Catboy for Visual Studio Code

A Visual Studio Code extension that provides build system integration for the Catboy C build system.

Features

• Project Discovery: Automatically discovers Catboy projects in your workspace by scanning for build.yaml files
• Tree View Interface: Displays all projects and their targets in a hierarchical tree view
• Build Actions: Quick access buttons for build, clean, and rebuild operations
• Terminal Integration: Executes Catboy commands directly in the VS Code integrated terminal
• Status Bar Integration: Shows current target and build progress in the status bar
• Error Handling: Comprehensive validation and error reporting for build.yaml files
• Command Palette: Quick target selection and output viewing via command palette
• Smart Terminal Management: Reuses terminals per target for better organization

Requirements

• Catboy build system installed and available in your PATH
• Visual Studio Code 1.74.0 or higher

Installation

1. Install the extension from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace
2. Ensure the catboy executable is available in your system PATH, or configure the executable path in settings

Usage

Opening the Catboy View

Click on the Catboy icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar) to open the Catboy projects view.

Project Structure

The extension recognizes projects defined in build.yaml files with the following structure:

name: my-project

targets:
  my-target:
    build:
      type: executable
      sources:
        c:
          - src/main.c
          - src/*.c
      includes:
        - include
      defines:
        - DEBUG=1
      links:
        - pthread
      flags:
        c: -Wall -Wextra -g

Available Actions

Each target in the tree view provides three action buttons:

• Build (⚙️): Executes catboy build -v -f <yaml-file>
• Clean (🗑️): Executes catboy clean -v -f <yaml-file>
• Rebuild (🔄): Executes catboy rebuild -v -f <yaml-file>

Additional Features

• Status Bar: Shows the currently selected target and build progress
• Command Palette: Access Catboy: Select Target and Catboy: Show Output commands
• Output Channel: View detailed logs and error messages in the "Catboy" output channel
• Auto-refresh: Automatically detects changes to build.yaml files and refreshes the view

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

• catboy.executablePath: Path to the Catboy executable. If not specified, the extension will use catboy from PATH.
• catboy.showYamlFiles: Show build.yaml file entries in the project tree view (default: false). Can also be toggled via the button in the tree view header.

Known Issues

None currently known. Please report any issues on the GitHub repository.

Release Notes

0.1.6

Enhanced UI controls and visual improvements:

• Toggle YAML files: New button to show/hide build.yaml entries in tree view
• Configurable display: Persistent setting for YAML file visibility (default: hidden)
• Better visual hierarchy: Projects use blue folder icons with target counts
• Improved icons: Updated build button (tools) and static library (file-zip) icons

0.1.5

Target type visualization and improved UX:

• Target type-based icons: Different icons for executables, libraries, object files, and Luna BSP targets
• Target type labels: Dimmed type descriptions (e.g., "Executable", "Dynamic Link Library") shown after target names
• Enhanced target selection: Dropdown shows type-specific icons and information
• Consistent icon colors: All target icons use neutral/white coloring for visual consistency

0.1.4

Enhanced tree view and build management:

• New build file tree level: Shows build.yaml files between projects and targets for better organization
• Build all targets: Build file entries can build/clean/rebuild all targets at once
• Improved path display: Consistent forward slash separators across all platforms
• Better visual hierarchy: File icons and dimmed filenames for clearer navigation

0.1.3

Bug fixes and UI improvements:

• Fixed duplicate targets bug: Resolved issue where targets would appear duplicated when refreshing
• Added alphabetical sorting: Projects and targets now display in consistent alphabetical order
• Improved state management: Better handling of project discovery during refresh operations

0.1.2

Bug fixes and stability improvements:

• Fixed extension activation issues: Extension now activates properly in all environments
• Resolved dependency problems: Replaced external YAML dependency with lightweight custom parser
• Improved reliability: Commands are now always registered and available
• Better error handling: Enhanced logging for troubleshooting activation issues

0.1.1

Enhanced user experience improvements:

• Status bar integration with build progress indicators
• Smart terminal management with per-target reuse
• Comprehensive error handling and validation
• Command palette integration for quick target selection

0.1.0

Initial release of Catboy for Visual Studio Code:

• Project discovery from build.yaml files
• Tree view with projects and targets
• Build, clean, and rebuild actions
• Terminal integration for command execution

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16.x or higher
• npm 7.x or higher
• Visual Studio Code

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/catboy-build/catboy-for-vscode.git
cd catboy-for-vscode

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Compile the extension:

npm run compile

Running the Extension

1. Open the project in Visual Studio Code
2. Press F5 to launch a new VS Code window with the extension loaded
3. Open a folder containing a build.yaml file
4. Click on the Catboy icon in the Activity Bar to see your projects

Testing

Development Testing

1. Run the extension in development mode:

   # Open the project in VSCode
   code .
   
   # Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host
   # This opens a new VSCode window with the extension loaded
   

2. Test with sample project:

   • In the Extension Development Host, open the sample/ folder
   • Look for the Catboy icon in the Activity Bar
   • Verify projects and targets appear in the tree view

3. Test mock Catboy (optional):

   • Configure executable path in settings to point to sample/mock-catboy.bat (Windows) or sample/mock-catboy.sh (Unix/Mac)
   • Test build commands without installing actual Catboy

Automated Tests

Run the test suite:

npm test

Manual Testing Checklist

• [ ] Extension icon appears in Activity Bar
• [ ] Tree view shows projects and targets from build.yaml files
• [ ] Build/Clean/Rebuild buttons execute commands in terminal
• [ ] Status bar shows selected target
• [ ] Command palette commands work (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Catboy")
• [ ] Output channel shows project discovery logs
• [ ] File changes trigger automatic refresh
• [ ] Error handling displays warnings for invalid YAML files

Building for Production

Create a VSIX package:

npm install -g vsce
vsce package

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests on the GitHub repository.

License

This extension is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.