reworked most of the code to be simpler, albeit also less powerful

.vscode/extensions.json

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+    // See https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=827846 to learn about workspace recommendations.
+    // Extension identifier format: ${publisher}.${name}. Example: vscode.csharp
+    // List of extensions which should be recommended for users of this workspace.
+    "recommendations": [
+        "ms-python.python", // micropy-cli: required for vscode micropython integrations
+        "VisualStudioExptTeam.vscodeintellicode" // micropy-cli: optional for advanced intellisense
+    ]
+}