only work in todo.txt files

Extension not activating?

File extension: Ensure file ends with .todo.txt, .todotxt, or is named todo.txt
Reload extension: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window"
Check installation: Extensions panel should show "Todo.txt Language Support" as enabled

Support

📖 Documentation
🐛 Report Issues

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

Report Issues: Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue
Submit Pull Requests: Fork the repository and submit your improvements
Share Feedback: Let us know how the extension works for you

Development

Development Setup

Prerequisites

Node.js (v16 or later)
npm
VS Code

Method 1: Build from Source

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Bootta11/todotxt-language.git
cd todotxt-vscode

Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Install VSCE globally (for packaging):
```
npm install -g vsce
```
Compile TypeScript:
```
npm run compile
```
Package the extension:
```
vsce package
```
Install in VS Code:
- Open VS Code
- Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac)
- Type "Extensions: Install from VSIX"
- Select the generated .vsix file

Method 2: Development Mode

Clone and setup (follow steps 1-4 from Method 1)
Open in VS Code:
```
code .
```
Test the extension:
- Press F5 in VS Code to launch Extension Development Host
- Create a new file with .todo.txt extension
- Start typing todo.txt formatted content

Project Structure

todotxt-extension/
├── package.json                    # Extension manifest
├── tsconfig.json                   # TypeScript configuration
├── src/
│   └── extension.ts               # Main extension logic
├── syntaxes/
│   └── todotxt.tmLanguage.json    # Syntax highlighting rules
├── themes/
│   └── todotxt-theme.json         # Color theme
└── language-configuration.json    # Language configuration

Making Changes

Edit syntax rules: Modify syntaxes/todotxt.tmLanguage.json
Update colors: Edit themes/todotxt-theme.json
Add functionality: Update src/extension.ts
Run compilation: npm run compile
Test changes: Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host

Continuous Integration & Deployment

This project uses GitHub Actions to automatically build and publish the extension on new commits to the main branch.

Setup Required Secrets

To enable automatic publishing, you need to add the following secrets to your GitHub repository:

Go to your repository settings: Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
Add the following repository secrets:
- OVSX_TOKEN: Your OpenVSX registry personal access token
  - Get it from: https://open-vsx.org/user-settings/tokens
  - This publishes to the OpenVSX registry (used by VSCodium and other VS Code alternatives)
- VSCE_TOKEN: Your Visual Studio Code Marketplace personal access token
  - Get it from: https://dev.azure.com/ → Personal Access Tokens
  - This publishes to the official VS Code Marketplace

How it works

On main branch commits: The extension is automatically published to both marketplaces (requires that version inside package.json is updated)

Manual Publishing

If you prefer to publish manually, you can use the npm scripts:

# Publish to OpenVSX Registry
npm run publish-ovsx

# Publish to VS Code Marketplace
npm run publish-vsix

# Publish to both
npm run publish

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

What this means:

✅ Commercial use allowed
✅ Modification allowed
✅ Distribution allowed
✅ Private use allowed
❗ License and copyright notice must be included
❗ No warranty provided

Made with ❤️ for the todo.txt community

Todo.txt Syntax & Task Management

bootta11