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Auto Themer

Assign and apply theme-based or status-bar-based distinction per VS Code window/workspace. Supports persisting mappings by workspace path.

• (autoThemer.conflictResolution=theme):

  

• (autoThemer.conflictResolution=statusBar):

  

Features

• Distinguish windows by theme or status bar: in multi-window scenarios, automatically assigns a distinct theme or a distinct status bar color+label per window
• Persistent workspace mappings: define "workspace path → theme" via autoThemer.themeMappingsText; define "workspace path → status bar label" via autoThemer.statusBarMappingsText
• Simple sidebar: quick theme selection, persist current theme, view and edit mappings, pick status bar scheme, persist status bar label, cycle next status bar scheme

Usage

• In settings, configure autoThemer.windowsThreshold; auto assignment only runs when the number of open windows is greater than this threshold
• Set autoThemer.conflictResolution to theme or statusBar to choose your distinction strategy
• Use the sidebar panel for common actions: switch theme, pick status bar scheme, persist current theme mapping, persist status bar label mapping
• When a workspace opens in a new window, the extension applies the mapped theme or status bar settings into .vscode/settings.json; when switching workspaces or closing the window, it resets workbench.colorTheme to avoid carryover

Sidebar Actions

• Select Theme: choose the current window's theme
• Random Theme: assign a random theme to the current window
• Reassign Theme: reassign a unique theme to the current window
• Persist Theme: persist the current window's theme mapping
• Show Mappings: view workspace ↔ theme mappings
• Pick Status Bar Scheme: choose the bottom status bar color scheme (built-in list)
• Persist Status Bar Label: persist a label mapping for the bottom status bar
• Next Status Bar Scheme: cycle to the next built-in status bar scheme

How It Works

• Multi-window instance tracking: all VS Code windows coordinate using a shared global storage directory under context.globalStorageUri.fsPath/instances (macOS example: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage)
• Theme application: writes workbench.colorTheme in the workspace's .vscode/settings.json; the value is removed when the window/workspace closes

Flow:

1. Delayed initialization on startup; scan and track active window instances
2. If a workspace is open and a persisted mapping exists, apply the mapped theme (highest priority)
3. If no mapping and multiple windows are detected, assign a unique theme or status bar scheme
4. Event-driven detection of theme conflicts, with real-time notifications in the sidebar notifications
5. On window close or workspace removal, reset the workspace .vscode/settings.json workbench.colorTheme to avoid residual temporary settings

Configuration

Configure in VS Code settings:

{
  "autoThemer.enabled": true,
  "autoThemer.conflictResolution": "theme",
  "autoThemer.windowsThreshold": 2,
  "autoThemer.builtinThemes": [],
  "autoThemer.themeMappingsText": "/my/pro-dev: Kimbie Dark; /easy/hc: Kimbie Dark",
  "autoThemer.statusBarMappingsText": "/my/pro-dev: Custom Label; /easy/hc: Custom Project"
}

Notes:

• themeMappingsText uses a semicolon-separated path: Theme string; parsed in-memory as the workspace → theme mapping
• statusBarMappingsText uses a semicolon-separated path: Label string; parsed in-memory as the workspace → status bar label mapping

Development

1. npm install
2. npm run compile
3. Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host

License

MIT License