ControlForge Structured Text

Professional Structured Text (IEC 61131-3) development environment for PLC programming in Visual Studio Code.

✨ Key Features

• 🎯 Function Block IntelliSense: Auto-complete for FB outputs (myTimer.Q, upCounter.CV)
• 🌈 Rich Syntax Highlighting: Complete IEC 61131-3 language support
• 💡 Smart Code Completion: Context-aware suggestions for keywords, types, and variables
• 🔧 Code Validation: Built-in syntax validation and error detection
• 📝 Code Snippets: Pre-built templates for common PLC patterns

📸 Screenshots

Syntax Highlighting & IntelliSense

Rich syntax highlighting for all IEC 61131-3 constructs

🚀 Getting Started

Installation

1. Open Visual Studio Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "ControlForge Structured Text"
4. Click Install

Quick Start

1. Create a new file with .st or .iecst extension
2. Start typing - syntax highlighting activates automatically
3. Use Ctrl+Space for IntelliSense completion
4. Type function block instances followed by . for member completion

Function Block Completion Example

PROGRAM MyProgram
VAR
    startTimer : TON;          // Timer On-Delay
    partCounter : CTU;         // Counter Up
    emergencyStop : R_TRIG;    // Rising Edge Trigger
END_VAR

// IntelliSense in action:
startTimer.     // Shows: Q (BOOL), ET (TIME)
partCounter.    // Shows: Q (BOOL), CV (INT)
emergencyStop.  // Shows: Q (BOOL)
END_PROGRAM

📋 Language Features

🧠 Smart IntelliSense

• Function Block Members: Auto-complete for all standard IEC 61131-3 function blocks
  • Timers: TON, TOF, TP → Q, ET
  • Counters: CTU, CTD, CTUD → Q, CV, QU, QD
  • Edge Detectors: R_TRIG, F_TRIG → Q
  • Bistables: RS, SR → Q1
• Keyword Completion: All IEC 61131-3 keywords and constructs
• Data Type Suggestions: BOOL, INT, REAL, TIME, STRING, etc.
• Variable Detection: Automatically detects declared variables
• Code Snippets: Templates for common patterns (IF-THEN, FOR loops, etc.)

🎨 Syntax Highlighting

• Keywords: IF, THEN, ELSE, FOR, WHILE, CASE, VAR, END_VAR
• Data Types: BOOL, INT, REAL, TIME, STRING, ARRAY, STRUCT
• Operators: AND, OR, NOT, XOR, :=, +, -, *, /
• Comments: // single-line and (* *) multi-line
• Literals: String, numeric (decimal, hex, binary), time literals
• Function Blocks: Standard IEC 61131-3 function blocks

🔧 Editor Features

• Auto-closing: Brackets, quotes, and parentheses
• Comment Toggle: Ctrl+/ for quick commenting
• Word Matching: Intelligent word selection and highlighting
• File Association: Automatic recognition of .st and .iecst files

💻 Supported File Extensions

• .st - Standard Structured Text files
• .iecst - IEC 61131-3 Structured Text files

⚙️ Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.100.0 or higher
• Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux

🛠️ Commands

Access these commands via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

• "Structured Text: Validate Syntax" - Check code for syntax errors

📊 What's New in v1.1.0

• ✨ Function Block Member Completion - The headline feature!
• 🔍 Enhanced Parser - Better variable and FB instance detection
• 🧪 Comprehensive Testing - Automated tests ensure reliability
• 📚 Improved Documentation - Better examples and guides

🤝 Support & Feedback

• 🌐 Website: controlforge.dev
• 📧 Issues: GitHub Issues
• 💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• ⭐ Rate & Review: VS Code Marketplace

📄 License

Licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 (BUSL-1.1).
For details, see License Terms.

Made with ❤️ for the PLC programming community