JRXML Editor

A VS Code extension for working with JasperReports .jrxml files — focused on making expressions readable and editable.

Features

1. Syntax Highlighting

.jrxml files get a dedicated language mode with:

• JasperReports built-in functions (TODAY, IF, SUM, MIN, MAX, etc.) — highlighted in purple
• Java keywords (if, else, new, null, true, false, …) — blue
• Java types (String, Integer, BigDecimal, Date, …) — teal
• Method calls — yellow
• Jasper field/param/variable references ($F{name}, $P{name}, $V{name}, $R{name}) — cyan/blue
• String literals, numbers, comments — standard colors

2. Expression Editor Panel

Open any expression in a dedicated side panel:

• Edit pane — editable text area
• Preview pane — live syntax-highlighted view with bracket colorization
• Format button — auto-formats Java expressions into readable multi-line form
  • Ternary chains → indented ? / : layout
  • Method chains → one call per line
  • Long && / || / + lines → broken at operators
  • Long argument lists → one arg per line
• Apply to File — writes the edited expression back into the .jrxml file
• Copy — copies expression to clipboard
• Reset — reverts to the original expression
• Auto-format checkbox — formats while you type

3. Bracket / Parenthesis Colorization

Inside the expression preview, brackets are colored by depth:

• Level 1: Gold
• Level 2: Orchid
• Level 3: Sky blue

🔧 Updated Features section (add this)

4. Best Practices & Null Safety Recommendations

The editor provides inline recommendations to improve expression quality:

Suggests null-safe patterns (e.g., avoiding direct .toString() on nullable values) Encourages defensive checks ($F{field} != null) Highlights risky constructs that may cause runtime exceptions in JasperReports Promotes cleaner, more maintainable expressions

5. Smart Autocomplete (Experimental)

Autocomplete is enhanced with JRXML-aware intelligence:

Suggests fields, parameters, and variables ($F, $P, $V) Includes jaspersoft native functions Detects and includes user-defined helper functions Scans project files to provide custom function suggestions Improves discoverability of reusable logic

Usage

1. Open any .jrxml file
2. Place your cursor inside an expression tag (e.g., <textFieldExpression>)
3. Either:
   • Right-click → JRXML: Open Expression Editor
   • Click $(edit) JRXML Expr in the status bar (bottom right)

Settings

Installation

From .vsix file

1. Open VS Code
2. Ctrl+Shift+P → Extensions: Install from VSIX...
3. Select jrxml-editor-extension-1.0.0.vsix

Manual (development)

cd jrxml-editor-extension
npm install

Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.

Supported Expression Tags

The editor activates for cursor positions inside any of these tags:

textFieldExpression, imageExpression, variableExpression, groupExpression, printWhenExpression, initialValueExpression, filterExpression, expression, jr:expression, defaultValueExpression, hyperlinkReferenceExpression, subreportExpression, bucketExpression, keyExpression, valueExpression, categoryExpression, seriesExpression, labelExpression, and more.