🚀 Sylang - Model Based Systems Engineering

The complete VS Code extension for Sylang - a domain-specific language designed for Model Based Systems Engineering, Digital Twin development, and AI Native engineering in safety-critical industries.

If you consider Sylang as an engine, then Sylang with GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or VSCode AI tools is a jet engine. Built from first principles as a tool designed for AI to develop product artifacts faster accelerating overall product development.

✨ Why Sylang?

🎯 Built for Modern Engineering: AI-first design for automotive, aerospace, medical, and industrial systems 🛡️ Safety-Critical Ready: Full compliance with ASIL, ISO 26262, and safety standards
🔗 Intelligent Cross-File Validation: Smart symbol resolution across your entire project
📊 Visual Project Management: Built-in Kanban boards and documentation views
⚡ Real-Time Feedback: Instant validation, syntax highlighting, and error detection

📚 Learning Resources

• 🌍 sylang.dev: Official website and comprehensive documentation
• 📖 Language Reference: Complete syntax and examples
• 💡 Example Projects: Real-world system implementations
• 🤝 Community: Get help and share ideas

🚀 What's New in v2.27.7 - Interface Design Guidance

📚 Interface Design Improvement:

• Operation vs Signal Guide: Added decision table to ifc-help.md and ifc-prompt.txt
• Clear Selection Criteria: When to use operation vs signal in interface definitions
• AUTOSAR RTE Mapping: Guidance for RTE_Call_* → operation and RTE_Read/Write_* → signal
• Practical Examples: Real-world use cases (GetSystemStatus, SpeedUpdate, EmergencyAlert, etc.)

Decision Table Added:

• Request/trigger action → operation
• Observe/broadcast information → signal
• Need acknowledgments → operation
• Need periodic updates → signal

📚 Previous Release: v2.27.6 - Help System Fix

🐛 Critical Fix - Create Sylang Help:

• Recursive Copy: Now copies ALL files and folders from sylang-help/
• AI Prompts Included: sylang-prompts/ folder with 20+ detailed prompts now copied
• Complete Help System: Full help documentation with AI prompting guides in workspace

Before: Only copied .md files from top level (missing sylang-prompts/ folder) After: Recursively copies entire sylang-help/ structure including all subfolders

📚 v2.27.5 - Bug Fixes & Prompt Improvements

🐛 Critical Bug Fix:

• UCD Keyword Fix: Changed hdef usecase → hdef usecaseset for consistency
• Naming Convention: All file types now use -set suffix (requirementset, functionset, usecaseset, etc.)
• No Breaking Changes: Diagram creation, position saving, and loading unaffected

📝 Comprehensive AI Prompt Fixes:

• 12 Prompt Files Corrected: Fixed fabricated syntax in AI prompting guides
• Sequence Diagrams (.seq): Corrected to simple syntax (from/to/flow only, no complex properties)
• State Machines (.smd): Fixed to use initialstate/endstate (removed fabricated entry/exit/do)
• Sprint Planning (.spr): Corrected hierarchical structure (epic→story→task with agents)
• Use Cases (.ucd): Fixed flat structure with extends ref feature
• Variant Models (.vml): Emphasized AUTO-GENERATED nature (never create manually!)
• Test Cases (.tst): Added comprehensive detailed prompts with domain-specific examples
• All Other Files: Requirements, FMEA, Safety Goals, Safety Mechanisms, etc. - all corrected

🎯 Result: AI assistants (Copilot, Cursor, ChatGPT) now generate 100% valid Sylang code!

📚 Previous Release: v2.27.0 - Comprehensive Documentation & Cleanup

📚 Complete Language Reference:

• 19 File Types: Full syntax structures for all Sylang DSL files
• Unified Documentation: SYLANG_COMPLETE_REFERENCE.md - 3,800+ lines
• Square Bracket Syntax: Clean [identifier] placeholders (no HTML conflicts)
• Context Help: Built-in help for every file type with complete examples

🎨 Enhanced Help System:

• Improved Docview: Fixed webview loading issues with proper DOM handling
• Better Typography: Smaller, cleaner heading sizes for better readability
• Syntax Structures: Complete formal syntax for all 19 file types
• Interface Support: Functions and blocks now properly reference operations/signals from .ifc files

🔍 Impact Analysis:

• Node-Type Specific: Intelligent upstream/downstream relationship traversal
• 3 Visualization Modes: Table, Graph, and Tree views
• Risk Assessment: Automatic safety-critical impact scoring
• Recursive Traversal: Complete dependency chains with configurable depth

🚀 Key Features

📝 Complete Language Support

• 18 File Types: .req, .tst, .fun, .blk, .ifc, .spr, .agt, .fml, .vml, .vcf, .smd, and more
• Smart Syntax Highlighting: Context-aware keyword and identifier highlighting
• Auto-completion: Intelligent suggestions for keywords, enums, and symbols
• 📚 Built-in Help: Run "Sylang: Create Help" to get comprehensive documentation in your workspace

🔍 Advanced Validation

• Real-Time Error Detection: Instant feedback as you type
• Cross-File Symbol Resolution: Smart validation across your entire project
• Configuration-Based Validation: Automatic detection of disabled features
• Import Validation: Ensures all dependencies are properly declared

