Workspace To-do's

A VS Code extension to manage workspace-specific to-do lists directly in your editor. Organize tasks, track progress, and associate files with your todos.

Features

• Workspace-Specific: Todos are stored per workspace in .vscode/todos.json
• Sidebar View: Access your todos from the activity bar sidebar
• Rich Editor: Monaco editor with Markdown support for detailed notes
• File Associations: Link files from your workspace to todos
• Subtasks: Break down todos into smaller subtasks with completion tracking
• Context Menu Integration: Add files or selected text to todos from Explorer and Editor
• Quick Actions: Toggle completion, edit, and delete todos directly from the sidebar
• Organized View: Todos are grouped into "Active" and "Completed" sections

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Quick Start
• Usage
  • Sidebar View
  • Creating Todos
  • Editing Todos
  • Managing Files
  • Subtasks
  • Context Menu Actions
• Commands
• Data Storage
• Requirements
• Troubleshooting
• FAQ
• Contributing
• Support
• License

Installation

Via VS Code Extensions Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Workspace To-do's"
4. Click Install

Via Command Line (VS Code)

For Visual Studio Code (Microsoft Marketplace):

code --install-extension tarikkavaz.workspace-todos

Via Open VSX Registry

For VSCodium or other VS Code forks using Open VSX Registry:

codium --install-extension tarikkavaz.workspace-todos

Or using the ovsx CLI tool:

ovsx install tarikkavaz.workspace-todos

You can also install directly from the Open VSX Registry in the Extensions view.

Quick Start

1. Open a workspace folder in VS Code
2. Click the "Workspace To-do's" icon in the activity bar (left sidebar)
3. Click the + button to create your first todo
4. Enter a title and optional notes
5. Click "Save"

Your todos are automatically saved to .vscode/todos.json in your workspace.

Usage

Sidebar View

The extension adds a new view to the activity bar sidebar. Click the "Workspace To-do's" icon to see:

• Active To-do's: Todos that are not yet completed
• Completed To-do's: Todos that have been marked as complete

Each todo shows:

• Title (or first line of notes if no title)
• Completion status
• Number of associated files (if any)

Creating Todos

1. Click the + button in the sidebar view title bar, or
2. Use the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and select "Workspace To-do's: Add To-Do"

In the editor panel:

• Enter a Title (required)
• Add Notes using the Markdown editor (optional)
• Add Subtasks by typing and clicking "Add" (optional)
• Associate Files by clicking "+ Add File" (optional)
• Click Save to create the todo

Editing Todos

• Click on any todo in the sidebar to open it in the editor
• Or right-click a todo and select "Edit"
• Make your changes and click "Save"

Managing Files

Adding Files:

• Click "+ Add File" in the todo editor to browse and select files
• Or right-click a file in Explorer and select:
  • "Add File to To-Do - Existing" to add to an existing todo
  • "Add File to To-Do - Create new" to create a new todo with that file

Opening Files:

• Click on any file name in the todo editor to open it in VS Code

Removing Files:

• Click the × button next to a file in the todo editor

Subtasks

Break down your todos into smaller, trackable subtasks:

1. In the todo editor, type a subtask in the input field
2. Click "Add" or press Enter
3. Check off subtasks as you complete them
4. Remove subtasks by clicking the × button

Context Menu Actions

From Explorer (File Context Menu):

• Add File to To-Do - Existing: Add the selected file(s) to an existing todo
• Add File to To-Do - Create new: Create a new todo with the selected file(s)

From Editor (Text Selection):

• Add Text to To-Do - Existing: Add the selected text to an existing todo's notes
• Add Text to To-Do - Create new: Create a new todo with the selected text

When adding text, the extension automatically:

• Includes the file path and line number
• Formats the text in a code block
• Adds the file to the todo's associated files

Commands

All commands are available via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

• Workspace To-do's: Add To-Do - Create a new todo
• Workspace To-do's: Refresh - Refresh the sidebar view
• Workspace To-do's: Edit - Edit the selected todo (context menu)
• Workspace To-do's: Toggle Complete - Mark todo as complete/incomplete (context menu)
• Workspace To-do's: Delete - Delete the selected todo (context menu)
• Workspace To-do's: Add File to To-Do - Existing - Add file to existing todo (Explorer context)
• Workspace To-do's: Add File to To-Do - Create new - Create todo with file (Explorer context)
• Workspace To-do's: Add Text to To-Do - Existing - Add text to existing todo (Editor context)
• Workspace To-do's: Add Text to To-Do - Create new - Create todo with text (Editor context)

Data Storage

Todos are stored in .vscode/todos.json in your workspace root. This file is created automatically when you create your first todo.

