🚀 ahmed_x86_asm

A powerful, all-in-one Visual Studio Code / VSCodium extension to instantly compile and run x86/x64 Assembly code directly from your editor. Now supporting both Linux and Windows with a seamless workflow for native and cross-platform Assembly development.

✨ Features

• 🐧 Linux Linker Override (New in v1.2.0!): Full manual control to switch between ld (Standard, best for pure ASM) and gcc (Best for C-Library integration) directly from the Command Palette on Linux, maximizing flexibility!
• 🗑️ Auto-Cleanup Temporary Files (Added in v1.1.9): Keep your project folders clean! The extension can automatically delete temporary build files (.obj, .o, .err, .lst) after a successful run. Completely customizable via settings (ahmed-x86-asm.cleanup.enabled and ahmed-x86-asm.cleanup.extensions).
• 💡 Smart Hover Logs (Added in v1.1.8): Say goodbye to opening separate .err files! Simply hover your mouse over the red error squiggles in your code, and an elegant pop-up will instantly display the complete compiler error log. Debugging Assembly has never been this seamless!
• 📜 Transparent Build Logging & Error Prevention (Added in v1.1.7): See exactly what's happening under the hood! The extension logs every build command (nasm, gcc, ld) directly to the terminal for full transparency. If a compilation or linker error occurs, it smartly halts execution immediately to prevent messy cascading errors, letting you see the exact log without terminal spam!
• 🔍 Inline Error Diagnostics (Added in v1.1.5): A built-in intelligent linter that runs the assembler (nasm/uasm) in the background. If there's a syntax error, it halts execution and highlights the exact word with a red squiggle and a custom gutter icon directly in your code.
• 🤖 Smart Auto-Detect: Automatically analyzes your code keywords to instantly recommend the perfect build mode (see table below).
• 🎛️ Manual Win32 Linker Override: You have full manual control to switch between ld and gcc linkers directly from the Command Palette, ensuring maximum stability across different Windows environments.
• 🖥️ Sequential Terminal Execution: Commands are sent sequentially to the terminal instead of a single giant chained command. This means a dramatically cleaner output, easier debugging, and a much smoother visual experience when compiling.
• 📦 Smart Dependency Checker (Enhanced): Automatically verifies if required tools (nasm, gcc, uasm, wine) are installed via a sleek notification stack. If any tool is missing, it automatically opens the Installation Guide in your browser to help you get set up instantly.
• 🔗 Dynamic Linker Optimizer: Automatically runs a silent background test to detect and adopt the most stable Windows linking method (ld vs gcc) for your specific OS (Windows 10/11), preventing compilation errors.
• 📝 Quick Snippets: Instantly generate full assembly boilerplate code using fast prefix keywords (see Snippets section).
• 🧹 Auto-Clear Terminal: Keeps your workspace clean by automatically clearing the terminal before every new run.
• ⚡ One-Click Execution: Integrated directly into the editor's Run button menu.
• 🧠 Dynamic Irvine Path: Prompts you to select your Irvine library folder only once and saves it globally. (Includes a reset command if you move your folder).
• 🐧 Linux Build Modes (10 Options): Includes Native 32/64-bit and cross-compiling Win32/Win64 via Wine.
• 🪟 Windows Build Modes (6 Options): Includes Standard and Custom main configurations.
• ⚙️ Multi-Assembler Support: Smartly utilizes NASM for standalone builds and UASM for Irvine library projects.
• 📁 Broad Compatibility: Automatically detects a wide range of assembly extensions (.asm, .s, .S, .inc, .nasm, .masm, .uasm).

🎛️ Extension Commands

You can access these features at any time via the Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P):

• Check ASM Dependencies (ahmed_x86): Scans your system to verify all required compilers and linkers are installed.
• Reset Irvine Library Path: Clears your saved Irvine directory so you can select a new one.
• Change Win32 Linker Method (ahmed_x86): Manually switch your Windows linker preference between ld and gcc.
• Reset Win32 Linker to Auto (ahmed_x86): Clears your automatically or manually adopted Windows linker preference.
• Change Linux Linker Method (ahmed_x86): (New!) Manually switch your Linux linker preference between ld and gcc.
• Reset Linux Linker to Default (ahmed_x86): (New!) Resets your Linux linker preference back to the standard ld.

📝 Snippets & Templates

Stop writing boilerplate from scratch! Type any of the following prefixes in an empty .asm file and press Tab or Enter to generate a complete template:

🐧 Linux Native Templates

🪟 Windows API / Standalone Templates

🛠️ Requirements

🐧 For Linux Users:

Ensure your system has the following dependencies installed:

• nasm (For standard Linux/Windows builds)
• uasm (For Irvine library support)
• binutils (Provides ld for Linux linking)
• mingw-w64-gcc (For linking Windows executables)
• wine (To run compiled Windows .exe files seamlessly on Linux)

🪟 For Windows Users:

Ensure your system has an MSYS2 environment set up with the following:

• MSYS2 installed at C:\msys64
• mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc and mingw-w64-i686-gcc toolchains.
• nasm.exe and uasm.exe placed in your MinGW bin directories (C:\msys64\mingw64\bin).

(Note: The extension will alert you if you attempt to run it on an unsupported OS like macOS).

🎯 How to Use

1. Open any Assembly file in VSCodium / VS Code.
2. Type a snippet prefix (e.g., arch-start) and press Tab to instantly load a template.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Play (Run) button in the top right corner.
4. Select Run x86 Assembly (ahmed_x86).
5. Choose the ✨ Auto Detect option (or manually select a build mode).
6. Watch the magic happen. If you have errors, check your code for the red squiggles, hover over them to see the log, or check the pop-up alerts; otherwise, enjoy your clean terminal output!

🤝 Contributing & Feedback

If you have suggestions, bug reports, or want to contribute to the codebase, feel free to open an issue or a pull request on the GitHub Repository.

⭐ Notice: If you find this extension useful, please consider leaving a 5-star rating on the VS Code Marketplace!

👨‍💻 Author

Created with 💻 & ☕ by ahmed-x86

repo ahmed-x86 asm