ASSOUN - Flutter Package Manager for VS Code

🚀 A lightweight VS Code extension that helps Flutter developers quickly search, preview, and install pub.dev dependencies without leaving the editor.

✨ Features

🔍 Smart Package Search

• Visual Search Interface: Beautiful WebView-based package browser with real-time search
• Instant Results: Search pub.dev packages as you type with intelligent debouncing
• Detailed Package Pages: Click any package to view complete details including all versions, dependencies, tags, and statistics
• Copy to Clipboard: Quickly copy installation commands, YAML snippets, and import statements

📦 Easy Package Management

• One-Click Installation: Add packages to pubspec.yaml directly from search results or package details
• Automatic pub get: Automatically runs flutter pub get after adding packages
• Version Management: Smart version constraint handling (uses ^ prefix automatically)
• Remove Packages: Easy package removal with confirmation dialogs
• Package Information: View descriptions, homepage, repository, and pub.dev links

📝 Auto-Import Integration

• Smart Imports: Automatically adds import statements to your Dart files after installation
• Multiple Import Options: Choose from common import patterns or specify custom paths
• Import Detection: Prevents duplicate imports intelligently

🌳 Package TreeView

• Sidebar Integration: Dedicated ASSOUN sidebar in the Activity Bar
• Installed Packages View: See all dependencies and dev_dependencies with their versions
• Dependency Types: Clear icons distinguishing between regular (📦) and dev (🔧) dependencies
• Quick Actions: Refresh, search, and view details with toolbar buttons
• Real-time Updates: Automatically updates when pubspec.yaml changes

🔄 Update Detection

• Updates View: Separate view showing packages with available updates
• Version Comparison: See current version → latest version for each package
• Package Scores: View likes, popularity scores, and points for each package
• Bulk Updates: Update individual packages or all at once
• Check Updates: Manual refresh to check for new versions

⚡ Flutter CLI Integration

• Seamless Commands: Run Flutter commands directly from VS Code
• Progress Indicators: Visual feedback for long-running operations
• Output Channel: Dedicated output channel for Flutter command logs
• Flutter Detection: Automatically checks if Flutter is installed
• Network Resilience: Automatic retry on network failures (3 attempts with increasing delays)

🎯 Usage

1. Search for Packages

Method 1: Command Palette

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
2. Type "ASSOUN: Search Flutter Packages"
3. A search interface opens with popular Flutter packages
4. Type your search query (e.g., http, provider, dio)
5. Click on any package card to view full details
6. Click "📦 Install [version]" button to add it to your project

Method 2: From Sidebar

1. Click the ASSOUN icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar)
2. Click the 🔍 Search icon in the "Installed Packages" view toolbar
3. The search interface opens

2. View Package Details

1. From search results, click on any package card
2. The details page shows:
   • Package name, description, and publication date
   • Score metrics (likes, points, popularity bar)
   • Installation button with latest version
   • Links to homepage, repository, and pub.dev
   • Copy-ready installation commands (YAML, CLI, Import)
   • List of available versions (latest 15 shown)
   • Package dependencies (if any)
   • Platform and SDK tags
3. Click the "← Back to Search" button to return

3. Add Package by Name

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Type "ASSOUN: Add Package to pubspec.yaml"
3. Enter the package name (e.g., http, provider, dio)
4. The package is automatically added and flutter pub get runs

4. View Installed Packages

1. Click the ASSOUN icon in the Activity Bar
2. The "Installed Packages" view displays:
   • 📦 Dependencies: Your main project dependencies
   • 🔧 Dev Dependencies: Development-only dependencies
   • Each item shows package name and current version
3. Click the ℹ️ icon next to any package to view its details
4. Click the 🔄 Refresh icon to reload the package list

5. Check for Updates

1. In the ASSOUN sidebar, switch to the "Updates Available" view
2. Click the 🔄 Check for Updates icon in the toolbar
3. Packages with newer versions will appear showing:
   • Current version → Latest version
   • Package score and popularity
4. To update a single package: Click the ⬆️ icon next to it
5. To update all packages: Click the ☁️ Update All icon in the toolbar

6. Remove a Package

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Type "ASSOUN: Remove Package"
3. Select the package to remove from the dropdown list
4. Confirm the removal in the dialog
5. The package is removed from pubspec.yaml and flutter pub get runs

7. Copy Installation Info

From any package details page, click "Copy" buttons to copy:

• YAML format: package_name: ^1.0.0 for pasting into pubspec.yaml
• CLI command: flutter pub add package_name for terminal execution
• Import statement: import 'package:package_name/package_name.dart'; for Dart files

