vscode-icons

Pros of vscode-material-icon-theme

• More extensive icon set with over 1000 icons, covering a wider range of file types and technologies
• Regular updates and active maintenance, ensuring compatibility with new file types and VS Code versions
• Customizable icon associations and folder colors, allowing users to tailor the theme to their preferences

Cons of vscode-material-icon-theme

• Less visually distinctive compared to vscode-icons' unique and artistic designs
• May have a steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with Material Design iconography
• Larger extension size due to the extensive icon set, potentially impacting load times

Code Comparison

vscode-material-icon-theme:

"iconDefinitions": {
  "_file": {
    "iconPath": "./icons/file.svg"
  },
  "_folder": {
    "iconPath": "./icons/folder.svg"
  }
}

vscode-icons:

"iconDefinitions": {
  "file": {
    "iconPath": "./icons/file.png"
  },
  "folder": {
    "iconPath": "./icons/folder.png"
  }
}

Both extensions use similar JSON structures for icon definitions, but vscode-material-icon-theme uses SVG files for scalable icons, while vscode-icons uses PNG files for its unique artistic designs.

Pros of Atom File Icons

• Larger icon set with over 1,500 icons
• Supports more file types and languages out of the box
• Customizable icon associations via config files

Cons of Atom File Icons

• Limited to Atom editor, less flexible across different IDEs
• May have performance impact in large projects due to extensive icon set
• Less frequent updates compared to VS Code Icons

Code Comparison

VS Code Icons:

"iconDefinitions": {
  "_file": {
    "iconPath": "./icons/file.svg"
  },
  "_folder": {
    "iconPath": "./icons/folder.svg"
  }
}

Atom File Icons:

.icon-file-text[data-name$=".js"]:before {
  font-family: "Devicons";
  content: "\E64E";
}

The VS Code Icons project uses a JSON-based configuration for icon definitions, while Atom File Icons utilizes CSS/Less for styling icons. VS Code Icons focuses on simplicity and ease of customization, whereas Atom File Icons offers more granular control over icon associations through its extensive CSS rules.

Both projects aim to enhance the visual experience of code editors by providing file and folder icons. While VS Code Icons is tailored for Visual Studio Code, offering a streamlined approach, Atom File Icons provides a more comprehensive set of icons with greater customization options, albeit limited to the Atom editor.