WinCC OA CTRL Language Support
Disclaimer: This is one of the first releases of the WinCC OA CTRL Language extension. Some edge cases may not be fully covered yet. Please check the Known Issues section for workarounds if you encounter problems.
Tip: If the extension doesn't work as expected, try Ctrl+Shift+P → Reload Window to refresh.
🎬 See It In Action
✨ Features
🎨 Syntax Highlighting
- Full support for
.ctl and .ctlpp files
- WinCC OA built-in functions highlighted
- Classes, structs, enums, and mappings
🧠 IntelliSense & Code Intelligence
- Hover Information: See function signatures, variable types, and documentation
- Auto-Completion: WinCC OA built-in functions with parameter hints
- Go-to-Definition (
F12 or Ctrl+Click):
- Functions and methods
- Classes and structs
- Variables (global, local, member)
- Enums and enum members (
Color::RED)
#uses imports (cross-file navigation)
- Member Access Navigation: Chain navigation
obj.member.field
🔍 Advanced Language Features
- Enum Support: Hover and navigation for
enum Color { RED, GREEN }
- Class Inheritance: Navigate to base classes (single-level)
- Scope-Aware Resolution: Distinguishes local vs. member variables
- Cross-File Dependencies: Automatic
#uses resolution
📚 Documentation Access
- Quick access to official WinCC OA documentation
Ctrl+Shift+P → WinCC OA: Open Documentation for CTRL Function
- Astyle-based formatting for
.ctl and .ctlpp files
- Format on save support
✅ Syntax Checking (Optional)
- Native WinCC OA syntax validation via
WCCOActrl
- Inline error highlighting
⚙️ Configuration
Essential Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
winccoa.ctrlLang.pathSource |
automatic |
Project path detection: workspace (auto-detect) or manual |
winccoa.syntaxCheck.enabled |
false |
Enable WinCC OA syntax validation |
winccoa.syntaxCheck.executeOnSave |
false |
Run syntax check automatically on save |
winccoa.astyleFormatter.enabled |
false |
Enable Astyle code formatting |
winccoa.astyleFormatter.runOnSave |
false |
Format code on save |
Logging (for debugging)
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
winccoa.ctrlLang.logLevel |
INFO |
Log verbosity: ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE |
💡 Tip: Set log level to DEBUG when reporting bugs for detailed diagnostics.
🐛 Known Issues
Current Limitations
Inheritance Chains:
- Only 1 level of inheritance supported
class C : B : A → obj.memberInA not resolved
Interfaces:
- Interface parsing not yet implemented
interface IDrawable syntax not recognized
Static Members:
class Utils { public static int counter; }- Static member detection not yet supported
Utils::method() may be confused with enums
Goto-Definition Precision:
- Occasional jumps to wrong line numbers
- Especially in complex member access chains
Reporting Bugs
Found an issue? Please report it with:
- WinCC OA version
- Extension version (
1.0.4)
- Code example that reproduces the issue
- Enable
DEBUG logging and attach log output
Report Issue on GitHub
Commands
Access via Ctrl+Shift+P:
| Command |
Description |
WinCC OA: Open Documentation for CTRL Function |
Opens official docs for function under cursor |
WinCC OA: Format Document with Astyle |
Formats current document |
WinCC OA: Run WinCC OA Syntax Check |
Validates syntax with WCCOActrl |
🛠️ Requirements
- VS Code: 1.105.0 or higher
- WinCC OA: 3.19+ (optional, required for syntax checking via
WCCOActrl)
- WinCC OA Core Extension: (optional, recommended) Enables automatic project detection and management. With the Core extension installed, you can select your active project from a list—the Language extension will automatically detect all local projects with a
config/config file.
- Project Structure: Your workspace must contain a
config/config file (standard WinCC OA project layout) for auto-detection to work.
Automatic Mode:
If the WinCC OA Project Admin Extension is installed, project detection is fully automatic.
🐛 Known Issues
Windows Performance:
The extension may run slower on Windows with longer loading times. Linux performs significantly better.
Large Projects:
Very large projects (1000+ files) may experience performance issues with IntelliSense and navigation.
General
Extension Not Responding:
If the extension doesn't work as expected (IntelliSense not working, goto-definition fails), reload VS Code:
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+P
- Type and select
Reload Window
- This refreshes the language server
Current Limitations
- Goto Precision: Sometimes jumps to incorrect lines (minor offset issues)
- Inheritance: Only single-level inheritance supported (no deep chains)
- Interfaces: Not yet implemented
📄 License
This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
🙏 Third-Party Code
This extension includes code from:
vscode-ctrlpptools by LukasSchopp
License: GNU GPL v3.0
Modified files:
language-configuration.jsonsyntaxes/ctrl.tmLanguage.jsonsyntaxes/ctrlpp.tmLanguage.json
📜 Disclaimer
WinCC OA and Siemens are trademarks of Siemens AG. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Siemens AG. This is a community-driven open source project.
