VS Code Extension Template

This repository is a minimal, batteries-included starting point for building Visual Studio Code extensions with TypeScript. It keeps the build pipeline, linting, automated tests, and documentation wiring in place while leaving the extension logic intentionally small so you can replace it with your own features.

What is included?

  • Sample commands (extension-template.sayHello and extension-template.showWelcomePanel) that demonstrate command registration and a basic Webview panel.

  • TypeScript toolchain with ESLint, Prettier, Vitest, and TypeDoc ready to run.

  • End-to-end harness powered by @vscode/test-electron to validate activation.

  • Documentation pipeline using Sphinx and TypeDoc so you can publish API docs and project guides.

  • CI helpers and Makefile to keep formatting, linting, packaging, and docs generation repeatable.

Getting started

  1. Install dependencies

    npm install

  2. Run the sample extension

    • Press F5 in VS Code to launch a development host.

    • Run the Extension Template: Say Hello command from the Command Palette.

    • Open the Extension Template: Open Welcome Panel command to see the sample Webview content.

  3. Replace the template code

    • Update src/extension.ts with your activation logic and commands.

    • Swap out src/welcomePanel.ts and the assets under media/ to build your own UI.

    • Change package.json fields (name, display name, publisher, repository, activation events, and contributed settings) to match your project.

Scripts

These scripts are defined in package.json:

  • npm run compile – build the extension into out/.

  • npm test – run coverage, generate the coverage summary, and execute E2E tests.

  • npm run lint / npm run lint:fix – lint the codebase.

  • npm run format / npm run format:check – apply or verify Prettier formatting.

  • npm run docs:typedoc – generate API documentation into docs/build/typedoc.

  • npm run lint:docs – spell-check Markdown files and docs sources.

  • npm run test:e2e – run the VS Code integration tests via @vscode/test-electron.

Contributing your own extension

  • Use typedoc.json to customize API doc output for your project.

  • Update the docs under docs/source/ to describe your extension’s features. Each file includes template sections you can replace.

  • Adjust the tests in tests/unit, tests/integration, and tests/e2e to cover your extension behavior.

  • Swap the sample settings under contributes.configuration with your own configuration schema.

Example using this

https://github.com/ascillato/VSCode-Logger