On my windows pc, I would just double click a folder and click "Open in VS Code" to a open a folder, which saved time for me when looking through lots of code online. With Mac, however, I do not have this option. I have to directly open vscode and click "Open" to open a new folder. How do I directly open a file in vscode through finder in macOS?
2023 Update - Use Native Method
Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) and type shell command to find the Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH command.
Restart all terminal sessions for the new $PATH value to take effect.
You'll be able to type code . in any folder to start editing files in that folder.
If you want to do it in Finder, you can write an Automator script to do it (it's easier than it sounds, AND shows you the power of the OS).
Launch Automator
Create New Document
Create a new Quick Action
Add the Action... (New Method - 10.13+)
Workflow receives current files or folders from Finder.
Add a new "Open Finder Items" action to the workflow. (drag the "Open Finder Items" object, highlighted in the screenshot, to the empty window on the right)
Select "Visual Studio Code" from the list.
Add the Action... (Old Method)
Workflow receives current files or folders from Finder.
Add a new Run Shell Script action to the workflow. (drag the "Run Shell Script" object, highlighted in the screenshot, to the empty window on the right)
Configure the Workflow (Old Method)
Set the Pass Input to be as arguments
Paste the following in the input box:
open -n -b "com.microsoft.VSCode" --args "$*"
Save the action using a name like Open in Visual Studio Code.
You may now right-click on the folder and find your newly created task under Quick Actions.
The simplest solution is to create a Quick Action with Open Finder Items:
This way you don't need a shell script that might break with an OS update or VS Code update
Launch Automator and select Quick Action or File > New > Quick Action If Automator is already open.
Set Quick Action receives selected to files or folders and in to Finder.
Choose an Image (icon) select Choose.. and double click Visual Studio Code in the window that pops up, this will set your quick action icon to the same as VS Code
Add Open Finder Items, Choose open with as Other.. select Visual Studio Code and save your Quick Action as Open in VSCode optionally choose an Image for your Quick Action job done.
Finally just hit Cmd+S to save and name it Open with VSCode
Well you need to understand. macOS has different ways to do things than windows and initially it might be a challenge. For starters you start to make use of Terminal. its beautiful.
Now answering your question.
Open your VS code and then, press CMD + SHIFT + P, type shell command and select Install code command in path. Afterwards, navigate to any project from the terminal and type code . from the directory to launch the project using VS Code.
Using the new shortcuts app.
Download:https://github.com/gluedpixel/shortcuts
Or create it by yourself
Open Shortcuts app > Quick Actions
Change from receive any to Files and Folders
Add run shell script action
Paste the code open -n -b "com.microsoft.VSCode" --args "$*"
Change input to Shortcut input
Click on Shortcut input and set type to "Folder" & Get to File Path
There are some ways suggested here in the VS Code GitHub Issues tracker, but I would go with the first option of dragging the folder onto the app icon if you have VS Code icon in your dock!
If you really want to be able to do so from a right click, then this repository has a workflow solution. https://github.com/Sankra/OpenFolderInVSCode
Drag and drop the folder from Finder onto an empty VSCode window.
Found a way to achieve a 'Quick Action' that met my needs using the following steps using MacOS' Shortcuts app (No Automator needed):
if you are looking for screenshots as well, I wrote a small Notion page
Open the ‘Shortcuts’ app on your Mac
On the Left Pane, navigate to ‘Quick Actions’
On the top bar, press the ➕ button to add New Shortcut.
Click on ‘Any’ and change to ‘Files and Folders’ by selecting only those from the dropdown that appears on clicking the ‘Any’ field.
Click on ‘Action Library’ on the right pane and search for ‘shell’. Drag and drop the ‘Run Shell Script’ onto the main pane. This will add the action to the Shortcut’s flow.
In the shortcut details (on the right pane), make sure Use as Quick Action is ticked and so are ‘Finder’ and ‘Service Menu’.
In the newly added action called ‘Run Shell Script’ write “code “ and right-click to get the below pop-up, go ahead ‘Insert variable’ and then ‘Shortcut Input’.
Click on the ‘Shortcut Input’ tag that appears. A pop must appear, choose ‘File Path’ and just click anywhere else. This will change the tag to ‘File Path’.
Set ‘Pass Input:’ option to ‘as arguments’.
Be sure to set a cool name for your new Shortcut! I named mine a boring “Open in VSCode”.
Open a new ‘Finder’ Instance, right-click on a folder, go to ‘Quick Actions’ > ‘Customize...’
Make sure your Shortcut’s Name is selected. Exit the dialogue and Test!
There is a Terminal command named code, I would stick with it and you should get used to it as well if you are regularly using VS.
Follow the one-time setup with-in VS Code
Open your VS code and press ⌘ CMD + SHIFT + P
Type shell, and select Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH from the list
Open Terminal and hit any of the commands below:
code <path-to-folder>
OR
cd <path-to-folder>
code .
