XAF Model Editor Integration for VS Code

Open the DevExpress XAF Model Editor straight from Visual Studio Code. Right-click a Model.xafml file and the extension detects your DevExpress version, builds the solution, and launches the matching Model Editor — on Windows natively, and on Linux & macOS through Wine.

Features

Automatic version detection — reads the DevExpress version from your project, including Directory.Packages.props (central package management).
Launches the right editor for that version, building the solution first.
Context-menu & tree integration for Model.xafml files.
Cross-platform — Windows natively; Linux and macOS via Wine.
Flexible output discovery — classic per-project bin/ and the .NET 8+ artifacts output layout.
Clear diagnostics — every step is logged to the Output → XAF Model Editor panel.

Supported platforms

Platform	How it runs	Extra setup
Windows	Native (`.exe` launched directly)	DevExpress installed
Linux	Windows `.exe` via Wine	Wine + .NET runtimes + editor binaries
macOS	Windows `.exe` via Wine	Wine (+ Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon) + runtimes + binaries

Build layouts: both the classic per-project bin/<config>/<tfm>/ layout and the .NET 8+ artifacts output layout (<UseArtifactsOutput>) are supported and auto-detected.

Platform notes & deep dives live in docs/:

Running on Linux & macOS via Wine — full setup for all three platforms.

Artifacts output layout & module dependency-closure — why opening the Model Editor against a module project needs its dependency closure (set <CopyLocalLockFileAssemblies>true</CopyLocalLockFileAssemblies>, or let the extension resolve it from the startup app's output), plus the current cross-platform validation status.

Installation & setup

1. Install the extension

From the Marketplace: search for “XAF Model Editor Integration” in the Extensions view, or install DvisiousNeed2CodeAB.xaf-modeleditor.
From a .vsix: code --install-extension xaf-modeleditor-<version>.vsix.

You also need the .NET SDK installed (the extension builds your solution before opening the editor).

2. Prepare the Model Editor

The Model Editor itself is not bundled with the extension — it ships with DevExpress. How you provide it depends on your OS.

Windows

Install DevExpress and you are done — the editor lives at its standard location and is auto-detected:

C:\Program Files\DevExpress 25.2\Components\Tools\eXpressAppFrameworkNetCore\Model Editor\

If DevExpress is on another drive or a custom path, point the extension at the executable via the xafModelEditor.modelEditorPath setting (see Configuration).

Linux & macOS (via Wine)

The Model Editor is a Windows .NET WinForms application, so it runs through Wine. Two one-time steps:

a) Configure Wine + the .NET runtimes. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run “XAF Model Editor: Set up Wine (Linux/macOS)”. This runs the setup script that ships inside the extension — it installs Wine (if missing), creates a dedicated prefix, and installs the Windows .NET Desktop + ASP.NET Core runtimes.

Prefer a terminal? The script is bundled with the installed extension:

bash ~/.vscode/extensions/dvisiousneed2codeab.xaf-modeleditor-*/scripts/setup-wine.sh
# …or, from a clone of this repository:
./scripts/setup-wine.sh

b) Copy the Model Editor binaries from any Windows machine with DevExpress installed (the folder shown above) into a version-scoped directory — this mirrors the Windows layout so the extension finds it automatically:

~/.local/share/xaf-modeleditor/25.2/
├── DevExpress.ExpressApp.ModelEditor.x64.v25.2.exe   ← launched by the extension
├── DevExpress.*.dll                                  (~44 DevExpress assemblies)
└── ...

Full walkthrough, manual steps, and troubleshooting: docs/linux-wine-setup.md.

3. Verify

Right-click any Model.xafml → Open with XAF Model Editor. The first launch takes a few seconds (it builds the solution). Watch Output → XAF Model Editor if anything is off.

Usage

Right-click a Model.xafml file in the Explorer (or use the XAF Model Files view).
Choose Open with XAF Model Editor.
The extension builds the solution and launches the editor for your DevExpress version.

Configuration

Settings live under XAF Model Editor (Ctrl+, → search xafModelEditor):

Setting	Default	Description
`xafModelEditor.modelEditorPath`	(auto-detected)	Absolute path to the Model Editor `.exe`. On Linux/macOS this points at the Windows `.exe` that is launched via Wine. Overrides auto-detection.
`xafModelEditor.winePrefix`	`~/.wine-modeleditor`	(Non-Windows) Wine prefix holding the Windows .NET runtimes.
`xafModelEditor.wineCommand`	`wine`	(Non-Windows) Wine executable — set to e.g. `/usr/bin/wine` if `wine` is not on `PATH`.

Example (Windows):

"xafModelEditor.modelEditorPath": "D:/DevExpress/Tools/ModelEditor/DevExpress.ExpressApp.ModelEditor.v25.2.exe"

Troubleshooting

Version mismatch / editor not found — make sure the Model Editor for your DevExpress version is installed (Windows) or present under ~/.local/share/xaf-modeleditor/<version>/ (Linux/macOS). Missing on Windows? Download it from the DevExpress Download Manager.
Nothing happens / build fails — open Output → XAF Model Editor; it logs the exact executable, arguments, and any build errors.
Linux/macOS specifics (path points inside ~/snap/..., wine: command not found, CLR crash on model load, …) — see the troubleshooting section in docs/linux-wine-setup.md.

Project structure

.
├── .github/workflows/
│   └── build-and-publish.yml     # CI: build, package, publish to the Marketplace
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts              # Main extension logic (detect version, build, launch)
│   └── modelTree.ts              # "XAF Model Files" tree view provider
├── resources/
│   └── xaf.svg                   # Activity-bar / extension icon
├── scripts/
│   └── setup-wine.sh             # Linux/macOS: configure Wine + .NET runtimes
├── docs/
│   ├── linux-wine-setup.md       # Wine setup guide
│   └── PUBLISHING.md             # Publishing & CI/CD guide
├── build-vsix.ps1                # PowerShell build helper
├── package.json                  # Extension manifest & settings
└── README.md

Development & building

Prerequisites: Node.js 18+, npm, TypeScript, VS Code.

npm install        # install dependencies
npm run compile    # compile TypeScript -> out/
npm run package    # produce a .vsix
npm run watch      # rebuild on change during development

Or use the PowerShell helper (compiles, packages, bumps the version):

.\build-vsix.ps1

CI/CD & publishing

GitHub Actions (build-and-publish.yml):

On push / PR to main — build, compile, package, and upload the .vsix as an artifact.
On a published GitHub Release — vsce publish to the VS Code Marketplace and attach the .vsix to the release. Requires the repository secret VSCE_PAT (an Azure DevOps Marketplace token).

To ship a new version: bump version in package.json, merge to main, then create a GitHub Release whose tag matches that version. See docs/PUBLISHING.md.

License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

XAF Model Editor Integration

Dvisious Need2Code AB