Register URL handler for code scheme

[kalikiana]

code-server should be able to handle the code scheme, so URLs like vscode:extension/kayteh.plastic-slate such as used to install themes via a Open in VSCode button e.g. on the Plastic Slate theme page on VSCodeThemes.

Edit: not sure if we can handle code because the protocol must start with web+. Handling web+code-server might make sense though.

[nhooyr]

Given code-server doesn't run as an app locally, I'm not sure how we'd register for and handle such URLs.

[kalikiana]

Given code-server doesn't run as an app locally, I'm not sure how we'd register for and handle such URLs.

Using registerProtocolHandler the scheme can be mapped to a URL. Your browser will then confirm with the user that this is what they want.

[nhooyr]

Neat, didn't know that existed, thanks for sharing.

[stale]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no activity occurs in the next 5 days.

[bilogic]

I would have thought this is handled by vscode, is it still on the roadmap?

[code-asher]

It is not on the roadmap, and I am not sure if VS Code has added support for this. Does anyone know if it works in Codespaces?

[TamiTakamiya]

I am also interested in this feature. Though I have not tried it out by myself yet, according to the Codespaces documentation and this article on a similar topic, Codespaces has a special endpoint (https://*.github.dev/extension-auth-callback) for auth callback. Probably the endpoint forwards callbacks to individual URL handlers, which are written for regular VSCode.

[TamiTakamiya]

Update on this topic: For last few weeks, I have been working on enabling OAuth2 authorization code flow from our VSCode extension running in code-server and found vscode.env.asExternalUri could be used for the redirect URI as described in the Codespaces documentation, i.e., instead of using the raw code scheme like vscode://mycompany.feature, use an external URI obtained from vscode.env.asExternalUri('vscode://mycompany.feature'). The change needed to go in our VS Code extension code and this shows what I have changed.

While the changes on VS extension side were relatively simple, we needed to make some changes on the server side as well for (1) supporting wildcard in supported redirect URIs, and (2) making sure URI-encoded query parameters are processed properly. Since our server code is stored in a private repo, I cannot show those changes here. Anyway, I just wanted to say no changes were needed on code-server to make it work.

[bilogic]

@TamiTakamiya

Is there a way to call vscode.env.asExternalUri in my code-server without an extension?

[TamiTakamiya]

@TamiTakamiya

Is there a way to call vscode.env.asExternalUri in my code-server without an extension?

Hmm... I am not sure if it is possible...

I wrote a very primitive VS Code extension based on the "Hello World" sample on VS Code Documentation. Does it satisfy your needs?

The repo contains the vsix file and README contains a video on how to install/use it.

[bilogic]

@TamiTakamiya wow thanks! let me try it out shortly

[bilogic]

@TamiTakamiya

1. My project has a page that has a link vscode://file/path/to/my/file.txt
2. So I follow your video and entered vscode://file
3. However, the file did not open in my code-server when I click the link

Any ideas?

[TamiTakamiya]

@bilogic So far I have opened external URIs with our VSCode extensions.

When code-server is used, I think the scheme needs to be set to code-oss: instead of vscode:. By specifying code-oss://file/home/ttakamiy/test.txt on my sample extension, I got the following external URI:

http://localhost:8080/stable-d7a2b4936af1bfd80cb96f2567af68badc2325e3/callback?vscode-reqid%3D1%26vscode-scheme%3Dcode-oss%26vscode-authority%3Dfile%26vscode-path%3D%252Fhome%252Fttakamiy%252Ftest.txt

but this does not open the file in the editor... I am not sure if this is supposed to work.

[bilogic]

@TamiTakamiya thanks, so I have to specify the full path in your sample and not just the front part? Let me try again.

Update: I get a link now, but loading the link in my Chrome does not open the file in code-server

[bilogic]

Also related to #3891

[bilogic]

revisiting, this is definitely doable

1. https://developer.chrome.com/docs/web-platform/best-practices/url-protocol-handler
2. https://protocol-handler.glitch.me/ - install PWA and register handler
3. F12 to open your dev-tools, Applications, Manifest, Protcol hander
4. Enter as example web+coffee://americano, it will open the PWA installed in 1