The latest articles on Forem by Shemeer Shamsudeen (@shemeerns). https://forem.com/shemeerns https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3688599%2F453da4ce-1eb2-43fd-b57d-6b4e10f38d8e.png https://forem.com/shemeerns en Shemeer Shamsudeen Tue, 13 Jan 2026 19:11:38 +0000 https://forem.com/shemeerns/color-picker-tool-for-visual-studio-j4p https://forem.com/shemeerns/color-picker-tool-for-visual-studio-j4p <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fytjhwptcclqqz7nlngbw.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fytjhwptcclqqz7nlngbw.png" alt="Color Picker for Visual Studio" width="800" height="1293"></a></p> <p>Working with colors in Visual Studio often means switching between tools, browsers, or external color pickers.<br> To reduce that friction, I built an <strong>inline Color Picker extension for Visual Studio.</strong></p> <h2> What it does </h2> <ul> <li>Highlights colors inline in the editor</li> <li>Provides a dockable Color Picker window</li> <li>Supports multiple color formats (HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, LAB, OKLAB, etc.)</li> <li>Includes Eyedropper, Color Canvas, Web Colors, and Favorites</li> <li>Allows quick editing, conversion, and insertion of colors</li> <li>Optimized to handle large files gracefully</li> </ul> <h3> Adoption &amp; Community Support </h3> <p>This extension has seen meaningful use across Visual Studio versions:</p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ShemeerNS.ColorPicker" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visual Studio 2019</a>: <strong>115K+ downloads</strong>, <strong>69 votes</strong> </li> <li> <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ShemeerNS.ColorPickerTool" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visual Studio 2022 and later</a>: <strong>19K+ downloads</strong>, <strong>16 votes</strong> </li> </ul> <p>Thanks to everyone who has downloaded the tool and shared feedback!</p> <h3> Links </h3> <ul> <li>Plugin Home: <a href="https://shemeerns.com/plugins/color-picker/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://shemeerns.com/plugins/color-picker/</a> </li> <li>Visual Studio Marketplace: <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ShemeerNS.ColorPickerTool" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ShemeerNS.ColorPickerTool</a> </li> </ul> <p>Feedback and suggestions are welcome. If you like it, a Marketplace review would really help.</p> visualstudio webdev uidesign productivity Shemeer Shamsudeen Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:25:29 +0000 https://forem.com/shemeerns/how-a-small-visual-studio-extension-reached-79000-installs-2p70 https://forem.com/shemeerns/how-a-small-visual-studio-extension-reached-79000-installs-2p70 <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fwohm8x6z5pyysb1fny3u.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fwohm8x6z5pyysb1fny3u.png" alt="File Path On Footer showing the active document path in the Visual Studio footer" width="646" height="196"></a></p> <p>As developers, we spend a surprising amount of time dealing with file paths-logging them, sharing them, debugging issues, or navigating large solutions.</p> <p>While working on large Visual Studio solutions, I often found myself repeatedly needing the <strong>full file path of the active document</strong>. The workflow was always a bit clunky: right-clicks, properties, or switching context just to copy a path.</p> <p>So I built a small Visual Studio extension:<br> <strong>File Path On Footer</strong></p> <h2> What the extension does </h2> <p>The extension displays the <strong>full file path of the currently open document directly in the Visual Studio or SSMS footer</strong>. The path is always visible, automatically updated, and can be customized through multiple configuration options to control its appearance and behavio</p> <p>No commands.<br> No context switching.<br> Just information where you already are.</p> <h2> Adoption &amp; validation </h2> <p>What started as a small productivity tool has grown beyond expectations:</p> <ul> <li><strong>79,000+ installs</strong></li> <li><strong>4.9 ⭐ rating (63 reviews)</strong></li> </ul> <p>Used daily by developers across different teams and projects</p> <p>Marketplace link:<br> <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ShemeerNS.FilePathOnFooter" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ShemeerNS.FilePathOnFooter</a></p> <p>More details:<br> <a href="https://shemeerns.com/plugins/file-path-on-footer/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://shemeerns.com/plugins/file-path-on-footer/</a></p> <h2> Lessons learned </h2> <p>A few takeaways from this journey:</p> <ul> <li>Small UX improvements compound over time</li> <li>Developer tools succeed when they disappear into the workflow</li> <li>Listening to user feedback early significantly improves adoption</li> </ul> <h2> What’s next </h2> <p>I’m continuing to maintain and refine the extension based on feedback. If you have suggestions or ideas, I’d genuinely like to hear them.</p> <p>If you find it useful, feel free to leave a review - it helps more than you might think.</p> visualstudio developertools productivity ssms