> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://flowdeck.studio/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build Tasks (tasks.json)

> Configure custom build tasks with tasks.json

Build configurations define how to compile, run, and debug your code. They're specified through JSON files in the `.vscode` folder and tell Cursor how to execute build tasks for your project.

## Creating Your First Build Task

You can configure Cursor to run external tasks via `.vscode/tasks.json`. FlowDeck supports all build operations to be configured this way.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Command Palette">
    Press `⌘⇧B` to open the build task selector
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select default task">
    Choose the task you want to run by default
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configuration created">
    FlowDeck will create a `.vscode/tasks.json` with the selected configuration
  </Step>

  <Step title="Customize as needed">
    Add multiple tasks, assign different shortcuts, or run specific ones by default
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Basic Configuration

Here's a basic `tasks.json` configuration for FlowDeck:

```json theme={null}
{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "type": "flowdeck",
      "action": "build",
      "problemMatcher": [
        "$flowdeck-watch",
        "$flowdeck-xcodebuild-default",
        "$flowdeck-xcbeautify-errors",
        "$flowdeck-xcbeautify-warnings"
      ],
      "label": "flowdeck: build",
      "detail": "Build the app",
      "group": {
        "kind": "build",
        "isDefault": true
      }
    }
  ]
}
```

## Available Task Actions

FlowDeck supports the following actions in tasks:

| Action              | Description               |
| ------------------- | ------------------------- |
| `build`             | Build the project         |
| `build-and-run`     | Build and run the project |
| `run`               | Run without building      |
| `clean`             | Clean build artifacts     |
| `test`              | Run tests                 |
| `build-for-testing` | Build test targets        |

## Multiple Build Configurations

You can define multiple build tasks for different scenarios:

```json theme={null}
{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "type": "flowdeck",
      "action": "build",
      "label": "Debug Build",
      "detail": "Build with debug configuration",
      "group": {
        "kind": "build",
        "isDefault": true
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "flowdeck",
      "action": "build",
      "label": "Release Build",
      "detail": "Build with release configuration",
      "presentation": {
        "reveal": "always",
        "panel": "new"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "flowdeck",
      "action": "clean",
      "label": "Clean Build",
      "detail": "Clean all build artifacts"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Problem Matchers

FlowDeck includes several problem matchers to parse build output:

* `$flowdeck-watch` - Monitors for build system changes
* `$flowdeck-xcodebuild-default` - Parses standard Xcode build errors
* `$flowdeck-xcbeautify-errors` - Enhanced error formatting
* `$flowdeck-xcbeautify-warnings` - Enhanced warning formatting

## Task Groups

You can organize tasks into groups for easier access:

```json theme={null}
{
  "group": {
    "kind": "build",     // or "test"
    "isDefault": true    // Makes this the default for ⌘⇧B
  }
}
```

## Keyboard Shortcuts

After creating tasks, you can assign keyboard shortcuts:

1. Open **Keyboard Shortcuts** (`⌘K ⌘S`)
2. Search for "Tasks: Run Task"
3. Add a keybinding for your specific task

## Tips and Best Practices

* **Default Task** - Set one task as default for quick access with `⌘⇧B`
* **Presentation Options** - Control how output is displayed
* **Problem Matchers** - Use appropriate matchers for better error detection
* **Task Dependencies** - Chain tasks using the `dependsOn` property

<Info>
  For more information about tasks, see the [official documentation](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/tasks).
</Info>