Gmsh GEO VSCode Extension
A Visual Studio Code extension providing language support for Gmsh .geo geometry and mesh input files.
Gmsh is a free, open-source 3D finite element mesh generator with a built-in CAD engine and post-processor. Its input file format (.geo) defines geometry, mesh settings, and physical groups used by FEA solvers.
Features
Syntax Highlighting
Token-level colorization for all major Gmsh GEO constructs:
| Category |
Examples |
| Geometry primitives |
Point, Line, Circle, Ellipse, Spline, BSpline |
| Surfaces & volumes |
Plane Surface, Surface Loop, Volume |
| Boolean operations |
BooleanUnion, BooleanIntersection, BooleanDifference, BooleanFragments |
| Transformations |
Extrude, Rotate, Translate, Scale, Symmetry |
| Physical groups |
Physical Point, Physical Line, Physical Surface, Physical Volume |
| Mesh control |
Transfinite Line, Transfinite Surface, Recombine Surface, Field |
| Control flow |
For/EndFor, If/ElseIf/Else/EndIf, Function/Return |
| Built-in math |
Sin, Cos, Sqrt, Exp, Log, Atan2, Hypot |
| Comments |
// line comments, /* */ block comments |
| Literals |
Numbers, strings, Pi, Sqrt2, GoldenRatio |
| Parameters |
DefineConstant, SetFactory, Coherence |
Code Folding
Two levels of smart folding:
Block folds — matched structural pairs collapse as a unit:
For / EndForIf / EndIfFunction / Return
Statement folds — multi-line geometry definitions (e.g. a Point call split across lines) collapse to their opening line.
Group folds — consecutive definitions of the same command (e.g. a block of Point(...) entries or a block of Line(...) entries) collapse as a group. A blank line or a different command ends the group.
Supported File Types
| Extension |
Description |
.geo |
Gmsh geometry and mesh input file |
.geo_unrolled |
Gmsh unrolled (preprocessed) geometry |
Gmsh input files use a C-like language. A typical workflow builds geometry bottom-up:
// characteristic mesh length
lc = 1e-2;
// Points: Point(tag) = {x, y, z, mesh_size};
Point(1) = {0, 0, 0, lc};
Point(2) = {0.1, 0, 0, lc};
Point(3) = {0.1, 0.3, 0, lc};
Point(4) = {0, 0.3, 0, lc};
// Lines connecting points
Line(1) = {1, 2};
Line(2) = {2, 3};
Line(3) = {3, 4};
Line(4) = {4, 1};
// Closed curve loop and surface
Curve Loop(1) = {1, 2, 3, 4};
Plane Surface(1) = {1};
// Assign FEA boundary conditions via Physical Groups
Physical Line("Dirichlet") = {4};
Physical Surface("Domain") = {1};
// Mesh
Mesh 2;
Key Concepts
Tags — Every entity (point, line, surface, volume) has an integer tag. Tags must be unique within each dimension.
Curve Loops — An ordered list of line tags that forms a closed boundary. Negative tags reverse orientation.
Physical Groups — Named sets of entities exported to the mesh file. Only entities in Physical Groups appear in the solver input unless Mesh.SaveAll = 1.
Characteristic Length — The fourth argument to Point{} (or a Field) controls local mesh density.
SetFactory — Switches the CAD kernel. SetFactory("OpenCASCADE") enables the OCCT kernel for Boolean operations; the default is the native Gmsh kernel.
Building and Packaging
npm install
npm run compile # transpile TypeScript → out/
npm run package # compile + vsce package → .vsix
Install the packaged extension:
Extensions: Install from VSIX...
Testing (Development)
Press F5 in VSCode to launch an Extension Development Host with the extension loaded. Open any .geo file to verify syntax highlighting and folding.
Requirements
- Visual Studio Code
^1.74.0
License
MIT — Jeff Baylor 2026
