Side Launcher

A VSCode extension that adds a command launcher to the sidebar. Easily run your frequently used commands.

Features

• Sidebar Launcher: Display command execution buttons in the VSCode sidebar
• Custom Command Configuration: Define commands via VSCode settings or an external JSON file
• Execution Mode Selection: Choose between child_process or VSCode terminal execution
• Workspace Integration: Access project paths using $VSCODE_WORKSPACE_ROOT and $WORKSPACE_ROOT environment variables
• File Integration: Access current file info via $CURRENT_FILE_ABSOLUTE_PATH and $CURRENT_FILE_RELATIVE_PATH
• Real-time Output: View command results in real time
• Error Debugging: Identify error causes with stack trace display

Command Configuration

VSCode Settings

Add the following to your settings.json:

{
  "sideLauncher.tasks": [
    {
      "label": "Run Tests",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "cd $WORKSPACE_ROOT && npm test"
    },
    {
      "label": "Build (Run in VSCode Terminal)",
      "type": "shellOnVSCode",
      "command": "cd $WORKSPACE_ROOT && npm run build"
    },
    {
      "label": "Git Add Current File",
      "type": "shellOnVSCode",
      "command": "git add $CURRENT_FILE_RELATIVE_PATH"
    }
  ]
}

External JSON File

You can also configure tasks in ${HOME}/.config/vscode-side-launcher/tasks.json:

[
  {
    "label": "Git Status (Run in Terminal)",
    "type": "shellOnVSCode",
    "command": "cd $VSCODE_WORKSPACE_ROOT && git status"
  },
  {
    "label": "Project Info",
    "type": "shell",
    "command": "ls -la $WORKSPACE_ROOT"
  },
  {
    "label": "Show Current File Path",
    "type": "shell",
    "command": "echo \"Absolute: $CURRENT_FILE_ABSOLUTE_PATH\" && echo \"Relative: $CURRENT_FILE_RELATIVE_PATH\""
  }
]

Environment Variables

The following environment variables are available in commands:

• $VSCODE_WORKSPACE_ROOT: Root path of the workspace opened in VSCode
• $WORKSPACE_ROOT: Shorthand for the above
• $CURRENT_FILE_ABSOLUTE_PATH: Absolute path of the currently open file
• $CURRENT_FILE_RELATIVE_PATH: Relative path of the currently open file from the project root

Configuration

sideLauncher.tasks

An array of task definitions. Each task has the following properties:

• label (required): Display name of the command
• command (required): Command to execute
• type (optional): Command type
  • shell (default): Execute via child_process and display results in the sidebar
  • shellOnVSCode: Execute in the VSCode terminal

Installation

1. Clone this repository
2. Run npm install to install dependencies
3. Run npm run compile to compile
4. Press F5 to launch the extension in debug mode

Development

Version Management

npm run update-version

Automatically updates the version number based on the Git commit count.

Build

npm run compile

Test

npm test

Release Notes

0.1.x

• Task definition loading from VSCode settings and external JSON files
• Environment variables for workspace root path
• Stack trace display on errors
• Separated HTML/TS and dynamic button generation
• Version management system
• shellOnVSCode type for command execution in the VSCode terminal
• Environment variables for current file info (CURRENT_FILE_ABSOLUTE_PATH, CURRENT_FILE_RELATIVE_PATH)

License

MIT License