Extension Launcher

Launch configured commands for files by extension.

This extension is built with:

• TypeScript
• esbuild
• ESLint + Prettier
• Command contribution starter

Extension Launcher

This extension includes a command named Extension Launcher that lets you:

1. Pick a configured mapping (title + extension + command).
2. List files in the workspace that match that extension.
3. Select one file.
4. Execute the configured command for that file.

It also adds an Explorer context-menu entry:

1. Right-click a file in Explorer.
2. Choose Extension Launcher.
3. The extension matches mappings by the selected file extension.
4. If one mapping matches, it runs immediately.
5. If multiple mappings match, you choose from a quick pick.

Configure mappings in your VS Code settings:

"extensionLauncher.mappings": [
	{
		"title": "Open BCS In Editor",
		"extension": ".bcs",
		"command": "vscode.open",
		"commandAvailability": "both"
	},
	{
		"title": "Run Task: Process BCS File",
		"extension": ".bcs",
		"command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask",
		"commandAvailability": "contextMenu",
		"commandArgs": ["Process Current BCS"]
	},
	{
		"title": "Open Workspace Settings Search",
		"extension": ".json",
		"command": "workbench.action.openSettings",
		"commandAvailability": "commandPalette",
		"commandArgs": ["files.associations"]
	},
	{
		"title": "Send File Info To Terminal",
		"extension": ".bcs",
		"command": "workbench.action.terminal.sendSequence",
		"commandAvailability": "both",
		"commandArgs": [
			{
				"text": "echo FILE=${fsPath} NAME=${basename} EXT=${extension}\u000D"
			}
		]
	}
]

Control where the launcher is shown:

"extensionLauncher.commandAvailability": "both"

Allowed values:

• both (default): show in Explorer context menu and Command Palette (F1).
• contextMenu: show only in Explorer context menu.
• commandPalette: show only in Command Palette (F1).

Per mapping, you can also set commandAvailability:

• both (default): mapping is eligible from both Explorer context menu and Command Palette.
• contextMenu: mapping is eligible only from Explorer context menu launches.
• commandPalette: mapping is eligible only from Command Palette launches.

Behavior:

• Explorer context launch: if no mapping for that file extension is eligible for both/contextMenu, nothing happens.
• Command Palette launch: only mappings eligible for both/commandPalette are shown in subsequent selection menus.

Example notes:

• vscode.open: omit commandArgs so the selected file Uri is passed automatically.
• workbench.action.tasks.runTask: pass the task label exactly as defined in your tasks.json.
• workbench.action.openSettings: useful when you want to jump to a specific setting query.
• workbench.action.terminal.sendSequence: uses a dedicated terminal named after the mapping title (reused if it already exists), then sends the sequence there.

commandArgs is optional.

• If commandArgs is omitted, the selected file URI is passed automatically.
• If provided, you can use tokens inside string arguments:
  • ${uri} selected file Uri object when used as a whole value, otherwise URI string when embedded in larger text
  • ${fsPath} absolute file path
  • ${path} URI path
  • ${basename} file name
  • ${dirname} parent path
  • ${extension} normalized extension from mapping

Run it with F1 -> Extension Launcher.

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build once:

npm run build

Watch mode:

npm run watch

Type checking:

npm run typecheck

Lint:

npm run lint

Unit tests:

npm run test

Unit tests (watch mode):

npm run test:watch

Run/debug:

• Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.
• Run the command: Extension Launcher.

Continuous Integration:

• GitHub Actions workflow at .github/workflows/ci.yml runs lint, typecheck, tests, and build on push and pull requests.

Packaging and Publishing

Before first publish, update metadata in package.json:

• Replace publisher (your-publisher-name) with your real Marketplace publisher id.
• Keep displayName, description, and keywords aligned with what you want in search results.

Then sign in:

npx vsce login <publisher>

Create a VSIX package:

npm run package:vsix

Publish:

npm run publish:vsce