Workspace Manager for VS Code

A powerful workspace manager extension for Visual Studio Code that helps you easily access and manage multiple projects. This extension solves common pain points of existing workspace managers by providing advanced features like terminal integration, session management, and keyboard shortcuts.

Features

Core Features

• Easy Project Management: Add, edit, and delete projects with custom names, descriptions, and tags
• Multiple Opening Options: Open projects in current window, new window, or terminal only
• Flexible Storage: Save projects to any JSON file location you prefer
• Smart Organization: Sort projects by name, path, or recency
• Status Bar Integration: See current project at a glance in the status bar

Advanced Features

• Terminal Integration: Open projects directly in integrated or external terminals
• Terminal Session Management: Save and restore terminal sessions per project
• Multiple Terminals: Create and manage multiple terminals for each project
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Assign custom keyboard shortcuts to frequently accessed projects
• Project Tags: Organize projects with custom tags
• Project Descriptions: Add descriptions to better organize your projects
• Quick Access: Use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+P) to quickly open projects

User Interface

• Activity Bar View: Access projects directly from the activity bar
• Side Bar View: Full project management in the sidebar
• Status Bar Indicator: Always know which project is active
• Quick Pick Menu: Fast project selection with search

Installation

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

Or install from command line:

code --install-extension vscode-workspace-manager

Getting Started

Adding Your First Project

1. Click on the Workspace Manager icon in the Activity Bar (sidebar)
2. Click the + button (Add Project)
3. Select your project folder
4. Enter a name for your project
5. Optionally add description, tags, and keyboard shortcut
6. Click to confirm

Opening Projects

There are multiple ways to open your projects:

From the Tree View:

• Right-click on a project for options:
  • Open Project (current window)
  • Open in New Window
  • Open in Terminal
  • Open in External Terminal

Using Keyboard Shortcuts:

• Ctrl+Alt+P (Cmd+Alt+P on Mac): Quick Open Project
• Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P (Cmd+Alt+Shift+P on Mac): Quick Open in New Window
• Or use custom shortcuts you've assigned to projects

From Status Bar:

• Click the project name in the status bar to quickly switch projects

Managing Projects

Edit a Project:

• Right-click on a project → Edit Project
• Modify name, description, tags, or keyboard shortcut

Delete a Project:

• Right-click on a project → Delete Project
• Confirm the deletion

Organize with Tags:

• Add tags when creating or editing projects (e.g., "work", "personal", "javascript")
• Tags are displayed in the project list for easy identification

Terminal Management

Open in Terminal:

• Right-click project → Open in Terminal
• Creates a new terminal at the project root

Create Multiple Terminals:

• Command Palette → "Create New Terminal"
• Or use the terminal menu to create additional terminals

Save Terminal Sessions:

• Command Palette → "Save Terminal Sessions"
• Saves open terminals and their commands

Restore Terminal Sessions:

• Sessions are automatically restored when opening a project (if enabled in settings)

Configuration

Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for "Workspace Manager":

Settings

Setting Custom Projects File Location

By default, projects are saved in VS Code's global storage. To use a custom location:

1. Command Palette → "Set Projects File Location"
2. Select a folder or specify a JSON file path
3. Reload VS Code

This is useful for:

• Sharing projects across multiple VS Code installations
• Storing in a cloud-synced folder
• Version controlling your project list

Projects File Format

The extension stores projects in a JSON file. Here's an example:

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "projects": [
    {
      "id": "proj_1234567890_abc123",
      "name": "My Web App",
      "rootPath": "/home/user/projects/webapp",
      "description": "React application with Node.js backend",
      "enabled": true,
      "tags": ["work", "javascript", "react"],
      "keyboardShortcut": "ctrl+alt+1",
      "lastOpened": 1703275200000,
      "terminalSessions": [
        {
          "id": "term_1234567890",
          "name": "Backend Server",
          "cwd": "/home/user/projects/webapp",
          "commands": ["npm start"]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lastUpdated": 1703275200000
}

You can manually edit this file to:

• Bulk add projects
• Import projects from other tools
• Back up your project list
• Share with team members

Keyboard Shortcuts

Commands

All commands are available in the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

• Workspace Manager: Add Project - Add a new project
• Workspace Manager: Edit Project - Edit selected project
• Workspace Manager: Delete Project - Delete selected project
• Workspace Manager: Quick Open Project - Quick open with picker
• Workspace Manager: Quick Open in New Window - Quick open in new window
• Workspace Manager: Open in Terminal - Open project in integrated terminal
• Workspace Manager: Open in External Terminal - Open in external terminal
• Workspace Manager: Save Terminal Sessions - Save terminal sessions
• Workspace Manager: Restore Terminal Sessions - Restore terminal sessions
• Workspace Manager: Create New Terminal - Create a new terminal for current project
• Workspace Manager: Set Projects File Location - Change projects.json location
• Workspace Manager: Open Projects JSON File - Open projects file for editing

Troubleshooting

Projects not appearing

• Check that the projects file path is correct in settings
• Ensure projects are "enabled" (can be edited to enable/disable)
• Try refreshing the projects view

Terminal sessions not restoring

• Check that "Restore Terminal Sessions" is enabled in settings
• Ensure terminal sessions were saved before closing VS Code
• Check the projects.json file for terminal session data

Status bar not showing project

• Enable "Show Project Name in Status Bar" in settings
• Ensure you have a workspace/folder open in VS Code

What's New

Version 1.0.0

• Initial release
• Full project management (add, edit, delete)
• Multiple opening options (current window, new window, terminal)
• Terminal session management
• Keyboard shortcut support
• Project tags and descriptions
• Status bar integration
• Custom projects file location
• Sorting options (name, path, recent)

Compared to Other Extensions

This extension addresses common issues found in existing workspace managers:

vscode-project-manager Issues Solved:

• ✅ Easier terminal-only project opening
• ✅ Better terminal session management
• ✅ Custom keyboard shortcuts per project
• ✅ More flexible storage options
• ✅ Improved project organization with tags and descriptions

Other Improvements:

• ✅ Cleaner UI with Activity Bar integration
• ✅ Better status bar integration
• ✅ More intuitive project opening options
• ✅ Enhanced terminal support

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

If you encounter any issues or have feature requests, please:

• Report issues on GitHub
• Check the documentation
• Review the projects.json file for errors

Credits

Created to improve project management workflow in VS Code.