How to use the command 'vsce' (with examples)

The vsce command is the extension manager for Visual Studio Code. It provides a set of commands for managing extensions, including listing extensions, publishing, unpublishing, packaging, and showing metadata associated with an extension.

Use case 1: List all the extensions created by a publisher

Code:

vsce list publisher

Motivation: The vsce list publisher command allows users to easily view all the extensions created by a specific publisher. This can be useful for exploring the available extensions from a particular publisher or identifying extensions that are relevant to a specific project.

Explanation:

• list: This command is used to list extensions.
• publisher: This argument specifies the name of the publisher whose extensions should be listed.

Example output:

name                 | version | publisher | last updated |
---------------------|---------|-----------|--------------|
sample-extension-1   | 1.0.0   | publisher1| 2022-01-01   |
sample-extension-2   | 1.2.0   | publisher1| 2022-02-15   |
sample-extension-3   | 2.0.1   | publisher1| 2022-03-10   |

Use case 2: Publish an extension as major, minor, or patch version

Code:

vsce publish major|minor|patch

Motivation: The vsce publish command allows extension developers to easily release new versions of their extensions. By specifying the version type (major, minor, or patch), developers can control the impact of the release and follow semantic versioning practices.

Explanation:

• publish: This command is used to publish an extension.
• major|minor|patch: This argument specifies the type of version update to apply.
  • major: Increases the major version number.
  • minor: Increases the minor version number.
  • patch: Increases the patch (or bug fix) version number.

Example output:

Extension version updated to 1.2.0
Extension published successfully.

Use case 3: Unpublish an extension

Code:

vsce unpublish extension_id

Motivation: The vsce unpublish command allows extension developers to remove a published extension from the marketplace. This can be useful if the extension is no longer maintained or needs to be replaced by a newer version.

Explanation:

• unpublish: This command is used to unpublish an extension.
• extension_id: This argument specifies the unique identifier of the extension to be unpublished.

Example output:

Extension 'sample-extension' unpublished successfully.

Use case 4: Package the current working directory as a .vsix file

Code:

vsce package

Motivation: The vsce package command is used to create a packaged .vsix file for an extension. This file can be easily shared, installed, or published to the Visual Studio Code marketplace.

Explanation:

• package: This command is used to package the current working directory as a .vsix file.

Example output:

Package created successfully: sample-extension-1.0.0.vsix

Use case 5: Show the metadata associated with an extension

Code:

vsce show extension_id

Motivation: The vsce show command allows users to view the metadata associated with a specific extension. This includes information such as the name, version, publisher, and description of the extension.

Explanation:

• show: This command is used to show the metadata of an extension.
• extension_id: This argument specifies the unique identifier of the extension to show metadata for.

Example output:

Extension name: sample-extension
Version: 1.2.0
Publisher: publisher1
Description: A sample extension for Visual Studio Code.

Conclusion:

The vsce command provides a comprehensive set of tools for managing extensions in Visual Studio Code. From listing extensions to publishing, unpublishing, packaging, and showing metadata, the vsce command allows developers and users alike to conveniently work with extensions in Visual Studio Code.