Maintenance script: TaskDeck wiki

2026-10-20T21:29:53Z

TaskDeck wiki

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Task Deck adds its own container to the Activity Bar. It holds one view, ''Tasks'', with all tasks VS Code knows about.

[[File:TaskDeck_Screenshot_01.png|frame|none|The Tasks view with two sources and one task each]]

== What is listed ==
The view asks VS Code for all available tasks. These are the tasks from <code>.vscode/tasks.json</code> and the tasks of every installed task provider, for example npm scripts or Gulp and Grunt tasks.

Each task belongs to a '''source'''. The source is the name VS Code gives the task provider, for example <code>Workspace</code> for <code>tasks.json</code> or <code>npm</code>. Tasks without a source are listed under <code>Unknown</code>.

== Layout ==
* Every source is a group that you can expand and collapse. Groups start expanded.
* The groups are sorted alphabetically by source name.
* The number next to a source is the number of tasks of that source. Tasks hidden by a name filter are included in this number.
* Tasks are listed in the order VS Code returns them.
* If you pinned tasks, the '''Pinned''' group comes first. See [[TaskDeck:Pinned Tasks|Pinned Tasks]].
* If there is only one visible source and nothing is pinned, the tasks are shown directly, without a source group above them.

== Running a task ==
Click a task to run it. Task Deck starts the task through VS Code, just like ''Terminal → Run Task''.

The row of a task shows:
* the task name
* the task's detail text next to the name, if the task has one
* the detail text or the name as tooltip

The task icon is tinted in the color of its source. See [[TaskDeck:Sources|Sources]].

== Run state ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Icon !! Text next to the name !! Meaning
|-
| play icon || detail text || Ready to run
|-
| spinning icon || <code>running…</code> || The task is running
|-
| warning triangle || <code>exit 1</code> (the exit code) || The last run ended with an exit code other than 0
|-
| spinning icon || <code>loading…</code> || The entry comes from the stored list and is not confirmed yet (see below)
|}

The warning stays until the task runs again and ends with exit code 0. The exit code is only known for tasks that start a process, for example shell and process tasks. The run state is not saved and is gone after a restart of VS Code.

== Loading and refreshing ==
Collecting all tasks can take a while, for example when task providers scan the workspace. Task Deck therefore stores the last task list for each workspace.
* When you open the view, it shows the stored list at once. These entries show <code>loading…</code> and can't be run yet. Clicking one shows ''Task Deck: still refreshing the task list…'' in the status bar for a few seconds.
* At the same time the current list is collected in the background. Once it is there, the entries become runnable. The view is only redrawn if the list has changed.
* On the very first start in a workspace there is no stored list, so the view stays empty until the list is ready.

The list is collected again when:
* you click the refresh icon in the view title (<code>Refresh</code>)
* a <code>.vscode/tasks.json</code> file in the workspace is created, changed or deleted
* one of the Task Deck settings changes

Other changes, for example a new script in <code>package.json</code>, are only picked up after a refresh.

== View title buttons ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Icon !! Command !! What it does
|-
| search || <code>Task Deck: Find Task…</code> || Opens a search across all visible tasks. See [[TaskDeck:Find Task|Find Task]].
|-
| refresh || <code>Refresh</code> || Collects the task list again.
|-
| gear || <code>Open Settings</code> || Opens the Settings editor filtered to the Task Deck settings. See [[TaskDeck:Sources|Sources]].
|}

{{TaskDeck Nav}}

TaskDeck:Task View - Revision history

Maintenance script: TaskDeck wiki