Homoiconic C (HC) Language Support for VS Code

Syntax highlighting and language support for Homoiconic C - a universal language for code and data.

Features

Comprehensive Syntax Highlighting for all HC syntax elements:
- Special values: () (nil), <> (all), ^ (parent), _ (anonymous), . (this)
- Comments: inline #...# and end-of-line #...
- Strings: double-quoted "..." and backtick `...`
- Numbers: integer 123, binary 0b, octal 0o, hex 0x, exact decimal 123.456, rational 1/3, sequence 1.408.055.1212, quantity 9.8.m and 9.8.kg.m.s-2
- Time literals: %date%, %time%, %datetime%
- BLOB literals: raw bytes \n\content\ and base64 0sBase64
- Scope anchors: $ (current file/module) and $$ (host namespace)
- Effect typing: CONST, variable, mutable_, method_
- Access modifiers: public, _protected, __private
- Operators: +, -, *, /, =, <, >, ~, !, ?, :, |, &
- Size operators: .#, .##, .### and .####, highlighted as names
- Frame delimiters: {} (lazy), [] (array), () (expr)
Smart Bracket Matching for all frame types
Auto-closing Pairs for brackets, quotes, and comments
Comment Toggle Support with # delimiter

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

Search for "Homoiconic C" in the Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X) and install.

From Source

cd vscode-extension
npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package
code --install-extension hclang-*.vsix

Examples

Basic HC Code

# Define a property
.square {_ * _}

# Use it
square 5  # Returns 25

# Conditional expression
( 1 > 5 ) ? 100 : 10  # Returns 10

Numbers and Literals

# Various number formats
0b1101      # Binary
0o1337      # Octal
0xDEADBEEF  # Hexadecimal
123.456     # Exact decimal
1/3         # Rational
1.408.055.1212  # Inert numeric sequence
9.8.m       # Typed number, magnitude and unit
9.8.kg.m.s-2   # Composite unit with exponents

# Time and data
%2025-01-01%  # Date literal
\5\Hello      # Raw bytes
0sQmFzZTY0    # Base64

Identifiers and Effect Typing

# Effect typing
CONSTANT        # Immutable constant (uppercase)
variable        # Immutable variable
mutable_        # Mutable variable (trailing _)
method_         # Mutating method (the same trailing _)

# Access modifiers
public          # Public (default)
_protected      # Protected (single _)
__private       # Private (double __)

# Semantic prefixes
.setter         # Property setter
@control        # Control or alias
$.property      # Current file/module property
$$.property     # Host-supplied property

Language Specification

For detailed language specification, see:

Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/TheSwanFactory/hclang.git
cd hclang/vscode-extension

Testing Locally

Press F5 in VS Code to launch the extension in a new Extension Development Host window.

Or use the command line:

code --extensionDevelopmentPath=/path/to/hclang/vscode-extension

Building and Publishing

Using Deno tasks from the repo root:

# Package the extension
deno task vscode:package

# Publish to marketplace
deno task vscode:publish

# Install locally
deno task vscode:install

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see the main repository for contribution guidelines.

License

MIT - See LICENSE for details.

Homoiconic C

TheSwanFactory