Datamine Macro Language — VS Code Extension

Full language support for Datamine Studio macro files (.mac).

Features

Go to Definition (Ctrl+Click)

Click on a label in !GOTO LABEL / !GOSUB LABEL — jumps to LABEL: definition
Click on $varname# — jumps to its !LET / !SETVAL definition

Document Symbols (Outline)

Outline panel shows macro structure: !START blocks, labels, variables
Breadcrumbs navigation — see which macro/label section you're in
Hierarchical: labels and variables nested under their parent !START

Hover Info

Hover on any process (!SELCOP, !ESTIMA, etc.) — shows description and syntax example
Hover on $variable# — shows where it's defined
Hover on label reference — shows target line number

Syntax Highlighting

✅ Control commands (!START, !END, !IF, !ELSE, !GOTO, !LET, !SCREEN, etc.)
✅ File parameters (&in(), &out(), &in1())
✅ Field parameters (*field())
✅ Numeric/option parameters (@param=value)
✅ Substitution variables ($varname#)
✅ Jump labels (MYLABEL:)
✅ Comments (# and !REM)
✅ Process names (!SELCOP, !ESTIMA, etc.) — case-insensitive

Linter — 20+ Real-Time Checks

The built-in linter runs on every keystroke (debounced) and catches:

Check	Severity	Description
Line length	⚠ Warning	Line exceeds 80 chars (configurable)
Macro name length	❌ Error	`!START` name > 8 characters
Nested `!START`	⚠ Warning	`!START` inside another `!START`
Unclosed `!START`	❌ Error	No matching `!END`
`!END` without `!START`	❌ Error	Orphan `!END`
Unclosed `!IF` block	❌ Error	No matching `!ENDIF`
`!ENDIF` without `!IF`	❌ Error	Orphan `!ENDIF`
`!ELSE`/`!ELSEIF` orphan	❌ Error	Without matching `!IF`
Empty `!IF` block	⚠ Warning	No statements between `!IF` and `!ENDIF`
Undefined label	⚠ Warning	`!GOTO`/`!GOSUB` to non-existent label
Duplicate label	❌ Error	Same label defined more than once
Unused label	💡 Hint	Label defined but never referenced
Label name > 16	❌ Error	Label in `!GOTO`/`!GOSUB` exceeds limit
Variable name > 16	❌ Error	`$var#` name exceeds Datamine limit
Variable before `!LET`	⚠ Warning	Used before its first definition
Undefined variable	💡 Hint	Used but never `!LET`/`!SETVAL` in file
Unused variable	💡 Hint	Defined but never read
Unbalanced parens	⚠ Warning	Mismatched `(` and `)` on process lines
`!GOSUB` no `!RETURN`	⚠ Warning	Subroutine has no `!RETURN`
`!RETURN` outside sub	⚠ Warning	Not inside a `!GOSUB`-target label
Duplicate `!ONERR`	⚠ Warning	Only last `!ONERR` is active
Unreachable code	💡 Hint	Code after unconditional `!GOTO`
No `!START`	⚠ Warning	File has no `!START` command

Configuration

{
    "datamineMacro.linting.enabled": true,
    "datamineMacro.linting.maxLineLength": 80
}

Snippets — Control Commands (47)

Prefix	Command	Description
`!START`	`!START` / `!END`	Macro block
`!IF`	`!IF` one-line	Conditional branch
`!IFb`	`!IF`/`!ELSEIF`/`!ELSE`/`!ENDIF`	Block IF
`!LET`	`!LET $var# = value`	Variable assignment
`!GOTO`	`!GOTO LABEL`	Unconditional jump
`!GOSUB`	`!GOSUB` / `!RETURN`	Subroutine call
`!ONERR`	`!ONERR LABEL`	Error handler
`!ECHO`	`!ECHO 'msg'`	Display message
`!SCREEN`	`!SCREEN 'title'`	User input dialog
`macrotemplate`	Full template	Complete macro with header, checks, error handler
`loopcount`	Loop template	Counter-based loop pattern
...		47 control snippets total

Snippets — Processes (285)

All major Datamine Studio processes: !SELCOP, !ESTIMA, !DESURV, !EXTRA, !PICREC, !MGSORT, and many more.

Installation

From VSIX (manual)

code --install-extension datamine-macro-1.2.0.vsix

Development

git clone https://github.com/altkumgit/vscode-datamine-macro
cd vscode-datamine-macro
# Press F5 in VS Code to launch Extension Development Host

Syntax Reference

Variables

!LET $counter# = 0
!LET $result# = $counter# + 1

File/Field/Option parameters

!SELCOP &in(drillholes),&out(output),
        *f1(BHID),*f2(FROM),*f3(TO),
        @keepall=0

Labels and branching

!IF $count# GE 10 !GOTO LOOP_END
LOOP_START:
  ...
  !GOTO LOOP_START
LOOP_END:

Error handling

!ONERR ERR_LABEL
!FILE &in(myfile) !GOTO FILE_OK
!ECHO 'File not found'
!GOTO FINISH

FILE_OK:
  # ... process ...
FINISH:

ERR_LABEL:
!ECHO 'Fatal error occurred'

Based on

Original work by opengeostat/vscode-dm-macro (MIT License). Extended with full control command support, improved grammar, linter, and additional snippets.

License

MIT

Datamine Macro Language

atc-geo