SAIL Language Support for VS Code

A VS Code extension that provides syntax highlighting and code formatting for Appian's SAIL (Service-Aligned Interface Language).

Features

Syntax Highlighting

• Highlights SAIL keywords: if, then, else, true, false, null, and, or, not
• Recognizes Appian functions starting with a! (e.g., a!formLayout, a!buttonLayout)
• Supports string literals (single and double quotes)
• Highlights numeric values
• Line comments (--) and block comments (/* */)
• Variable declarations and usage

Code Formatting

• Document Formatting: Format your entire SAIL document (Shift+Alt+F on Windows/Linux, Shift+Option+F on Mac)
• Range Formatting: Format a selected range of code
• Smart Indentation: Automatically adjusts indentation based on brackets and braces
• Bracket Balancing: Properly handles nested structures with {}, [], ()
• Spacing Normalization: Adds proper spacing after commas and operators

Installation

Install from VSCode Extensions if available

From Source

1. Clone this repository
2. Run npm install to install dependencies
3. Run npm run compile to compile TypeScript
4. Press F5 to launch the extension in debug mode

Build VSIX

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package

Usage

Create a SAIL File

Create a file with .sail extension to enable syntax highlighting and formatting.

Format Code

• Full Document: Right-click and select "Format Document" or press Shift+Alt+F
• Selected Range: Select code and right-click, then choose "Format Range" or press Ctrl+K Ctrl+F

Supported File Extensions

• .sail - SAIL language files

Example SAIL Code

{
  sailComponent: a!formLayout(
    label: "Example Form",
    items: {
      a!textField(
        label: "Name",
        value: local!name,
        saveInto: local!name,
        required: true
      ),
      a!buttonLayout(
        buttons: {
          a!buttonWidget(
            label: "Submit",
            value: true,
            saveInto: local!submitted
          )
        }
      )
    }
  )
}

Requirements

• VS Code 1.50 or later

Known Issues

• Advanced SAIL constructs may require additional grammar updates
• Complex nested structures might benefit from improved formatting

Future Enhancements

• IntelliSense/autocomplete for SAIL functions
• Error detection and diagnostics
• Snippet templates for common SAIL patterns
• Theme-specific syntax highlighting
• Advanced documentation and goto definition support

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

MIT License - feel free to use and modify as needed.

Support

For issues or questions about SAIL language, please refer to the Appian documentation at https://docs.appian.com/