📊 Visual Project Management

• 📋 Kanban Boards: Built-in sprint planning for .spr files
• 📖 Documentation Views: Structured views for requirements, tests, and functions
• 🎯 Traceability Matrix: Visual relationship tracking across artifacts

🎨 Smart Visual Feedback

• Configuration-Based Graying: Disabled features are visually dimmed
• Symbol Status Indicators: Clear visual cues for symbol availability
• Hierarchical Views: Expandable tree structures for complex systems

📁 Supported File Types

⚡ Quick Start

1️⃣ Install the Extension

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search "Sylang"
4. Click Install

2️⃣ Create Your First Project

1. Open a folder in VS Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
3. Type "Sylang: Create Sylang Rules"
4. This creates the mandatory .sylangrules file
5. Start building your system!

🚨 IMPORTANT: Every Sylang project MUST have a .sylangrules file at the root. This file defines your project structure, validation rules, and AI development guidelines. Without it, the extension won't recognize your folder as a Sylang project.

3️⃣ Example: Simple Requirement

hdef requirementset MyRequirements
  name "System Requirements"
  owner "Engineering Team"

  def requirement REQ_001
    name "System shall start within 2 seconds"
    description "The system must complete initialization within 2 seconds"
    reqtype functional
    status approved

🎯 Perfect For

• 🚗 Automotive Engineers: ASIL compliance, functional safety, system architecture
• ✈️ Aerospace Teams: DO-178 compliance, system requirements, verification
• 🏥 Medical Device: IEC 62304, risk management, traceability
• 🏭 Industrial Systems: Safety standards, system integration, testing
• 🤖 AI-Assisted Development: Built for modern AI-powered engineering workflows. Sylang + AI tools = jet engine performance

📋 The .sylangrules File - Project Foundation

Every Sylang project starts with a .sylangrules file - this is the mandatory root configuration that:

✅ Defines Project Structure: Specifies allowed file types and organization
✅ Sets Validation Rules: Configures cross-file validation and error checking
✅ AI Development Guidelines: Provides context for AI-assisted development
✅ Project Metadata: Stores project information and compliance requirements

Creating .sylangrules:

1. Open any folder in VS Code
2. Run Ctrl+Shift+P → "Sylang: Create Sylang Rules"
3. The extension generates a complete .sylangrules template

💡 Pro Tip: The .sylangrules file is like package.json for Node.js - it's the first thing AI will look for to understand your project structure and requirements.

⚡ Real-time Validation & Intelligence

🔍 Grammar & Syntax Validation

• Complete Syntax Checking: Full grammar validation for all 18 file types
• Cross-File Symbol Resolution: Smart symbol resolution across entire project
• Import Validation: Strict use statement validation with unused import detection
• Relationship Validation: Enforces correct target types for all relations
• Configuration-Based Validation: Detects references to disabled symbols
• Nested Hierarchy Support: Complex parent-child-grandchild symbol relationships
• File Restriction Enforcement: Prevents invalid relation usage in high-level files

🎨 Configuration-Based Visual Feedback ⭐ NEW

• Smart Graying: Disabled symbols visually grayed out based on config values
• Individual Symbol Disabling: def with when ref config where config = 0
• Whole File Disabling: hdef with when ref config where config = 0
• Functional Unavailability: Disabled symbols cannot be referenced or imported
• Enhanced Error Messages: Clear distinction between missing and disabled symbols

🔍 Error Reporting

• Problems Panel: Integrated error display in VS Code
• Inline Squiggly Underlines: Immediate visual feedback
• Output Console: Detailed logging with timestamps
• Comprehensive Error Codes: Easy debugging and resolution

🧠 Intelligent Features

• Autocomplete: Keywords, enum values, and symbol references
• Symbol Management: Cross-file reference resolution
• Import Validation: Ensures use statements are correctly formed
• Config-based Visibility: Symbols with config = 0 are hidden

🏗️ Code Generation

Auto-Generation Tools

• Create .sylangrules: Initialize Sylang projects via Command Palette
• Generate .vml from .fml: Right-click on Feature Model files
• Generate .vcf from .vml: Right-click on Variant Model files
• Auto-generation: Proper templates and structure included

🎯 Target Industries

Sylang is designed for safety-critical systems engineering across:

• 🚗 Automotive: ASIL compliance, functional safety, system architecture
• ✈️ Aerospace: DO-178 standards, system requirements, verification
• 🏥 Medical Devices: IEC 62304, risk management, traceability
• 🏭 Industrial Systems: Safety standards, system integration, testing
• 🤖 AI-Assisted Development: Modern engineering workflows with AI tools. First principles design for AI collaboration

📄 License

Apache 2.0 License - Free for commercial and personal use.

🔧 Built for Systems Engineers | 🤖 Designed for AI Collaboration | 🛡️ Ready for Safety-Critical Development

Transform your systems engineering workflow with Sylang - where traditional engineering meets modern AI-assisted development. Built from first principles for AI to understand and accelerate your work.