name: vscode-ext-commands
description: 'Guidelines for contributing commands in VS Code extensions. Indicates naming convention, visibility, localization and other relevant attributes, following VS Code extension development guidelines, libraries and good practices'

VS Code extension command contribution

This skill helps you to contribute commands in VS Code extensions

When to use this skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Add or update commands to your VS Code extension

Instructions

VS Code commands must always define a title, independent of its category, visibility or location. We use a few patterns for each "kind" of command, with some characteristics, described below:

• Regular commands: By default, all commands should be accessible in the Command Palette, must define a category, and don't need an icon, unless the command will be used in the Side Bar.

• Side Bar commands: Its name follows a special pattern, starting with underscore (_) and suffixed with #sideBar, like _extensionId.someCommand#sideBar for instance. Must define an icon, and may or may not have some rule for enablement. Side Bar exclusive commands should not be visible in the Command Palette. Contributing it to the view/title or view/item/context, we must inform order/position that it will be displayed, and we can use terms "relative to other command/button" in order to you identify the correct group to be used. Also, it's a good practice to define the condition (when) for the new command is visible.