Unable to Build and Run Code Server Code in Windows Laptop

[sandeepgulecha]

I have downloaded source code of code-server from github. Installed all the required packages in Windows Laptop. When I tried to run command yarn run build command in git bash, out folder is not getting generated. What could be issue? Is there any doc to build and run in local window OS laptop.

[code-asher]

At the moment running on Windows is not supported but PRs to make it work are definitely welcome. #1397

[code-asher]

The command to apply patches is in the contributing documentation, but it is quilt apply -a.

Are you using the Express CORS middleware? You might have to check with them, it looks to me like you are using it correctly. Can you confirm their middleware is being called? Maybe they have a debug flag?

[sandeepgulecha]

We have created one custom extension and installed it in code-server in our local with activate command name “code-server-analytics.helloWorld”

Sample code from custom extension’s package.json

"contributes": {
"commands": [
{
"command": "code-server-analytics.helloWorld",
"title": "Hello World"
}
]
},

We need to activate this extension using router get() by passing parameter to extension from app.ts in code-server.
Could you help us.

We tried below code in our app.ts file in code-server but, we are getting the error
“Warning: 'command' is not in the list of known options, but still passed to Electron/Chromium when running on mac terminal”

router.get("/trigger-extension-action", (req, res) => {
// For example, run a shell command or trigger some action
exec("code --command code-server-analytics.helloWorld parameter1", (err, stdout, stderr) => {
console.log("stdout: ", stdout)
console.log("stderr: ", stderr)
if (err) {
console.log("err: ", err)
res.status(500).send(stderr)
return

  }
  console.log("stdout2: ", stdout)
  res.send(stdout)
})

})

[code-asher]

Based on the error it looks like VS Code does not have a --command flag, so that will not work.

[code-asher]

Oh unless --command is something you added? In which case it looks like you are running VS Code directly, not code-server, so maybe you just need to run code-server --command.

[sandeepgulecha]

Code Server is already running, Created Extension in VSCode that will open the file and show file content in vscode.workspace.openTextDocument(filepath).then((doc) => {vscode.window.showTextDocument(doc)}) statement. Need to call the extension when required. Please let me know what need to written.

[sandeepgulecha]

If we write code-server --command does it create new instance of server & activate command or it will call activate command and it will not create new server

Or below code will work without code-server --command

In extension.ts

import * as vscode from 'vscode';

import * as express from 'express';

export function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {

// Create a new Express server

const app = express();

app.use(express.json());  // To handle JSON request bodies



// Route to handle incoming HTTP requests

[app.post](http://app.post/)('/open-file', async (req, res) => {

    const token = req.body.token;

    const filePath = req.body.filePath;



    // Use the token (for authentication) if needed

    console.log('Received Token:', token);



    try {

        // Open the file in the VSCode editor

        const document = await vscode.workspace.openTextDocument(filePath);

        await vscode.window.showTextDocument(document);



        res.status(200).send({ message: 'File opened successfully' });

    } catch (error) {

        console.error('Error opening file:', error);

        res.status(500).send({ error: 'Failed to open the file' });

    }

});



// Start the server

const port = 3000;  // Define a port for the server

app.listen(port, () => {

    console.log(`VSCode extension HTTP server running on [http://localhost:${port}`](http://localhost:$%7bport%7d%60/));

});



// Register a sample command (optional)

let disposable = vscode.commands.registerCommand('extension.helloWorld', () => {

    vscode.window.showInformationMessage('Hello from VSCode extension HTTP Server!');

});



context.subscriptions.push(disposable);

}

export function deactivate() {}

In app.ts file

import axios from 'axios';

import express from 'express';

const app = express();

app.use(express.json()); // To parse JSON request bodies

// Sample route in app.ts to trigger the request to the extension's HTTP server

app.post('/trigger-extension', async (req, res) => {

const token = req.body.token;

const filePath = req.body.filePath;



try {

    // Send a request to the extension's HTTP server running on port 3000

    const response = await [axios.post](http://axios.post/)('http://localhost:3000/open-file', {

        token: token,  // Pass the token

        filePath: filePath  // Pass the file path

    });



    res.status(200).send({ message: 'File opened successfully in VSCode via the extension' });

} catch (error) {

    console.error('Error calling extension HTTP server:', error);

    res.status(500).send({ error: 'Failed to trigger the extension' });

}

});

// Start the app.ts server on port 8080

app.listen(8080, () => {

console.log('App server running on http://localhost:8080/');

});

[code-asher]

--command does not exist, unless you added it, so I am not sure what it is supposed to do.

$ code-server --command
[2024-09-11T21:26:22.888Z] error Unknown option --command

[sandeepgulecha]

How to activate custom created extension code-server-analytics.helloWorld & installed in app.ts file from code server?

Is it possible to activate extension in app.ts file? If yes, how?

Also I have created new extension in WindowsOS and installed extension.vsix but I am not able to activate it using command palette. What is issue?
Created new extension in macOS and installed extension.vsix and I am able to activate it using command palette

[code-asher]

I have no idea why it would not work in Windows, you may need to attach a debugger or add some logs to see if your extension is being called. If it is not being called, check the extension host logs to see whether the extension was loaded and activated and if there are any errors.

As for launching an extension externally, the only way I can think of is to use a URI handler. See registerUriHandler in https://code.visualstudio.com/api/references/vscode-api. You need the onUri activation event in your package.json to use it.

But, unfortunately I do not think code-server actually supports this at the moment, so there might be no way to do this.