VideoKit for VS Code

GitHub repository

VideoKit for VS Code helps you understand and preview VideoKit media while writing Python. It reads the installed VideoKit package API for coding assistance and uses a temporary hover thumbnail plus an interactive preview panel for a video loaded with a literal path.

The extension is optional. The Python package works independently of VS Code. When published, its Marketplace identifier will be dharshanlastone-tech.videokit.

At a glance

Hover video preview

In a Python file, load a video using a string literal:

from videokit import Video

video = Video("media/scene.mp4")

Hover your mouse over the "media/scene.mp4" string. The hover shows a small representative thumbnail and actual media information from FFprobe. Select Open interactive video preview in the hover to open the temporary VideoKit Preview panel beside your code.

The panel provides:

• Play and pause controls.
• Current playback state such as Loading, Ready, Playing, Paused, or Buffering.
• The current time and total duration.
• A draggable seek bar. Drag or use the arrow keys to move through the video.
• The video's resolution and frame rate.

The panel uses VS Code's built-in webview video playback. It does not autoplay. Playback depends on the codecs supported by the installed VS Code runtime; H.264 MP4 is a good choice when a format cannot be played. Close the panel when you are done. Opening another hover preview reuses the panel for that video.

Why does hover need a click? VS Code hover popups are static documentation surfaces; they cannot contain a reliable interactive video player or draggable timeline. VideoKit uses the hover for the thumbnail and one-click launch, then opens a real player panel for smooth seeking and playback.

Supported path pattern and path resolution

The current preview recognizes a string path passed directly to the Video constructor, including an aliased import such as from videokit import Video as VKVideo followed by VKVideo("scene.mp4"). The Python helper uses the AST; it does not run or import the user's open script to discover paths.

Absolute paths are used directly. For relative paths, the extension first looks relative to the VS Code workspace folder, then relative to the Python file's folder. It displays a helpful preview-unavailable message if the file is missing or cannot be decoded. Dynamic paths such as Video(path_variable), paths built with joins, notebook cells, and multi-line path literals are not inferred by this first version.

The thumbnail is generated only when a path is hovered, is bounded to about 360 × 203 pixels, and is cached for the same document version and path line. The actual player reads the original local file on demand and only requests its metadata initially, rather than copying the full video into the extension.

Python coding help

Completions

After a known VideoKit value and a dot, completions list implemented methods and attributes for its inferred package type. API names and signatures are queried from the installed Python package, so the extension does not advertise an independently maintained list of methods.

Hover documentation

Hover over a recognized VideoKit method to see its signature and docstring from the package. Hover over a simple inferred variable to see the corresponding VideoKit class documentation. Media-path hovers show the video preview described above.

Signature help

As you type calls such as video.cut(, the extension displays the live signature, parameter documentation, and active parameter. Typing a comma moves the highlighted parameter.

Snippets

Python snippets are available for:

• Loading a video, cutting a section, and exporting it.
• Chaining supported clip edits.
• Building a timeline with a crossfade.
• Adding audio to a timeline.

Refreshing package information

Run VideoKit: Refresh Python API after changing the selected Python environment or upgrading VideoKit. The command clears cached API and preview information so it is read again on the next request.

Python environment and requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.85 or newer.
• VideoKit installed in the selected Python environment.
• FFmpeg and FFprobe on PATH to read media and generate hover thumbnails.
• The Microsoft Python extension is recommended; the extension otherwise falls back to python.defaultInterpreterPath, then python on PATH.

From the project checkout, choose the environment in VS Code and install the package into it:

python -m pip install -e .\python-package

When VideoKit is published, a normal python -m pip install videokit install will also be supported.

The extension communicates with the package by launching a short-lived Python helper and exchanging JSON over stdin/stdout. It does not execute the Python file being edited. Requests are cancellable, have a timeout, and the extension reports missing package or preview errors rather than silently pretending a preview succeeded.

Current limits

• The extension does not edit or export videos; use the Python package for that.
• A hover itself cannot host interactive playback, so the player is a separate webview panel opened from the hover.
• Video previews currently require a direct string literal in Video(...).
• Browser playback is limited by codecs supported by the VS Code runtime.
• There are no VideoKit-specific diagnostics, colour picker, animated hover, or automatic subject tracking yet.
• Python type inference is intentionally lightweight. It handles common assignments and method chains without executing the user's code; dynamic Python and complex control flow can be beyond its reach.
• Python's ordinary language features and diagnostics remain the responsibility of the Python extension.

Development

From this directory:

npm install
npm run compile

The project is licensed under MIT; the license text is included in the extension package as LICENSE.

Open the parent VideoKit workspace, choose Run VideoKit Extension, and try the hover preview in the Extension Development Host. The extension is version 0.1.0 and has not been published.