🎨 Interface

ASSOUN Sidebar

The extension adds a dedicated section in the Activity Bar with two tree views:

📦 Installed Packages View

• Lists all packages from your pubspec.yaml
• Separates dependencies (📦) and dev_dependencies (🔧)
• Shows current version for each package
• Toolbar Actions:
  • 🔄 Refresh: Reload package list
  • 🔍 Search: Open package search interface
• Item Actions:
  • ℹ️ Show Details: View package information

🔄 Updates Available View

• Shows only packages with newer versions available
• Displays: package_name (current → latest)
• Shows score and popularity metrics
• Toolbar Actions:
  • 🔄 Check Updates: Scan for new versions
  • ☁️ Update All: Update all packages at once
• Item Actions:
  • ⬆️ Update: Update individual package

Search Interface

The WebView-based search interface features:

• Search Bar: Type to search pub.dev in real-time
• Package Cards: Each card shows:
  • Package name and latest version
  • Description
  • Homepage and pub.dev links
  • "Add Package" button
• Infinite Scroll: Automatically loads more results as you scroll
• Loading Indicators: Shows progress and retry options on errors

Package Details Page

Click any package to see:

• Header: Name, description, publication date
• Metrics: Likes, score points, and popularity bar
• Install Button: Large button showing version to install
• Links: Homepage, Repository, pub.dev
• Installation Instructions:
  • YAML snippet with Copy button
  • CLI command with Copy button
  • Import statement with Copy button
• Available Versions: List of recent versions (shows 15 most recent)
• Dependencies: JSON view of package dependencies (if any)
• Tags: Platform and SDK compatibility tags

⚙️ Requirements

• VS Code: Version 1.106.0 or higher
• Flutter SDK: Must be installed and accessible in PATH
• Flutter Project: A workspace with a pubspec.yaml file

📋 Commands

Command	Description	Access
ASSOUN: Search Flutter Packages	Open visual package search interface	Command Palette, Sidebar toolbar
ASSOUN: Add Package to pubspec.yaml	Add a package by entering its name	Command Palette
ASSOUN: Remove Package	Remove an installed package	Command Palette
ASSOUN: Refresh Package List	Refresh the installed packages view	Sidebar toolbar
ASSOUN: Run Flutter Pub Get	Manually run flutter pub get	Command Palette
ASSOUN: Show Package Details	View detailed information about a package	Package item context menu
ASSOUN: Check for Updates	Scan for available package updates	Updates view toolbar
ASSOUN: Update Package	Update a specific package to its latest version	Update item inline button
ASSOUN: Update All Packages	Update all packages with available updates	Updates view toolbar

🐛 Troubleshooting

Extension doesn't activate

• Ensure you're in a Flutter workspace with a pubspec.yaml file
• Reload VS Code window (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window")

Packages not showing in sidebar

• Click the 🔄 Refresh icon in the Installed Packages view
• Verify your pubspec.yaml is valid YAML syntax
• Check that dependencies are properly indented

"Flutter not found" error

• Ensure Flutter SDK is installed on your system
• Verify flutter command is accessible in your PATH
• Run flutter --version in terminal to confirm installation

Search timeouts or network errors

• The extension automatically retries failed requests 3 times
• Check your internet connection
• pub.dev API may be temporarily unavailable - try again later
• Timeout is set to 30 seconds with automatic retry delays (1s, 2s, 3s)

Package clicks not working

• This issue was fixed in the latest version
• Reload VS Code to apply updates
• If problem persists, close and reopen the search panel

Updates view shows no packages

• Click 🔄 Check for Updates to scan for new versions
• Ensure you have an internet connection
• Some packages may already be on their latest versions

🛠️ Development

npm install           # Install dependencies
npm run watch         # Watch mode (auto-compile)
npm run compile       # Compile once
npm test             # Run tests
vsce package         # Package extension

📝 Roadmap

• Visual package search with real-time results
• Package details page with version history
• Update detection and bulk updates
• Network resilience with automatic retry
• Dependency graph visualization
• Multi-workspace project support
• Offline package cache
• Package list export/import
• Private package repository support
• Integration with pub.dev analytics
• AI-powered package recommendations

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add: Amazing Feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/assoun-dev/assoun.git
cd assoun
npm install
npm run watch  # Start compilation in watch mode

Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

👨‍💻 Author

ASSOUN Team

• GitHub: @assoun-dev

🙏 Acknowledgments

• pub.dev API for package data
• Flutter community for inspiration
• VS Code Extension API for the framework

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Enjoy faster Flutter development with ASSOUN! 🚀

If you find this extension helpful, please consider giving it a ⭐ on GitHub!