BioSTEAM Explorer adds a dedicated activity bar container that lets you browse BioSTEAM units, compound utilities, and quick links to core workflows without leaving VS Code.
Features
Units panel – Discover frequently used BioSTEAM unit operations and insert ready-to-run sample code.
Compounds panel – Access compound and thermodynamic helper references powered by Thermosteam.
Commands panel – Open tutorials, API reference materials, and community links (with code snippets for quick starts).
Refresh command – Use the refresh button on any panel (or run the BioSTEAM: Refresh Views command) to reload the lists.
Clicking an item pastes context-aware Python code into the active editor; snippets assume bst (from import biosteam as bst) is already in scope and omit simulation calls. The context menu still provides a shortcut to open the relevant documentation page in your browser.
Requirements
The extension only surfaces links; you can explore documentation without an active Python environment. To run BioSTEAM locally, follow the official installation instructions.
Development
npm install
npm run compile
Debugging
Open this folder in VS Code.
Run the Run Extension launch configuration.
The extension development host shows the BioSTEAM view container in the activity bar.
