The editor is a developer's most important tool, and spending a few hours customizing it can save hundreds of hours over a year. After noticing several repetitive tasks in my daily workflow, I decided to build and publish my own Visual Studio Code extension.
The Extension API provided by Microsoft is incredibly robust, allowing you to hook into almost every aspect of the editor lifecycle. From text manipulation commands to custom sidebar webviews, the ability to tailor the IDE to specific project needs is a game-changer.
If you find yourself running the same complex regex replacements, or switching context to check project metrics, I highly recommend diving into the TypeScript documentation for VS Code extensions and building your own automation.