Gradle Tasks Visualizer - VS Code Extension

A Visual Studio Code and Cursor extension for viewing and executing Gradle tasks in an organized list view.

Features

• 📋 Task List - Organized list of all Gradle tasks grouped by category
• 🎯 Task Execution - Run tasks directly from the list
• ✅ Result Tracking - Visual feedback showing task execution results (success/failure)
• 📊 Execution Output - View task output and execution status in expandable sections
• ⚡ Real-time Updates - See task execution status in real-time

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

1. Open VS Code or Cursor
2. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Gradle Tasks Visualizer"
4. Click Install

From Source (Development)

1. Clone this repository
2. Run npm install to install dependencies
3. Run npm run compile to build the extension
4. Press F5 to open a new Extension Development Host window
5. The extension will be loaded in the new window

Note: This extension requires Gradle to be installed and available in your system PATH, or a Gradle wrapper (gradlew or gradlew.bat) in your project root.

Usage

1. Open a Gradle project in VS Code or Cursor
2. Open Gradle Tasks Visualizer using one of these methods:
   • Command Palette: Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac) and type "Gradle Tasks: Open Gradle Tasks Visualizer"
   • Context Menu: Right-click on build.gradle or build.gradle.kts in the Explorer panel and select "Open Gradle Tasks Visualizer"
3. The tasks panel will open showing all your Gradle tasks organized by group
4. Use the toolbar buttons:
   • Refresh: Reload tasks from your Gradle project
   • Run Task: Execute the selected task (select a task first by clicking on it)
5. Click "Run" on any task to execute it - an output section will appear showing execution status and results
6. Click on group headers to expand/collapse task groups

Configuration

The extension can be configured through VS Code settings:

• gradleTasks.gradleCommand: The Gradle command to use (default: "gradle")
  • Examples: "gradle", "./gradlew", "gradlew.bat"
• gradleTasks.gradleWrapper: Whether to use Gradle wrapper if available (default: true)

To configure, go to Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for "Gradle Tasks".

Commands

• Gradle Tasks: Open Gradle Tasks Visualizer - Opens the tasks panel

Note: Other actions like refreshing tasks and running tasks are available through the UI buttons within the tasks panel, not as separate commands.

Features in Detail

Task List

Tasks are displayed in a grouped list, with:

• Grouping: Tasks are organized by their Gradle task groups (Build, Verification, Documentation, etc.)
• Collapsible Groups: Click on group headers to expand or collapse task groups
• Status Indicators:
  • Gray: Pending (not yet executed)
  • Green: Successfully executed
  • Red: Failed execution
  • Blue (pulsing): Currently running
• Task Information: Each task shows its name, description, and current status

Task Execution

• Click on any task to select it, or click the "Run" button directly on a task
• When you run a task, an output section appears below it showing:
  • Real-time execution status (Running/Completed/Failed)
  • Execution duration
  • Full task output
  • Error messages (if the task fails)
• The output section can be expanded or collapsed by clicking on its header
• Execution results are also displayed in VS Code notifications

Development

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio Code or Cursor
• Node.js and npm
• Gradle installed or Gradle wrapper in project

Setup

1. Clone this repository
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Build the extension:

   npm run compile
   

4. Press F5 to open a new Extension Development Host window

Building

# Compile the extension
npm run compile

# Watch for changes during development
npm run watch

# Package the extension (requires vsce)
npm run package

Icon Generation

The extension includes scripts to generate PNG icons from SVG:

# Generate both main icon and activity bar icon
npm run create-icons

# Or generate individually
npm run create-main-icon
npm run create-activity-icon

Note: Icon generation requires the canvas npm package and system dependencies. To install on Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install cairo-devel giflib-devel libjpeg-turbo-devel pango-devel
npm install canvas --save-dev

Alternatively, you can use the provided SVG icon (media/gradle-tasks-icon.svg) and convert it to PNG using other tools like Inkscape or online converters.

How It Works

1. The extension detects Gradle projects by looking for build.gradle or build.gradle.kts files
2. It executes gradle tasks --all to retrieve all available tasks
3. Tasks are parsed and organized by their Gradle task groups
4. Tasks are displayed in a grouped list view
5. When a task is executed, the extension runs gradle <taskName> and tracks the result
6. Results are displayed in the task's output section with status indicators and full output

Limitations

• Task execution output is shown in the expandable output sections; full output can also be viewed in the terminal
• Very large projects with many tasks may require scrolling through the list

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

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

Support

If you encounter any issues or have feature requests, please open an issue on GitHub.

Support Me

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