4D Helper - VSCode Extension

A VSCode extension that simplifies 4D development by providing an easy way to launch 4D projects with different versions of 4D applications, connect to 4D servers, and configure various launch options.

Note: This extension was developed for my personal workflow, but I thought it might be useful to others working with 4D. Feel free to use it, and contributions are welcome!

Built with the help of Claude Code 🤖

Features

Project Management

• Automatic Project Detection - Recursively finds .4DProject files in your workspace
• Smart Filtering - Automatically excludes projects inside Components, Components.src, or Components_src folders
• Multiple 4D Versions - Configure and quickly switch between different 4D application versions
• Launch Options - Choose how to open your project:
  • Interpreted or Compiled mode
  • Custom data file (.4DD)
  • Create new data
  • Dataless mode
  • Skip On Startup
  • Headless mode

Server Connection

• Network Discovery - Automatically scan your local network for 4D servers
• UDP Discovery Protocol - Detect servers with database name and hostname information
• Server Management - Save frequently used servers for quick access
• Smart Display - Shows database name, hostname, and all related ports (SQL, App, DB4D, Debugger)
• Scan Caching - Results are cached to avoid rescanning (configurable timeout)
• Client Filtering - Only shows 4D client applications (filters out 4D Server)

General

• Cross-Platform - Works on macOS and Windows

Installation

From VSIX (Manual)

1. Download the .vsix file from the Releases page
2. In VSCode, open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
3. Run Extensions: Install from VSIX...
4. Select the downloaded file

From Source

git clone https://github.com/ganbin/vscode-4d-helper.git
cd vscode-4d-helper
npm install
npm run compile

Then press F5 in VSCode to run the extension in development mode.

Configuration

Before using the extension, configure your 4D applications in VSCode settings.

macOS

{
  "4d-helper.applications": [
    {
      "name": "4D v20 R8",
      "path": "/Applications/4D v20 R8/4D.app"
    },
    {
      "name": "4D v20.6",
      "path": "/Applications/4D v20.6/4D.app"
    }
  ]
}

Windows

{
  "4d-helper.applications": [
    {
      "name": "4D v20 R8",
      "path": "C:\\Program Files\\4D\\4D v20 R8\\4D.exe"
    },
    {
      "name": "4D v20.6",
      "path": "C:\\Program Files\\4D\\4D v20.6\\4D.exe"
    }
  ]
}

Usage

Opening a Project

1. Open a folder containing a 4D project in VSCode

2. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)

3. Run the command: 4D: Open 4D Project

4. If you have multiple 4D applications configured, select which version to use

5. Choose your launch options (you can select multiple):

   Option	Description
   Interpreted	Run in interpreted mode (default)
   Compiled	Run in compiled mode
   Select Data File	Choose a specific .4DD data file
   Create New Data	Create a new data file on launch
   Dataless	Open without any data file
   Skip On Startup	Skip the On Startup database method
   Headless	Run without the 4D GUI

6. The extension launches 4D with your project and selected options

Managing 4D Versions

Instead of manually editing the JSON configuration, you can use the built-in commands to manage your 4D versions:

Adding a 4D Version

1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Run the command: 4D: Add Version
3. Browse and select your 4D application (.app on macOS, .exe on Windows)
4. Enter a display name for this version (defaults to the application name)
5. Choose where to save the configuration:
   • User Settings - Available in all workspaces
   • Workspace Settings - Only available in the current workspace

Removing a 4D Version

1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Run the command: 4D: Remove Version
3. Select the version you want to remove from the list
4. Confirm the removal

Multiple Projects in Workspace

If your workspace contains multiple 4D projects, the extension will ask you to select one. Your choice is remembered for future launches (stored in workspace settings).

Connecting to a 4D Server

1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)

2. Run the command: 4D: Connect to 4D Server

3. The extension automatically scans your network for 4D servers and displays:

   • Saved Servers - Your previously saved servers with online/offline status
   • Discovered on Network - Servers found via UDP discovery showing database name and hostname

4. Select a server to connect to

5. Choose which 4D client application to use (4D Server applications are filtered out)

6. The extension generates a temporary 4DLink file and launches the client

Managing Servers

Server Scan Settings

You can configure the server scanning behavior in your settings:

{
  "4d-helper.serverScan.portRange.start": 19800,
  "4d-helper.serverScan.portRange.end": 19899,
  "4d-helper.serverScan.timeout": 500,
  "4d-helper.serverScan.defaultPort": 19813,
  "4d-helper.serverScan.cacheTimeout": 120
}

Requirements

• VSCode 1.85.0 or higher
• One or more 4D applications installed on your system

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.