DotPilot 1.0.0: my first stable extension for VS Code

The screen opens, but it doesn't load the orders. The application is running; the service that delivers the data is still off. Time to go back to the editor and start the other project before continuing the test.

That interruption helps explain what DotPilot 1.0.0 brings. It's my first VS Code extension and this is its first stable release. The most relevant change is being able to prepare an application's execution along with the services it needs.

For someone running a business, the detail matters for a simple reason: every manual step around a test can interrupt the team's work.

Starting services before you need them

An API is a service that an application asks for information or entrusts an operation to. For example, an orders screen can check inventory through an API.

According to the changelog for version 1.0.0, DotPilot now lets you associate one or more complementary APIs with a .NET project.

The extension starts them first and waits for them to be available before running the main application. If an API is already running, it can reuse it.

It can also detect local references to other services in the configuration and ask if you want to add them. The decision is yours.

Keeping the API running while you test

Sometimes you need to close and reopen the application several times to check a behavior. Restarting its API on every attempt also adds a task you may not need.

Version 1.0.0 lets you choose how to work:

The independent controls also appear in the editor bar and in the floating debug bar.

There's a scope worth knowing: when debugging the main project, the complementary APIs run without a debugger. To investigate an error inside them, you need to keep that difference in mind.

Preparing an installable file from the panel

The update adds packaging for two types of project.

In a VS Code extension, DotPilot can generate the installable file, show it in its folder, and install it in the editor.

In Expo projects, it lets you generate an Android APK through EAS Build in the cloud or local Gradle, depending on the available configuration.

The project must have the corresponding tool ready. DotPilot uses that configuration and shows the result in the panel; in the case of EAS, it offers access to the download or the link.

The new commands are also declared in the metadata of the installed version.

What belongs to earlier versions

Detection of .NET, Node.js, PHP, Python, and Docker Compose projects already existed. The linked browser and the connection with AI assistants were also available.

What's new in this release is the complementary APIs and the packaging. The panel also gets its own icon in the VS Code activity bar.

What I take away

Reaching the first stable version of my first extension is a milestone I wanted to share with concrete changes.

I still don't have a time-saved measurement I can publish. The verifiable result is functional: DotPilot 1.0.0 lets you coordinate the APIs of a .NET project and prepare certain packages from the panel.

My next benchmark will be everyday use: seeing where it makes work easier and fixing whatever comes up. This version leaves a concrete foundation for doing that.

References

Primary sources consulted: files included in the local installation of DotPilot 1.0.0. These local links are for review and should be replaced with their public equivalents before publishing.

If you want to try it in your next project, you can install DotPilot from the VS Code Marketplace. If you find a problem or a task it could make easier for you, let me know; that experience helps me decide what to fix and what comes next.

• DotPilot 1.0.0 changelog
• DotPilot 1.0.0 metadata and commands