VS Code Extension Roadmap

Planned features and development timeline for the Pack-Man extension for Visual Studio Code.

Q1 2025 - Alpha Release

🎯 Core Functionality

Status: In Development | Priority: Critical

• File Detection - Auto-detect package.json, requirements.txt, pubspec.yaml
• Basic Analysis - Analyze dependencies on command
• Status Bar - Show dependency health in status bar
• Command Palette - Access features via commands
• npm Support - Full support for npm packages

🎨 Basic UI

Status: In Development | Priority: High

• Tree View - Sidebar view for dependencies
• Status Indicators - Color-coded status icons
• Quick Actions - Basic update commands
• Output Channel - Logging and debug information
• Welcome View - Onboarding for new users

⚙️ Configuration

Status: Planned | Priority: High

• Settings - Basic extension settings
• API Endpoint - Configure Pack-Man API URL
• Auto-refresh - Enable/disable auto-refresh
• Cache Settings - Configure cache behavior
• GitHub Token - Store GitHub token securely

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Q2 2025 - Beta Release

🎨 Enhanced UI

Status: Planned | Priority: High

• Inline Decorations - Show status in dependency files
• CodeLens Actions - Quick actions above dependencies
• Hover Information - Package details on hover
• Webview Panel - Rich analysis results view
• Progress Indicators - Visual feedback for operations

📦 Multi-format Support

Status: Planned | Priority: High

• pip Support - Python requirements.txt analysis
• pub Support - Dart/Flutter pubspec.yaml analysis
• Auto-detection - Detect file type automatically
• Multi-file Projects - Handle multiple dependency files
• Workspace Support - Multi-root workspace support

🔄 Auto-refresh

Status: Planned | Priority: Medium

• On Save - Refresh analysis on file save
• On Focus - Refresh when file gains focus
• Periodic Refresh - Configurable auto-refresh interval
• Smart Refresh - Only refresh when needed
• Background Refresh - Non-blocking updates

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Q3 2025 - Stable Release

🚀 Advanced Features

Status: Planned | Priority: High

• Quick Fixes - One-click dependency updates
• Bulk Updates - Update multiple packages at once
• Version Picker - Choose specific versions to update
• Diff Preview - Preview changes before updating
• Rollback - Undo dependency updates

🔗 Integration

Status: Planned | Priority: Medium

• Terminal Integration - Run commands in integrated terminal
• Git Integration - Commit dependency updates
• Task Integration - Create tasks for updates
• Source Control - Show changes in SCM view
• Testing Integration - Run tests after updates

🔐 Security

Status: Planned | Priority: High

• Vulnerability Scanning - Check for security issues
• Security Badges - Show security status
• CVE Information - Display vulnerability details
• Fix Suggestions - Recommend secure versions
• Security Alerts - Notify about critical issues

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Q4 2025 - Advanced Features

📊 Dependency Graph

Status: Planned | Priority: Medium

• Visual Graph - Interactive dependency tree
• Conflict Detection - Highlight version conflicts
• Circular Dependencies - Detect circular deps
• Size Analysis - Show bundle size impact
• Export Graph - Export as image or JSON

🏢 Monorepo Support

Status: Planned | Priority: Medium

• Workspace Detection - Auto-detect monorepo structure
• Cross-package Analysis - Analyze all packages
• Duplicate Detection - Find duplicate dependencies
• Version Consistency - Check version mismatches
• Workspace Commands - Bulk operations across workspace

🤖 Automation

Status: Planned | Priority: Low

• Auto-update - Automatically update dependencies
• Update Policies - Define update rules
• Scheduled Updates - Run updates on schedule
• PR Creation - Create PRs for updates (GitHub)
• CI Integration - Trigger CI on updates

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Future Considerations

🎯 Advanced Analysis

Status: Research | Priority: Low

• License Compliance - Check license compatibility
• Breaking Changes - Detect breaking changes
• Deprecation Warnings - Warn about deprecated packages
• Maintenance Score - Assess package health
• Alternative Suggestions - Recommend alternatives

🔌 Extensibility

Status: Research | Priority: Low

• Extension API - Allow other extensions to integrate
• Custom Parsers - Support custom file formats
• Plugin System - Extend functionality with plugins
• Custom Commands - Define custom update commands
• Webhooks - Trigger external actions

👥 Collaboration

Status: Research | Priority: Low

• Team Settings - Share settings across team
• Shared Policies - Enforce team update policies
• Activity Feed - Track team dependency changes
• Comments - Collaborate on dependency decisions
• Approval Workflow - Require approval for updates

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Community Requests

Most Voted Features

1. Quick Fixes (187 votes) - One-click dependency updates
2. Security Scanning (156 votes) - Vulnerability detection
3. Dependency Graph (134 votes) - Visual dependency tree
4. Monorepo Support (98 votes) - Workspace analysis
5. Auto-update (87 votes) - Automated dependency updates

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Technical Details

Architecture

• Language: TypeScript
• Framework: VS Code Extension API
• API Client: Axios with retry logic
• Parser: Custom parsers for each format
• Cache: VS Code Memento API
• Testing: Jest + VS Code Test Runner

Performance Goals

• Analysis < 2 seconds for typical projects
• UI updates < 100ms
• Memory usage < 50MB
• Startup time < 500ms
• No blocking operations

Compatibility

• VS Code 1.85.0+
• Node.js 18+
• Windows, macOS, Linux
• VS Code Web (limited support)
• Codespaces support

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Development Milestones

Phase 1: Foundation (Current)

• ✅ Extension scaffolding
• ✅ API client implementation
• 🚧 Basic file parsing
• 🚧 Command registration
• 📋 Tree view provider

Phase 2: Alpha (Q1 2025)

• 📋 Complete npm support
• 📋 Status bar integration
• 📋 Basic tree view
• 📋 Command palette commands
• 📋 Settings implementation

Phase 3: Beta (Q2 2025)

• 📋 Multi-format support
• 📋 Inline decorations
• 📋 CodeLens actions
• 📋 Hover information
• 📋 Auto-refresh

Phase 4: Stable (Q3 2025)

• 📋 Quick fixes
• 📋 Security scanning
• 📋 Git integration
• 📋 Performance optimization
• 📋 Comprehensive testing

Phase 5: Advanced (Q4 2025)

• 📋 Dependency graph
• 📋 Monorepo support
• 📋 Automation features
• 📋 Extension API
• 📋 Team features

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How to Get Involved

Early Access

1. Star the GitHub repository
2. Join our Discord community
3. Sign up for alpha testing
4. Follow development updates

Contributing

• 🔧 Contributing Guide
• 💬 Join Discussions
• 🐛 Report Issues
• 📖 Development Docs

Support Development

• ⭐ Star on GitHub
• 🐦 Share on Twitter
• ☕ Buy Me a Coffee
• 📧 Subscribe to Newsletter

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Support

• 📖 VS Code Extension Docs
• 🐛 Report Issues
• 💬 Discussions
• 📧 Email Support