cherrybomb

cherrybomb is a Visual Studio Code extension designed to help you quickly tag sections of code as technical debt and automatically create Jira issues in corresponding Jira projects. It streamlines the process of capturing technical debt by integrating seamlessly into your development workflow, reducing context switching and ensuring that important code quality issues are tracked directly in Jira.

Features

• Quick Tagging:

  Highlight code in the editor and click the status bar icon to mark it as technical debt.

• Jira Integration:

  Automatically create a Jira issue with details such as the highlighted code, file path, and line numbers.

• Interactive Webview Form:

  Upon activation, a webview form is presented that allows you to select a Jira project, enter an issue title and description, and review contextual information (e.g., file name and line span).

• Private Distribution:

  Designed for internal use, cherrybomb can be shared privately within your organization without publishing it to the public VS Code Marketplace.

When and Why to Use cherrybomb

• Technical Debt Management:

  Use cherrybomb to capture and track technical debt directly from your code editor. This makes it easier for teams to prioritize refactoring and maintain code quality.

• Seamless Workflow:

  Instead of manually switching to Jira and copy‑pasting code snippets and context, cherrybomb allows you to create issues with a few clicks, ensuring all relevant context is attached automatically.

• Internal Process Standardization:

  If your organization has a defined process for managing technical debt, cherrybomb provides a consistent and efficient way to integrate that process directly into developers’ daily workflow.

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio Code (version 1.70.0 or higher recommended)

• Node.js and npm installed

• A Jira account with API access (Jira Cloud is recommended)

• The VS Code Extension Manager installed

  npm install -g vsce
  

Installation

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://your-internal-repository/cherrybomb.git
   cd cherrybomb
   

2. Install Dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Configure Environment Variables:

   Create a .env file in the root of the extension with the following content:

   JIRA_DOMAIN=https://your-jira-instance.atlassian.net
   [email protected]
   JIRA_API_TOKEN=your-jira-api-token
   

   • Replace your-jira-instance in the JIRA_DOMAIN variable with your unique company or personal Jira instance name, e.g., https://cherrybomb.atlassian.net.

   • Ensure the email you are using is the same as the one you use to log in to your Jira instance, e.g., [email protected].

   • To generate an API token, visit https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens, then click "Create API token".

     • Give your new token a unique name that is obvious to you, such as cherrybomb.
     • Set the expiration date for as long as you expect to use the extension. (Note: Jira tokens can last no longer than one year.)

4. Compile the Extension (if using TypeScript):

   npm run compile
   

5. Package the Extension:

   If you have installed the VSCE tool globally:

   vsce package
   

   Or using npx (if you haven’t installed it globally):

   npx vsce package
   

   This creates a .vsix file (e.g., cherrybomb-0.0.1.vsix) in your root directory.

6. Install the VSIX File in VS Code:

• Open VS Code.

• Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) or select the Extensions icon in the left sidebar. From the … menu, select Install from VSIX…

• Browse to and select the generated .vsix file.

  Alternatively, you can drag and drop the .vsix file onto the VS Code window.

How to Use cherrybomb

1. Open VS Code:

   Once installed, cherrybomb automatically activates on startup. A status bar item with a smiley icon and the label "Tag Tech Debt" will appear on the left side of the status bar.

2. Select Code:

   In any open file, highlight the code you want to tag as technical debt.

3. Trigger the Extension:

   Click the "Tag Tech Debt" status bar item. This launches the cherrybomb command, which gathers context (such as the selected text, file name, and line numbers) and opens an interactive webview form.

4. Fill Out the Webview Form:

   • Project Selection: Choose a Jira project from the dropdown list (populated with available active projects from Jira).
   • Issue Title & Description: Enter the title and description for the Jira issue.
   • Contextual Information: The form displays read-only data (file name and line span) to help you verify the context.

5. Submit: Click the Submit button in the webview form. cherrybomb then calls the Jira API to create an issue in the selected Jira project using the collected information. You will receive a confirmation message upon successful creation.

When/Why to Use cherrybomb

When:

• You’re working on a codebase and identify sections of code that need refactoring or further review.
• You want to seamlessly track technical debt without leaving your editor.

Why:

• It reduces manual steps, minimizes context switching, and ensures consistent tracking of technical debt issues.
• It helps maintain code quality by integrating directly with your project’s issue tracking system (Jira).
• It standardizes the process of capturing technical debt across your engineering team.

Troubleshooting

Environment Variables:

• If the extension fails to load Jira configuration, verify that your .env file is in the extension’s root and correctly formatted.

Jira API Errors:

• If issues occur during Jira issue creation, check your Jira credentials, API token, and ensure that the issue type and project settings in your Jira instance are valid.

Webview Issues:

• If the webview form isn’t displaying correctly or the dropdown isn’t responsive, open the Developer Tools (via Developer: Toggle Developer Tools in VS Code) to inspect console logs and verify that the DOM is fully loaded.

Contributing

If you would like to contribute to cherrybomb, please fork the repository and submit a pull request. For any issues or feature requests, please contact the maintainers at [your support channel/email].

License

This extension is licensed under the MIT License.

cherrybomb` was created by Ben Parisot.