Visual Studio / Code for Command Palette

Overview

This project provides a command palette extension for opening Visual Studio solutions and Visual Studio Code workspaces from a single, unified interface.

Features

• Optimized for Performance: Designed to remain fast and responsive, with a configurable page size. By default, it displays 8 items per page to ensure smooth interaction even with large project histories.
• Unified Launcher: Launch both Visual Studio solutions and Visual Studio Code workspaces from a single, convenient interface.
• Window-Switching: If a Visual Studio solution is already open, the extension will switch to the existing window instead of opening a new instance.
• Secondary Actions: Access additional commands for each entry:
  • Copy Path: Copies the full file path of the solution, workspace, or folder to the clipboard.
  • Pin to List / Unpin from List: Pins or unpins a workspace to keep it at the top of the list.
  • Open in Explorer: Opens the solution, workspace, or folder location in the default file explorer.
  • Run as Administrator: Open the solution, workspace, or folder with administrative privileges.
  • Refresh Workspaces: Manually reloads the list of solutions and workspaces to reflect any recent changes.

Installation

Note

Because the application is first signed by the Microsoft Store, updates will take a few days to be available via WinGet or in the Command Palette.

Windows Store

Via Command Palette

1. Open Command Palette
2. Select "Visual Studio / Code for Command Palette"

Via Winget

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell
2. Run the following command:

   winget install 15722UsefulApp.WorkspaceLauncherForVSCode

Manual Installation

1. Make sure you use the latest version of PowerToys.
2. Install the application by double-clicking the .msix file.

Settings

• General

  • Show Details Panel: Toggles the visibility of the details panel on the right.

  • Page Size: Sets the number of items to display per page. (Default: 8)

  • Command Result Action: Defines the behavior after launching an item.

    • Dismiss: Close the Command Palette.
    • Go Back: Return to the previous view in the Command Palette.
    • Keep Open: Keep the results list open.

  • Enable Logging: Enables diagnostic logging for troubleshooting purposes.

• Search & Appearance

  • Search By: Determines which properties to use when searching.

    • Title: Search by the workspace or solution title.
    • Path: Search by the file path.
    • Both: Search by both title and path.

  • Tags: Configure which informational tags are displayed for each item.

    • Show 'Type' tag: Displays whether the item is a Workspace or Folder.
    • Show 'Target' tag: Displays the target application, like Visual Studio Code or Insiders.

• Visual Studio

  • Enable Visual Studio: Enables searching for Visual Studio solutions.

  • Secondary Command: Configures the secondary action for Visual Studio items.

    • Open in Explorer: Opens the item's location in File Explorer.
    • Run as Administrator: Launches the item with administrative privileges.

• Visual Studio Code

  • Enabled Installations: Choose which VS Code installations to scan for workspaces.

    • Enable Visual Studio Code: The standard user-specific installation.
    • Enable Visual Studio Code (System): The system-wide installation.
    • Enable Visual Studio Code - Insiders: The Insiders edition.
    • Enable Visual Studio Code (Custom): Custom installations found in the system's PATH.

  • Preferred Edition: If a workspace has been opened in both stable and Insiders editions, this setting determines which one to prefer.

    • Default: Prefers the stable version.
    • Insider: Prefers the Insiders version.

  • Secondary Command: Configures the secondary action for Visual Studio Code items.

    • Open in Explorer: Opens the item's location in File Explorer.
    • Run as Administrator: Launches the item with administrative privileges.

How It Works

This extension discovers installations of Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code on your system.

• For Visual Studio Code, it reads the workspace history from the internal storage files (state.vscdb and storage.json).
• For Visual Studio, it uses vswhere.exe to find installations and then reads their configuration files to discover recent solutions.
• The extension also includes logic from the WindowWalker extension to detect if a solution is already open. If so, it switches to the existing Visual Studio window instead of creating a new one.

The results are then combined into a single, unified list for easy access.

For more detailed technical information about the project's architecture and components, please see the Project Guide.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have suggestions for improvements or new features, please open an issue or submit a pull request.