dothttp-runner 1.0.69 - Smart CLI Selection & Stacked Headers Layout

June 13, 2026 · 2 min read

Prasanth

We're releasing dothttp-runner 1.0.69 with two changes: smarter CLI version selection using version.json, and a revised headers layout that stacks request and response headers vertically instead of side by side.

What's New#

Smart CLI Selection via version.json#

Previously, the extension found the dothttp CLI binary by checking a fixed priority list and returning the first match. This meant that if multiple binaries existed (extension-bundled, workspace-local, globally downloaded), the order was fixed regardless of which one was newer.

1.0.69 changes this by reading version.json from each candidate binary's install directory and selecting the newest version using semver comparison.

Selection priority:

Explicit user config — if dothttp.conf.path is set and the file exists, that binary is always used
Newest among all others — the extension scans the extension-bundled binary, the workspace-local binary, and the globally downloaded binary, reads their version.json, and picks the highest version

Version strings follow Python PEP 440 format (e.g. 0.0.44a33). The extension converts these to semver pre-release notation (0.0.44-a.33) internally for comparison.

Why this matters: When you manually update the dothttp CLI to a newer version than what shipped with the extension, the extension now picks up your newer installation automatically rather than defaulting to its own bundled binary.

Headers Layout: Top and Bottom#

The side-by-side columns introduced in 1.0.68 have been changed to a stacked vertical layout: Request Headers on top, Response Headers below.

The side-by-side layout worked well on wide displays but compressed the header name and value columns too much on narrower panels. The stacked layout gives each table the full width.

Technical Details#

Version Comparison#

The new compareCliVersions function in downloader.ts handles PEP 440 → semver conversion:

function compareCliVersions(a: string | undefined, b: string | undefined): number {
    const toSemver = (v: string | undefined) =>
        semver.coerce(v?.replace(/(\d)(a|b|rc)(\d)/, '$1-$2.$3')) ?? new semver.SemVer('0.0.0');
    return semver.compare(toSemver(a), toSemver(b));
}

Candidates without a version.json lose to any versioned candidate but retain their insertion order (extension-bundled first) among themselves.

New InstalledVersionInfo Interface#

A new InstalledVersionInfo interface exposes the full metadata from version.json:

export interface InstalledVersionInfo {
    version: string;
    dothttp_req: string;
    python: string;
    pyinstaller: string;
    platform: string;
    runner_os: string;
    runner_arch: string;
    build_id: string;
    build_number: string;
    commit: string;
    source: string;
}

Version: 1.0.69
Release Date: June 13, 2026
Download: VS Code Marketplace

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