Coder.com•3mo ago

Best way to auto install extensions?

I would like to configure a template to automatically install a couple extensions whenever I click on VSCode Desktop, whats the best way to do this? Using Template Modules? Using the .devcontainer template?

11 Replies

Codercord•3mo ago

<#1342373630138519623>

Category

Help needed

Product

Coder (v2)

Platform

Linux

Logs

Please post any relevant logs/error messages.

Scott•3mo ago

From my research and what I'm doing now, you can't have VSCode extensions automatically install.
Your repository can have a .vscode folder with an extensions.json file. In it, you would have an object with an array of extension ids like this:

{
  "recommendations": [
    "some-devs.extension-id",
  ]
}

{
  "recommendations": [
    "some-devs.extension-id",
  ]
}

Then, when you first run the workspace, you'll get a popup to install suggested extensions for the repository. The only negative thing that happens is, all the extensions open in new tabs, and you have to close them all. 🙂

browniversonOP•3mo ago

thank you @Scott i was looking for something more streamlined but it may not be possible

Scott•3mo ago

I couldn‘t find anything. If you find something better, do post it here please.

sharkymark•3mo ago

not tied to a template, but in your settings.json can't you list the extensions out?

        "remote.SSH.defaultExtensions": [
            "ms-python.python",
            "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
        ]

        "remote.SSH.defaultExtensions": [
            "ms-python.python",
            "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
        ]

Scott•2mo ago

@sharkymark - The connection being made to a Coder environment isn't remote.SSH though, is it? Is it working for you?

sharkymark•2mo ago

It is ssh under the hood. It works for me. When the workspace is started, you’ll see the extensions under the extensions tab marked as remote.

Scott•2mo ago

Ok. I tried this out. Your solution doesn't work, because the remote.SSH.defaultExtensions setting is a global setting. It can't be added to a workspace. In other words, each dev would need to set this themselves. That "breaks" the idea of a workspace and also means, the dev might be installing extensions for one workspace they wouldn't need for another, for instance specialized Go extensions in a TypeScript workspace. 🙂 The best solution I could find is the recommendations setting in an extensions.json file in a top level .vscode folder in the repository. That gives the dev a button to install suggested extensions in their VSCode for that workspace and only once at the time of starting the workspace. The only annoying thing is all the installations of extensions opens up editor tabs, which need to be closed with a right click on the tabs and a click on "close all tabs". So, three clicks to install the extensions. Not fantastic, but "ok". I've also seen a possibility of installing extensions via the code CLI (VSCode's CLI) in a script during workspace startup. I haven't tried it yet, and when I think about it, asking the devs if they want to install extensions is a desirable solution. Maybe they don't want one or two extensions or want something more specific for what they wish to work on. My motto is, give as much flexibility to the devs as possible, but keep them "boxed in" as much as possible too. Hehehehe.... 😄

sharkymark•2mo ago

makes sense, good luck. my approach was for the dev who will only have 1 workspace and the same language config.

Phorcys•2mo ago

hey, have you figured this out? @browniverson closing this due to inactivity but feel free to reach out if you still need help

Codercord•2mo ago

@Phorcys closed the thread.

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