Niobium Runner

Overview

Niobium Runner is a powerful VS Code extension that provides a configurable command runner using .niobium.yml configuration files. It enables developers to define, organize, and execute commands directly from the IDE, streamlining development workflows.

Features

• Command Execution: Run individual commands, stages, or sequences defined in your .niobium.yml file
• Docker Integration: Manage Docker containers directly from VS Code
• File Watchers: Set up watchers to trigger commands when files change
• Custom Dashboard: Visualize and manage your project's commands in a dedicated sidebar
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Configurable shortcuts for frequently used commands

Installation

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Niobium Runner"
4. Click Install

Getting Started

1. Create a .niobium.yml file in your project root
2. Define your commands, stages, and sequences in the YAML file
3. Access the Niobium dashboard from the sidebar to run your commands

Configuration

Create a .niobium.yml file in your project with a structure like this:

commands:
  - name: hello
    description: Print a hello message
    command: echo "Hello, World!"

  - name: list-files
    description: List files in the current directory
    command: ls -la

# Define stages
stages:
  - name: basic-stage
    description: A basic stage with multiple commands
    commands:
      - hello
      - list-files

# Define sequences
sequences:
  - name: basic-sequence
    description: A basic sequence with one stage
    stages:
      - basic-stage

Command Palette

Niobium Runner adds several commands to the VS Code command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

• Niobium: Run Command - Execute a specific command
• Niobium: Run Stage - Execute a group of commands
• Niobium: Run Sequence - Execute a sequence of stages
• Niobium: Show Dashboard - Open the Niobium dashboard
• Niobium: Show Runner - Open the command runner interface

Docker Integration

Manage Docker containers directly from VS Code:

• Start, stop, and remove containers
• View container logs
• Add new Docker containers

File Watchers

Set up file watchers to automatically trigger commands when specific files change:

1. Navigate to the File Watchers view in the Niobium sidebar
2. Configure patterns and associated commands
3. Toggle watchers on/off as needed

Keyboard Shortcuts

Customize keyboard shortcuts for your most frequently used commands:

1. Access keyboard shortcuts settings in VS Code
2. Search for "Niobium" commands
3. Assign your preferred key combinations

Support

If you encounter any issues or have feature requests, please submit them on our GitHub repository.

Troubleshooting

Docker Socket Path on macOS

When using Docker containers on macOS (with either Docker Desktop or Rancher Desktop), the Docker socket path is typically located at $HOME/.docker/run/docker.sock or $HOME/.docker/desktop/docker.sock instead of the default /var/run/docker.sock. This can cause issues when containers need to access the Docker daemon.

Niobium Runner automatically detects the correct Docker socket path on macOS. However, for explicit configuration:

1. For containers that need Docker access, specify the correct socket path in your .niobium.yml:

volumes:
  - source: /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.docker/run/docker.sock  # For Rancher Desktop
    target: /var/run/docker.sock

Or for Docker Desktop:

volumes:
  - source: /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.docker/desktop/docker.sock  # For Docker Desktop
    target: /var/run/docker.sock

2. For Docker socket-dependent tools (like Checkov), include both the mount and flag:

commands:
  - name: checkov
    description: Run Checkov to scan for security issues
    image: bridgecrew/checkov
    image_tag: latest
    command: --directory /src --docker-socket /var/run/docker.sock --output json
    volumes:
      - source: .
        target: /src
      - source: /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.docker/run/docker.sock  # Or the correct path for your Docker installation
        target: /var/run/docker.sock

The first time you run a container with Niobium Runner, the correct socket path will be detected and logged to help with future configurations.

License

This extension is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.