OR
cd <path-to-folder> && code .
I've actually managed to have it as an icon you can just add to the Finder window as such:
The script will allow you to open the current folder path in VSCode.
The steps to do so are:
Create a new Application with Automator
Select the "Run shell script" from the menu and drag it to the editor
Paste the following small script to the text area:
finderPath=`osascript -e 'tell application "Finder" to get the POSIX path of (target of front window as alias)'`
open -n -b "com.microsoft.VSCode" --args "$finderPath"
Save the Application to the Applications folder
Right click the app and drag and drop your desired VSCode icon to the blank area to the left of the name and close the Get Info window
Press and hold the Command key and drag the Application to an empty space in the Finder title row like in the picture
Test that it works by pressing on the icon. VSCode should now open with the content of the current folder in the navigation bar
Here is an alternative derived from the accepted answer.
Indeed the accepted solution by #jnovack just opens VS Code for me, but not the desired folder. If VS Code is already running it just switches the focus to a running instance of VS Code.
Solution
Provided that you have the code CLI command installed (if not, go to VS Code and do CMD+SHIT+P>"Shell Command: install 'code' in PATH")
Then open a terminal and run which code. You should get the code executable path looking somethin like /usr/local/bin/code
Then, as per #jnovack 's answer,
Open Automator
Create a new Document (CMD+N)
Create a new Quick Action
Workflow receives current files and folders from Finder.
Add a new Run Shell Script action to the workflow. (drag and drop the "Run Shell Script" object)
Pass input as arguments
Paste this code in the shell command field /usr/local/bin/code -n "$*" or replace with your path to the code executable if it differs from this one.
Save the action
Tbh. I would have expected to be able to use just code -n "$*", but for some reason, the PATH used by the automator's shell seems to be different from that used in the terminal. I'd welcome some input on that matter.
I find this to be the best solution out there:
https://github.com/RoadToDream/SzContext
I am using automation to open a file in an application (same as doing "open" from the File menu of iTunes to pick a file). In the past the file prompt would be available also to accept a string, but in the more recent version of OSX, I can't see how you pass a file.
The only thing that you can do is to choose the file with the mouse, but there is no text field to type the file name.
Is there a way to switch to the old file prompt? my automation sadly does not work anymore, since it is expecting a text field that is not there.
The open panel never supported an immediately visible text input field. You're probably thinking of the save panel.
That said, you can bring up a sheet that allows for text input by pressing Command-Shift-G. This is also the same keyboard combination as the Go > Go to Folder menu item in the Finder. In that sheet, you can type a Unix-style path to a file or folder. After you confirm the sheet, that file or folder will be selected in the dialog. You still have to confirm the dialog itself.
As a further shortcut, the Go sheet shows if you just start typing an absolute path, starting with either "/" or "~" (for the home folder).
Any other typing will perform type-to-select in the file list.
I'm writing NSE and I can't get the answers to the following questions:
Is there an easy way to show the standard "New" context submenu with all the same entires as for the normal file system folder? Or I have to add and process them manually?
How to show/use the system "New folder" button in the Explorer toolbar? Or again - I have to implement it myself?
I would like to use as much standard features as possible to have my NSE looks like the standard FS folder regardless of the Winsows version...
I would like to run a bash script whenever I double-click on an .indd file in OS X. Specifically, when the user double clicks the file, it would run this script in the Terminal:
open -a 'InDesign 5.5' myfile.indd
Of course, myfile.indd would be the file name. Is this possible?
Are you just trying to get all indd files to be opened by InDesign when you double-click them? You can associated files of a given type with a specific application by selecting the file, choose "Get Info" from the "File" menu, and expand the "Open with" pane. From there, select InDesign form the list of applications, click the "Change All..." button, and click OK.
I have got a choose file in my applescript. How do I change the title of the Choose a File window that comes up. I am aware of with prompt, but it doesn't change the title.
Edit: ulvund answered I'm afraid with prompt is the best you can do, but are there any other ways to get a choose file without applescript? Also, are there any hacks?
Edit 2: Red_Menace answered (look below) but are there any good tutorials on how to do this in Cocoa-Applescript?
P.S. Look at my comments.
Edit 3: I have put this into another question.
The dialog in plain AppleScript doesn't have that option, but you can access various Cocoa methods in Snow Leopard and Lion using AppleScriptObjC. In Lion, you can create a Cocoa-AppleScript Applet from the template in the AppleScript Editor, then create your own dialog, for example using NSOpenPanel.
I'm afraid with prompt is the best you can do:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=AppleScript/2.1/en/as309.html
An answer to the edited question: You can use Automator.
Ask for Finder Items action in Files & Folders library will show the choose file dialog. You can change the title of the dialog of this action.