Open Terminal Programmatically

Open VsCode terminal programmatically in the simplest way possible.
Launch VsCode's debugger programmatically, passing in your launch configuration.

Introduction

If you're using VSCode, and you constantly find yourself in a situation where you need to open multiple vscode terminals, where each one runs a different server (or a script), then this is the package for you.

Prerequisites:

• VSCode as your IDE
• Open Terminal Programmatically extension installed

Most of the work would be done by the extension. This package just acts as its wrapper, providing you with 2 easy-to-use functions, with hints, autocomplete, and correct typings.

Getting Started

- Step 1: install Open Terminal Programmatically extension

Go over to the extension market on VSCode, search & download Open Terminal Programmatically.

- Step 2: install the open-terminal-programmatically npm package

Run one of these:
(depending on your package manager)

npm install -g open-terminal-programmatically

pnpm add -g open-terminal-programmatically

yarn add -g open-terminal-programmatically

- Step 3: import the openTerminal function

import { openTerminal } from 'open-terminal-programmatically';

How to use

The openTerminal is a function you can use to open new terminals in VSCode, or launch/attach a new debug process.

It accept these following options:

- isDebugMode

type: boolean (Optional) default: false

If set to true, command will open up VSCode's debug terminal, which would appear under the TERMINAL tab.
If set toe true, the config prop should then be of type DebugConfig, else, it should be of type TerminalConfig. (more on those 2 types is down below).

- delayNextFor

type: number (Optional)

Puts a delay of X milliseconds after the execution.
Sometimes you're running 2 servers, where one is dependant on the other being ready. You can put some delay between them by using the delayNextFor property.

- config

type: TerminalConfig | DebugConfig (Required)

Depending on whether you want a debugger terminal, or a regular terminal, you should pass the proper form of corresponding config.

- config of type TerminalConfig

- config.command

type: string (Required)

The command to execute in that new terminal to be opened.
This is the only required field on config.

- config.name

type: string (Optional)

The name of the new terminal to be opened.
Will appear in your IDE.

- config.color

type: 'red' | 'green' | 'blue' | 'yellow' | 'magenta' | 'cyan' | 'black' | 'white'; (Optional) default: 'white'

The name of the terminal will be colored in that color.

- config.autoFocus

type: boolean (Optional) default: false

Should the terminal gain focus once it's open or not.

- config.runtimeArgs

type: Array (Optional)

You can add additional run time args to the command to execute.

- config of type DebugConfig

These props are all the props you usually put under your launch config, under your ".vscode/launch.json" file. Read more about those in the official VSCode documentation.

License

MIT