VS Code Profiles Setup

Automated scripts to create VS Code profiles with predefined extension sets. Each profile includes a common set of extensions plus profile-specific ones.

📁 File Structure

├── extensions-common.txt      # Extensions included in ALL profiles (required)
├── extensions-*.txt           # Profile-specific extensions (create your own!)
├── setup-profiles.ps1         # Windows PowerShell script
├── setup-profiles.sh          # Linux/macOS Bash script
└── README.md                  # This file

Example Extension Files (Included)

├── extensions-minimal.txt     # Minimal profile example
├── extensions-python.txt      # Python development example
├── extensions-java.txt        # Java development example
├── extensions-web.txt         # Web development example
├── extensions-cpp-dotnet.txt  # C++ and .NET example
└── extensions-devops.txt      # DevOps and containers example

🎯 How It Works

The scripts automatically discover all extensions-*.txt files in the directory and create a profile for each one:

1. Reads extensions-common.txt (included in all profiles)
2. Scans for all extensions-<ProfileName>.txt files
3. Creates a VS Code profile for each file found
4. Installs common + profile-specific extensions (duplicates removed)

Profile Naming

Profile names are automatically normalized from filenames:

• Converts to lowercase first, then capitalizes each word
• Replaces dashes (-) and underscores (_) with spaces
• Case-insensitive: extensions-python.txt, extensions-PYTHON.txt, extensions-PyThOn.txt → all create Python profile

Examples:

• extensions-python.txt → Python profile
• extensions-web-dev.txt → Web Dev profile
• extensions-MY_custom_SETUP.txt → My Custom Setup profile
• extensions-c++.txt → C++ profile

📋 Example Profiles (Included)

The repository includes these example profiles:

Profile	Extensions	Description
Minimal	Common + 1	Basic setup with org-mode
Python	Common + 9	Python, Jupyter, and data science tools
Java	Common + 13	Java, Spring Boot, Maven, Gradle
Web	Common + 8	Tailwind, Node.js, Live Server
C++ and .NET	Common + 8	C++, C#, .NET DevKit
DevOps	Common + 5	Docker, Azure, Remote containers

Note: These are just examples! You can modify them or create your own.

Common Extensions (15)

All profiles include these extensions:

• Themes: Catppuccin theme and icons, VSCode icons
• AI: GitHub Copilot and Copilot Chat
• IntelliCode: AI-assisted development
• Git: GitLens
• Editor: Prettier, ESLint
• Utilities: Rainbow CSV, Version Lens, Path IntelliSense, NPM IntelliSense
• Keybindings: IntelliJ IDEA keybindings

🚀 Usage

Windows (PowerShell)

Test without making changes (Dry Run)

.\setup-profiles.ps1 -DryRun

Create profiles

.\setup-profiles.ps1

Linux/macOS (Bash)

Make script executable (first time only)

chmod +x setup-profiles.sh

Test without making changes (Dry Run)

./setup-profiles.sh --dry-run
# or
./setup-profiles.sh -d

Create profiles

./setup-profiles.sh

📝 Using Profiles

Once created, you can launch VS Code with a specific profile:

# Launch with a specific profile
code --profile "Python"
code --profile "Java"
code --profile "Web"

# Or switch profiles from VS Code
# Click on the profile icon in the bottom left corner

✏️ Creating Your Own Profiles

Quick Start

1. Create a new file named extensions-<YourProfileName>.txt

   # Example: Create a React profile
   touch extensions-react.txt
   # or on Windows
   New-Item extensions-react.txt

2. Add extension IDs (one per line)

   dsznajder.es7-react-js-snippets
   burkeholland.simple-react-snippets
   msjsdiag.vscode-react-native
   

3. Run the setup script

   # The script will automatically detect the new file
   ./setup-profiles.ps1        # Windows
   ./setup-profiles.sh         # Linux/macOS

4. Launch VS Code with your new profile

   code --profile React

File Naming Convention

• ✅ extensions-golang.txt → Golang profile
• ✅ extensions-rust-dev.txt → Rust Dev profile
• ✅ extensions-data-science.txt → Data Science profile
• ❌ my-extensions.txt → Won't be detected (must start with extensions-)
• ❌ extensions-common.txt → Reserved for common extensions

Finding Extension IDs

1. Open VS Code Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
2. Click on an extension
3. Find the ID in the extension details (e.g., ms-python.python)

Modifying Existing Profiles

Simply edit the corresponding extensions-*.txt file and run the script again.

Sharing Profiles

Share your extensions-*.txt files with your team! They can:

1. Copy the files to their directory
2. Run the setup script
3. Get the same extensions automatically

⚙️ How It Works

1. Scans directory for all extensions-*.txt files
2. Reads common extensions from extensions-common.txt
3. For each profile file found:
   • Extracts profile name from filename
   • Reads profile-specific extensions
   • Merges common + specific extensions
   • Removes duplicates
   • Creates the VS Code profile
   • Installs all extensions

💡 Use Cases

Team Standardization

Create extensions-team-standard.txt with your team's required extensions.

Project-Specific Profiles

• extensions-frontend.txt - React, Vue, Angular
• extensions-backend.txt - Node.js, databases, API tools
• extensions-mobile.txt - React Native, Flutter

Language-Specific Profiles

• extensions-rust.txt
• extensions-golang.txt
• extensions-typescript.txt

Workflow-Specific Profiles

• extensions-data-analysis.txt
• extensions-ml-research.txt
• extensions-game-dev.txt

🔧 Requirements

• VS Code installed and available in PATH
• PowerShell 5.1+ (Windows) or Bash (Linux/macOS)
• Internet connection for downloading extensions

⏱️ Execution Time

The full setup takes approximately 5-10 minutes depending on:

• Number of extensions
• Internet connection speed
• VS Code startup time

🐛 Troubleshooting

Script fails with permission error (Windows)

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Extension installation fails

• Check internet connection
• Verify extension ID is correct
• Some extensions may not be available in all regions

No profiles detected

• Ensure you have at least one extensions-*.txt file (besides extensions-common.txt)
• Check file naming: must start with extensions- and end with .txt
• Verify files are in the same directory as the script

Profile not appearing

• Restart VS Code
• Check the profile icon in the bottom left corner
• Verify the script completed without errors

📄 License

Free to use and modify as needed.

🤝 Contributing

Feel free to:

• Add more extension lists
• Improve the scripts
• Share your profile configurations

---

Note: Extensions are installed from the VS Code Marketplace. Make sure you review extensions before installing them in production environments.