add-extension-settings

Add Extension Settings

Add a settings page to your Command Palette extension using the built-in settings helpers. Settings are automatically persisted and restored by the extension host.

When to Use This Skill

• Adding user-configurable options to your extension
• Creating toggle switches for features
• Adding text input fields for configuration
• Creating dropdown menus for option selection
• Persisting user preferences across sessions

Quick Start

Step 1: Create a Settings Manager

Create a new file SettingsManager.cs:

using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions;
using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions.Toolkit;

namespace YourExtension;

internal sealed class SettingsManager
{
    private readonly Settings _settings;

    public SettingsManager()
    {
        _settings = new Settings();

        var maxResults = new TextSetting(
            "maxResults",
            "Maximum Results",
            "Maximum number of results to display",
            "10");

        var showSubtitles = new ToggleSetting(
            "showSubtitles",
            "Show Subtitles",
            "Display subtitle text under each result",
            true);

        var sortOrder = new ChoiceSetSetting(
            "sortOrder",
            "Sort Order",
            "How to sort results",
            [
                new ChoiceSetSetting.Choice("Alphabetical", "alpha"),
                new ChoiceSetSetting.Choice("Most Recent", "recent"),
                new ChoiceSetSetting.Choice("Most Used", "frequent"),
            ],
            "alpha");

        _settings.AddSetting(maxResults);
        _settings.AddSetting(showSubtitles);
        _settings.AddSetting(sortOrder);

        // React to settings changes
        _settings.SettingsChanged += OnSettingsChanged;
    }

    public ICommandSettings Settings => _settings;

    public int MaxResults => int.TryParse(
        _settings.GetSetting<string>("maxResults"), out var val) ? val : 10;

    public bool ShowSubtitles =>
        _settings.GetSetting<bool>("showSubtitles");

    public string SortOrder =>
        _settings.GetSetting<string>("sortOrder") ?? "alpha";

    private void OnSettingsChanged(object? sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        // React to settings changes (e.g., refresh data)
    }
}

Step 2: Wire into CommandProvider

In your CommandsProvider, expose the settings:

public partial class MyCommandsProvider : CommandProvider
{
    private readonly SettingsManager _settingsManager = new();
    private readonly ICommandItem[] _commands;

    public MyCommandsProvider()
    {
        DisplayName = "My Extension";
        Icon = IconHelpers.FromRelativePath("Assets\\StoreLogo.png");
        Settings = _settingsManager.Settings; // This exposes settings to CmdPal
        _commands = [
            new CommandItem(new MyPage(_settingsManager)) { Title = DisplayName },
        ];
    }

    public override ICommandItem[] TopLevelCommands() => _commands;
}

Step 3: Use Settings in Pages

internal sealed partial class MyPage : ListPage
{
    private readonly SettingsManager _settings;

    public MyPage(SettingsManager settings)
    {
        _settings = settings;
    }

    public override IListItem[] GetItems()
    {
        var items = GetAllItems();
        return items.Take(_settings.MaxResults).ToArray();
    }
}

Setting Types

Type	UI Control	Value Type	Constructor Parameters
ToggleSetting	Toggle switch	bool	(id, label, description, defaultValue)
TextSetting	Text input	string	(id, label, description, defaultValue)
ChoiceSetSetting	Dropdown	string	(id, label, description, choices[], defaultValue)

Key Points

• Settings are automatically persisted by the CmdPal host
• Use SettingsChanged event to react to changes in real-time
• Access values via GetSetting<T>(id) with the setting's string id
• Pass the settings manager to pages/commands that need configuration
• Settings page appears automatically when Settings is set on CommandProvider

Grouping Settings

For extensions with many settings, organize them into logical groups:

public SettingsManager()
{
    _settings = new Settings();

    // Appearance group
    var theme = new ChoiceSetSetting("theme", "Theme", "UI theme",
        [
            new ChoiceSetSetting.Choice("Light", "light"),
            new ChoiceSetSetting.Choice("Dark", "dark"),
            new ChoiceSetSetting.Choice("System", "system"),
        ],
        "system");

    var fontSize = new TextSetting("fontSize", "Font Size", "Display font size", "14");

    // Behavior group
    var autoRefresh = new ToggleSetting("autoRefresh", "Auto-Refresh",
        "Automatically refresh results", true);

    var refreshInterval = new TextSetting("refreshInterval", "Refresh Interval",
        "Seconds between auto-refreshes", "30");

    _settings.AddSetting(theme);
    _settings.AddSetting(fontSize);
    _settings.AddSetting(autoRefresh);
    _settings.AddSetting(refreshInterval);
}

Reacting to Changes

Use the SettingsChanged event to update behavior when the user modifies settings:

private void OnSettingsChanged(object? sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // Invalidate cached data
    _cachedItems = null;

    // Notify pages to refresh
    OnItemsChanged?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}

Documentation

• SampleSettingsPage.cs