Extension vscode-entr for Visual Studio Code

An extension for Visual Studio Code that triggers existing tasks based on file system changes.

Heavily inspired by the entr command line tool and File Watcher extension, this extension aims to provide a simple way to trigger Visual Studio Code tasks.

You can download the extension from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace or from Open VSX Registry.

Usage

Configuration (Triggering Tasks)

1. Follow the official guide to create a tasks.json file.

2. Add a task to the tasks.json file. For example:

   // .vscode/tasks.json
   {
       "version": "2.0.0",
       "tasks": [
           // 👉 This is the target task to trigger on file changes
           {
               "type": "process",
               "command": "echo Hello World!",
               "label": "echo",
               "problemMatcher": []
           },
           // 👇 This is the task that triggers your target task
           {
               // ////////////////////
               // Built-in Fields:
               "label": "entr: echo",
               "problemMatcher": [],
   
               // ////////////////////
               // Required Fields:
               "type": "entr", // Constant value
               "targetTask": "echo", // 👈 Important!
   
               // ////////////////////
               // Optional Fields:
               "files": [
                   "src/*.*"
               ],
               // Whether to ignore types of events
               "ignoreCreateEvents": false,
               "ignoreChangeEvents": false,
               "ignoreDeleteEvents": false,
               // Whether to ignore folder level events
               "onlyFiles": false,
               // The time to wait in milliseconds
               // before running the task after any file
               // system change is triggered
               "pauseMsBeforeRun": 100,
           },
           // 👇 This is the same task that triggers your target task
           // But simplified with default values
           {
               "label": "entr: echo (simple)",
               "type": "entr",
               "targetTask": "echo"
           }
       ]
   }
   

3. Modify any file in your workspace. You should see the echo task being re-triggered.

Known Issues

There is a known issue where modifying any files under .vscode folder triggers your task 3 times. This is a known issue and is being worked on.

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.