OpenFOAM Language Support for VS Code
Syntax highlighting, hover documentation, auto-completion, and an interactive inspector panel for OpenFOAM case files.
Features
Syntax Highlighting
Token-aware coloring for the full OpenFOAM dictionary format:
FoamFile header fields- Keywords:
ddtSchemes, SIMPLE, PIMPLE, solvers, relaxationFactors, …
- Scheme names:
Gauss, linearUpwind, vanLeer, CrankNicolson, …
- Turbulence models:
kOmegaSST, SpalartAllmaras, Smagorinsky, WALE, …
- Boundary conditions:
fixedValue, zeroGradient, kqRWallFunction, nutkWallFunction, …
- Linear solvers and preconditioners:
GAMG, PCG, PBiCGStab, DIC, DILU, …
- Decomposition methods:
scotch, simple, hierarchical, …
- Dimension sets
[kg m s K mol A cd], vectors (x y z), numbers, booleans
$variable references and #include directives
Hover Documentation
Hover over any keyword to get a description, valid values, and usage examples. Covered topics include:
| Category |
Examples |
| Time schemes |
Euler, backward, CrankNicolson, steadyState, localEuler |
| Gradient schemes |
Gauss linear, leastSquares, cellLimited |
| Divergence schemes |
Gauss linearUpwind, Gauss vanLeer, Gauss LUST |
| Laplacian / snGrad |
corrected, limited corrected 0.333, uncorrected |
| fvSolution algorithms |
SIMPLE, PIMPLE, PISO, FLUID |
| Linear solvers |
GAMG, PCG, PBiCGStab, smoothSolver, diagonal |
| Preconditioners |
DIC, DILU, FDIC |
| Smoothers |
GaussSeidel, symGaussSeidel, DICGaussSeidel |
| RANS models |
kOmegaSST, kEpsilon, SpalartAllmaras, realizableKE, v2f |
| LES models |
Smagorinsky, WALE, dynamicKEqn, DDES, DES |
| Boundary conditions |
fixedValue, inletOutlet, totalPressure, fixedFluxPressure, all wall functions |
| Patch types |
wall, cyclic, cyclicAMI, symmetry, empty, wedge, processor |
| Decomposition |
scotch, simple, hierarchical, manual |
| snappyHexMesh |
All sub-dicts: castellatedMeshControls, snapControls, addLayersControls, … |
| blockMesh |
hex, simpleGrading, arc, spline, mergePatchPairs |
| Transport / thermo |
Newtonian, powerLaw, perfectGas, janaf, sensibleEnthalpy |
| Fields |
U, p, k, epsilon, omega, nut, T, alpha1, … |
| Function objects |
forces, forceCoeffs, probes, yPlus, wallShearStress, fieldAverage, … |
| controlDict |
Every control keyword with valid options and defaults |
Auto-Completion
Context-aware completions with snippet templates:
- Inside
ddtSchemes { } → offers Euler, backward, CrankNicolson, …
- Inside
gradSchemes { } → offers Gauss linear, leastSquares, cellLimited, …
- Inside
divSchemes { } → offers Gauss <scheme> variants
- Inside
solvers { } → offers solver names and required keywords
- Inside
SIMPLE { } / PIMPLE { } → offers algorithm-specific keywords
- Inside
RAS { } → lists all RANS model names
- Inside
boundaryField { } → lists boundary condition types
- Inside
controlDict → all control keywords with defaults
Outline View
Hierarchical document structure in the Explorer sidebar (Ctrl+Shift+O). Colored icons indicate block type (scheme, solver, boundary, mesh, …).
Inspector Panel
A visual horizontal tree of any open OpenFOAM dictionary — blocks as collapsible pills, parameters as cards with inline editable values and boolean toggles.
Open with: Ctrl+Shift+P → OpenFOAM: Open Inspector
Or click the $(file-code) OpenFOAM status bar item.
The panel follows the editor cursor: the node for the block you are currently editing is highlighted automatically.
Auto-Detection
Files in system/, constant/, and time directories (0/, 1/, etc.) without an extension are automatically set to the openfoam language mode.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
OpenFOAM: Open Inspector |
Open the visual inspector panel |
OpenFOAM: Set Language Mode |
Manually apply OpenFOAM language to the active file |
OpenFOAM: Rebuild Keyword Database |
Re-run extraction scripts against an OpenFOAM source tree |
OpenFOAM: Show Scheme Documentation |
Browse scheme docs via quick-pick |
OpenFOAM: Insert Turbulence Block |
Insert a RAS or LES snippet at the cursor |
OpenFOAM: Refresh Keyword Database |
Reload the keyword database from a compiled extractor |
Supported Files
system/
controlDict, fvSchemes, fvSolution, blockMeshDict, snappyHexMeshDict, decomposeParDict, fvOptions, topoSetDict, setFieldsDict, refineMeshDict
constant/
transportProperties, turbulenceProperties, momentumTransport, thermophysicalProperties, thermophysicalProperties.gas, phaseProperties, g, RASProperties
0/ (boundary conditions)
U, p, p_rgh, k, epsilon, omega, nut, nuTilda, T, rho, alpha.*, G, Ii, and any other field file
Installation
# From a .vsix release
code --install-extension openfoam-language-support-0.4.4.vsix
# From source
git clone https://github.com/arefhm94/openfoam-vscode-extension.git
cd openfoam-vscode-extension
npm install
npm run compile
vsce package
code --install-extension openfoam-language-support-*.vsix
Rebuilding the Keyword Database
The extension ships with a pre-built data/keyword-db.json. To regenerate it from a local OpenFOAM 13 source tree:
- Run
Ctrl+Shift+P → OpenFOAM: Rebuild Keyword Database
- Enter the path to your OpenFOAM 13 source root (e.g.
/path/to/OpenFOAM-13)
- The terminal runs 13 extraction scripts and merges the results
- Reload VS Code when complete
Project Structure
src/
extension.ts # Extension entry point
language-server/server.ts # LSP server (hover, completion, diagnostics)
workflow/InspectorPanel.ts # Visual inspector webview
providers/
OpenFOAMDocumentSymbolProvider.ts # Outline view
OpenFOAMCodeLensProvider.ts # Inlay hints / boolean toggles
parsers/OpenFOAMParser.ts # Dictionary parser
syntaxes/openfoam.tmLanguage.json # TextMate grammar
data/keyword-db.json # Keyword database
scripts/ # Python extraction scripts (01–13)
examples/ # Example OpenFOAM cases
License
GPL-3.0 — same as OpenFOAM.
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