Task Explorer (Preview)

Download for VS Code

Task Explorer is a VS Code extension that surfaces your defined tasks in a dedicated sidebar view so you can browse and run them quickly.

What's New in 0.0.6

• Configurable custom icons for task types and name groups via tasker.icons
• Task tooltip now shows the last execution timestamp after a run
• Documentation refreshed for configuration options and examples

Features

• Sidebar view showing available VS Code tasks grouped by type (npm, shell, PowerShell, etc.)
• Inline hover actions on each task: run/stop (state-aware) and edit (opens tasks.json)
• Command palette actions to refresh the list and run/stop/edit a task
• Last Execution Time: Hover over any task to see exactly when it was last run in the tooltip
• Bundled with webpack for fast activation and small packages

Getting Started

1. Install dependencies

npm install

2. Build the extension (bundled output in dist)

npm run compile

3. Launch the Extension Host (F5) using the provided launch config.

Configuration

Custom Icons

You can customize icons for specific task types or groups using the tasker.icons setting. Map the task type (e.g., npm, shell) or group name to a valid Codicon ID. You can find the list of available icons here.

Example configuration in settings.json:

"tasker.icons": {
  "npm": "beaker",
  "shell": "terminal-bash",
  "build": "tools"
}

Other Settings

• tasker.groupTasksByName: Group tasks by name prefix (default: true).
• tasker.groupSeparator: Separator for task grouping (default: _).
• tasker.defaultFolderState: Default state for task groups (expanded or collapsed).
• tasker.exclude: List of task types to exclude.

Commands & Views

• View: Task Explorer (Activity Bar)
• Commands:
  • Task Explorer: Refresh
  • Task Explorer: Run Task (shows as a run button when stopped)
  • Task Explorer: Stop Task (shows as a stop button when running)
  • Task Explorer: Edit Task (opens .vscode/tasks.json)

Testing

npm test

Runs a minimal test suite via @vscode/test-electron.

Packaging

npm run package

Produces a .vsix using the webpack bundle.

Credits

I, as many, have been using the excellent Task Explorer by Scott Meesseman but unfortunately the extension recently stopped working (independently from the switch to trial/paid version), so I decided to fill the gap with this small exercise, born more for my own convenience that I hope will also help someone else out there.