cmake-gui-editor
A visual, lossless editor for CMakeLists.txt and *.cmake inside VS Code.
Open your CMake file in a GUI and edit common parts (version, project meta, target dependencies) without fighting syntax. Everything else is preserved byte-for-byte.
No managed regions. The whole file is parsed; unknown or complex bits are shown read-only and kept as-is.
Features
Open as a GUI
Right-click CMakeLists.txt → Open with CMake GUI (Visual), or run the command from the palette.
Full-file, lossless round-trip
Parses the entire file into segments; only rewrites fields you change. Comments, functions, and unusual commands are preserved verbatim.
Project metadata editing
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION …)project(<name> LANGUAGES CXX)set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD …) (+ ensures CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON when inserting)
Target dependencies
Pick a target from a dropdown and edit its target_link_libraries(...) in a simple textarea. Existing libs are pre-populated.
Unsupported/Unparsed section (read-only)
Shows the parts we don’t yet model. Comments and blanks are filtered out so this stays useful—not noisy.
Clean diff & apply flow
Clicking Apply shows a single, in-memory diff tab (no temp files left behind). Confirm to write changes.
Explorer & editor context menu
Quick access to the GUI from the file tree, the editor title, and the editor context menu.
Getting started
- Open a workspace with a
CMakeLists.txt.
- Right-click the file → Open with CMake GUI (Visual)
or Ctrl+Shift+P → CMake GUI: Open Visual Editor.
- Edit project fields or select a target and update its libraries.
- Click Apply → review the diff → Apply to save.
How it works
- The extension tokenizes the file into commands and raw spans while tracking byte offsets.
- It builds a small model (project meta, targets,
target_link_libraries) and surfaces a list of targets.
- On Apply, only the relevant commands are replaced or inserted in place; all other text is left untouched.
- The diff is powered by an in-memory content provider, so no stray tabs or temp files remain after you apply/cancel.
Supported edits (MVP)
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION …)project(<name> LANGUAGES CXX)set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD …) (+ inserts CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON when needed)target_link_libraries(<target> …) for a selected target
– Replaces existing block if present, otherwise inserts right after that target’s add_executable/add_library.
Everything else is preserved. Common commands like target_include_directories, target_compile_definitions, install, option, add_subdirectory, find_package, control flow, custom functions/macros, etc., are considered supported for preservation and won’t clutter the “Unsupported” panel.
Commands
- CMake GUI: Open Visual Editor
cmake-gui-editor.openVisual – Opens the current/selected CMake file in the GUI.
Context menus added:
- Explorer → Open with CMake GUI (Visual)
- Editor title/context → Open with CMake GUI (Visual)
Tip: Bind a key if you like: Keyboard Shortcuts → search for “CMake GUI: Open Visual Editor”.
Requirements
- VS Code
^1.103.0
- No required dependencies.
Optional: CMake Tools if you want configure/build/debug features; this extension focuses purely on editing CMake files.
Extension settings
None yet. Sensible defaults are used.
Known issues
- Target detection is conservative. Unusual target definitions (generated names, heavy macro indirection) may not appear in the target dropdown.
- Dependencies editing currently handles a single
target_link_libraries block per target. Multiple scattered tll blocks are replaced by a single normalized block.
- Formatting of the rewritten commands is normalized (indents inside
tll are consistent) and may not match your previous whitespace exactly—only for the commands you’ve changed.
- Very exotic bracket-arguments or deeply nested custom macro structures might confuse the simple balanced-parentheses scanner. Please file examples.
Troubleshooting
- The GUI command doesn’t appear: ensure the workspace contains a
CMakeLists.txt. Reload the window if you just installed the extension.
- Webview is blank: open “Help → Toggle Developer Tools” and check that
media/index.html and media/app.js were packaged. Ensure "files" in package.json includes dist/** and media/**.
- No targets listed: confirm your targets are defined with
add_executable or add_library using standard syntax. If you use macros to wrap these, share a snippet in an issue.
Release notes
0.1.0
- First public preview
- Visual editor for project meta and per-target dependencies
- Clean in-memory diff and apply flow
- Explorer/editor context menu entries
Roadmap
- Edit include directories, compile definitions, and compile options
- Multi-target editing in one view
- Smarter parsing of macro-wrapped targets
- Optional formatting preservation heuristics for replaced blocks
License
MIT