File Location: .vscode/todos.json

File Format:

{
  "todos": [
    {
      "id": "unique-id",
      "title": "Todo title",
      "notes": "Markdown notes",
      "completed": false,
      "files": ["relative/path/to/file.js"],
      "subtasks": [
        {
          "text": "Subtask description",
          "completed": false
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Note: The .vscode folder is typically excluded from version control, so your todos remain local to your workspace. If you want to share todos with your team, you can commit .vscode/todos.json to your repository.

Requirements

• VS Code 1.60.0 or higher

Troubleshooting

Todos Not Appearing

Problem: The sidebar shows "No To-Dos yet" but you know todos exist.

Solutions:

• Click the refresh button (circular arrow icon) in the sidebar
• Check that you have a workspace folder open (not just files)
• Verify that .vscode/todos.json exists and contains valid JSON
• Check the Output panel (View → Output → select "Workspace Todos" from dropdown) for errors

Cannot Create Todo

Problem: Error when trying to create a todo.

Solutions:

• Ensure you have a workspace folder open (not just individual files)
• Check that you have write permissions in the workspace directory
• Verify that .vscode directory can be created (check permissions)

Files Not Opening

Problem: Clicking on a file in the todo editor doesn't open it.

Solutions:

• Verify the file path is correct and relative to the workspace root
• Check that the file still exists at that location
• Ensure the workspace folder hasn't changed

Monaco Editor Not Loading

Problem: The notes editor shows a plain textarea instead of Monaco editor.

Solutions:

• This is a fallback behavior - the extension will still work with the textarea
• Try reloading the VS Code window (Ctrl+R / Cmd+R)
• Check that node_modules/monaco-editor exists (run pnpm install if needed)

Context Menu Items Not Appearing

Problem: Right-click context menu options are missing.

Solutions:

• Reload the VS Code window (Ctrl+R / Cmd+R or Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window")
• Verify the extension is installed and enabled
• For file context menu: Right-click on a file in Explorer (not a folder)
• For text context menu: Select text in an editor first

FAQ

Can I use this extension without a workspace folder?

No, the extension requires a workspace folder to be open because todos are stored per workspace in .vscode/todos.json.

Are todos synced across machines?

No, todos are stored locally in your workspace. If you use VS Code Settings Sync, you can optionally include .vscode/todos.json in your sync settings, or commit it to your repository to share with your team.

Can I export my todos?

Yes, you can copy the contents of .vscode/todos.json to export your todos. The file uses a simple JSON format that's easy to parse.

How do I delete all todos?

You can delete the .vscode/todos.json file, or delete individual todos using the context menu in the sidebar.

Can I use Markdown in notes?

Yes! The notes field uses Monaco Editor with Markdown support, so you can use full Markdown syntax including code blocks, links, lists, etc.

Do subtasks sync with the main todo completion status?

No, subtasks are independent. You can have a todo with some completed and some incomplete subtasks. The main todo completion status is separate.

What happens if I delete a file that's associated with a todo?

The file path will remain in the todo's file list, but clicking it will show an error. You can manually remove it from the todo editor.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

1. Fork the repository and create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
2. Make your changes following the existing code style
3. Test your changes thoroughly
4. Commit your changes with clear commit messages (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
5. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
6. Open a Pull Request

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies: pnpm install
3. Open the folder in VS Code
4. Press F5 to open a new Extension Development Host window
5. Make changes and test in the development window

Reporting Bugs

Please use the GitHub Issues page to report bugs. Include:

• VS Code version
• Operating system
• Extension version
• Steps to reproduce
• Expected vs actual behavior
• Any error messages from the Output panel

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Repository: GitHub Repository
• VS Code Marketplace: Extension Page

If you find this extension helpful, please consider giving it a star on GitHub!

License

MIT