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Features Overview

Tombo brings powerful Python package management capabilities directly to VS Code. Here's everything Tombo can do to supercharge your Python development workflow.

Core Features

Rich Hover Information

Get comprehensive package details without leaving your editor:

  • Package description - What the package does
  • Latest version - Current stable release
  • Python compatibility - Supported Python versions
  • Version history - Recent releases with dates
  • Quick links - Direct access to PyPI, docs, and source code
  • ⚠️ Deprecation warnings - Know if packages are deprecated

Example:

pyproject.toml
[project]
dependencies = [
    "requests",  # ← Hover here to see rich package info
]

What you see: 

📦 requests
HTTP library for Python

🏷️ Latest: 2.31.0 (Jul 12, 2023)
🐍 Python: >=3.7
📅 Recent: 2.31.0, 2.30.0, 2.29.0

🔗 PyPI | Documentation | GitHub

Intelligent Version Completion

Smart version suggestions as you type:

  • Real-time suggestions - Version completions as you type
  • Compatibility indicators - Visual cues for Python compatibility
  • Pre-release support - Optional alpha/beta/rc versions
  • Yanked version handling - Deprecated versions shown last
  • Constraint-aware - Understands >=, ~=, ^, etc.

Example:

pyproject.toml
[project]
dependencies = [
    "numpy>=",  # ← Type here, get version suggestions
]

Completion dropdown shows: 

1.24.3    ✅ (Latest stable)
1.24.2    ✅
1.24.1    ✅
1.25.0rc1 🚧 (Pre-release)
1.23.5    ❌ (Yanked)

Smart Caching System

Optimized performance with intelligent caching:

  • First lookup online - Fresh data from PyPI
  • Instant subsequent access - Lightning-fast from cache
  • Offline capability - Works without internet after first lookup
  • 90% API reduction - Dramatically fewer network requests
  • Configurable TTL - Customize cache duration
  • Memory + disk caching - Persists between sessions

Performance:

  • First hover: ~200-500ms (network dependent)
  • Cached hover: ~5-10ms (instant)
  • Cache hit rate: ~95% in typical usage

Universal Format Support

Works with all Python packaging standards:

pyproject.toml
[project]
dependencies = [
    "requests>=2.28.0",
    "numpy~=1.24",
]

[project.optional-dependencies]
dev = ["pytest>=7.0"]
pyproject.toml
[tool.poetry.dependencies]
python = "^3.9"
requests = "^2.28.0"
numpy = "~1.24"

[tool.poetry.group.dev.dependencies]
pytest = "^7.0"
pyproject.toml
[tool.poetry.dependencies]
python = "^3.9"
requests = "^2.28.0"
pandas = "pandas (>=2.0,<3.0)"  # Parentheses syntax
requirements.txt
requests>=2.28.0
numpy~=1.24.0
pytest>=7.0  # Development dependency

Advanced Features

Error Prevention

Catch common issues before they happen:

  • Version constraint validation - Invalid syntax highlighting
  • Python compatibility checking - Warns about incompatible versions
  • Deprecated package detection - Alerts for deprecated packages
  • Yanked version warnings - Prevents using withdrawn releases

Visual Indicators

Clear visual feedback in your editor:

  • ✅ Compatible versions - Green indicators for working versions
  • ❌ Incompatible versions - Red indicators for problematic versions
  • 🚧 Pre-release markers - Special indicators for alpha/beta/rc
  • ⚠️ Deprecation warnings - Alerts for deprecated packages
  • 📍 Status bar integration - Current operation status

Quick Actions

Right-click context menu actions:

  • Update to latest - One-click version updates
  • Change constraint type - Switch between >=, ~=, ^
  • Add optional dependency - Move to optional sections
  • View on PyPI - Open package page in browser
  • Copy version - Copy version strings to clipboard

Keyboard Shortcuts

Efficient keyboard-driven workflow:

Action Windows/Linux macOS Description
Hover Hover mouse Hover mouse Show package info
Completion Ctrl+Space Cmd+Space Trigger version completion
Go to Definition F12 F12 Open PyPI page
Quick Info Ctrl+K Ctrl+I Cmd+K Cmd+I Keyboard hover
Format Document Shift+Alt+F Shift+Option+F Format TOML/requirements

File Format Support

Supported File Types

Tombo automatically activates for these file patterns:

Pattern Description Example
pyproject.toml Modern Python projects PEP 621, Poetry, Hatch
requirements*.txt Pip requirements files requirements.txt, requirements-dev.txt
*.requirements Alternative requirements base.requirements
requirements*.in Pip-tools input files requirements.in
Pipfile Pipenv format Basic support
pyproject.lock Lock files Read-only support

Section Recognition

Tombo understands these dependency sections:

PEP 621:

  • project.dependencies - Runtime dependencies
  • project.optional-dependencies.* - Optional dependency groups

Poetry:

  • tool.poetry.dependencies - Runtime dependencies
  • tool.poetry.group.*.dependencies - Dependency groups
  • tool.poetry.dev-dependencies - Legacy dev dependencies

Requirements: - All lines with package specifications - Comments and blank lines ignored

Integration Features

VS Code Integration

  • Native completion provider - Seamless VS Code experience
  • Hover provider - Rich tooltips on hover
  • Status bar integration - Current operation feedback
  • Output panel logging - Debug information when needed
  • Command palette - Cache management commands

Network Features

  • Proxy support - Works with corporate proxies
  • Custom PyPI indexes - Support for private repositories
  • SSL/TLS handling - Secure HTTPS connections
  • Retry logic - Robust error handling
  • Rate limiting - Respectful API usage

Performance Features

  • Lazy loading - Only loads when needed
  • Background processing - Non-blocking operations
  • Memory management - Efficient resource usage
  • Bundle optimization - Small extension size (~250KB)
  • Startup optimization - Fast VS Code startup

Privacy & Security

Privacy First Design

  • Zero telemetry - No usage tracking
  • Local processing - Data stays on your machine
  • Optional networking - Only for package lookups
  • No accounts required - Works without registration

Security Features

  • HTTPS only - Secure PyPI connections
  • Input validation - Prevents malicious input
  • Source verification - Validates package data
  • ⚡ Minimal permissions - Least privilege principle

Extensibility

Configuration Options

Highly customizable through VS Code settings:

  • PyPI server URL - Use custom or corporate indexes
  • Cache settings - TTL, size limits, enable/disable
  • Visual preferences - Custom decorators and colors
  • Debug options - Logging levels and outputs
  • Network settings - Proxy, timeout, retry configuration

Developer API

For extension developers:

  • Well-documented architecture - Clean TypeScript codebase
  • Plugin system ready - Extensible provider pattern
  • Open source - MIT licensed, community contributions welcome
  • Modern stack - ES2021, TypeScript, modern VS Code APIs

What's Next?

Ready to dive deeper into specific features?

Or jump straight to hands-on examples: