Baobab Language Support for VS Code

Baobab is a modern, French-first programming language designed for learning and teaching. This extension brings full support for .bao files to Visual Studio Code.

🌐 Official Website • 📚 Documentation • 💻 Try in Browser

Features

🎨 Syntax Highlighting

Complete syntax coloring for Baobab code:

Control flow: si, sinonsi, sinon, pour, tantque, essayer, attraper
Declarations: fonction, classe, importer, depuis
Operators: et, ou, non, est
Constants: vrai, faux, nul
Built-ins: afficher, lire, longueur, intervalle, trie, enumerer...
Errors: ErreurValeur, ErreurType, ErreurCle, ErreurIndice...
Modules: aleatoire, maths

▶️ Run & Debug

Run button in the editor title bar (or press Cmd+F5 / Ctrl+F5)
Stop button to kill the running program (Shift+F5)
Interactive mode - lire() / input() works directly in the terminal
Status bar indicator when a .bao file is active

📝 Code Snippets

22 ready-to-use snippets for common patterns:

fonction → full function declaration
si, pour, tantque → control structures
classe → class with nouveau (constructor)
essayer → try/catch block
avec → context manager (avec ouvrir(...))
afficher, lire → I/O shortcuts
and more...

Type the keyword and press Tab to expand.

⚙️ Smart Editor Features

Auto-indentation after : (function, class, if, loops...)
Code folding based on indentation
Auto-closing brackets, quotes, and parentheses
Comment toggling with Cmd+/

Installation

1. Install the Baobab CLI

The extension requires the bao command-line tool to run .bao files.

With pipx (recommended):

pipx install baobab-lang

With pip:

pip install baobab-lang

Requirements: Python ≥ 3.13

Verify the installation:

bao --version

2. Install the VS Code Extension

Search for "Baobab" in the Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X) and click Install.

Or install from the command line:

code --install-extension baobablang.baobab-lang

Usage

Running a Baobab Program

Open or create a .bao file
Click the ⚡ Run button in the editor title bar (or press Cmd+F5)
The program runs in the integrated terminal

Interactive programs work out of the box:

nom = lire("Quel est votre nom ? ")
afficher("Bonjour " + nom + " !")

Press Shift+F5 to stop a running program.

Available Commands

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) and search for:

Baobab: Run File - run the active .bao file
Baobab: Stop - stop the running program
Baobab: Open Documentation - open baobablang.dev/docs
Baobab: Open Studio (Web IDE) - open baobablang.dev in browser

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Run file	`Cmd+F5` / `Ctrl+F5`
Stop	`Shift+F5`

Extension Settings

Configure the extension in Settings (Cmd+,):

`baobab.executablePath`

Path to the bao CLI executable.

Default: "bao" (assumes bao is on your PATH)
Example: "/usr/local/bin/bao" or "/Users/you/.local/bin/bao"

`baobab.runInTerminal`

Run .bao files in the integrated terminal (supports lire() / input()).

Default: true
Set to false to use the Output panel instead (non-interactive).

`baobab.clearTerminalOnRun`

Clear the terminal before each run.

Default: false

Example

# fibonacci.bao

fonction fibonacci(n):
    si n <= 0:
        retourner []
    sinonsi n == 1:
        retourner [0]
    suite = [0, 1]
    tantque longueur(suite) < n:
        suite.ajouter(suite[-1] + suite[-2])
    retourner suite

afficher(fibonacci(10))

Output:

[0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34]

About Baobab

Baobab is a French-first programming language that transpiles to Python. It was designed to make programming accessible to French-speaking learners while maintaining full compatibility with the Python ecosystem.

Key Features

🇫🇷 French keywords - fonction, si, pour, afficher...
🐍 Python-compatible - transpiles to readable Python code
📖 Educational focus - clear error messages, beginner-friendly syntax
🌐 Web IDE - try Baobab instantly at baobablang.dev/ide

Learn More

Website: baobablang.dev
Documentation: baobablang.dev/docs
GitHub: github.com/baobablang
Community: Join us on Discord

Troubleshooting

"Code language not supported or defined." or garbled input

This happens when Code Runner tries to run a .bao file. Code Runner does not support interactive programs — it injects text into the terminal that gets read as user input, corrupting programs that use lire().

Always use the Baobab ⚡ button to run .bao files:

Click ⚡ in the editor title bar (top right when a .bao file is active)
Or press Cmd+F5 (Mac) / Ctrl+F5 (Windows/Linux)
Or right-click the file → Baobab: Run File

The Baobab extension automatically redirects Code Runner on .bao files to show a friendly reminder instead of running incorrectly.

"'bao' not found. Install the bao CLI first."

The bao command is not on your PATH. Install it with:

pipx install baobab-lang

Then reload VS Code. If bao is installed but still not found, set the full path in settings:

Cmd+, → search baobab.executablePath → set to the full path (e.g. /Users/you/.local/bin/bao).

Support

Found a bug? Open an issue

Questions? Visit our documentation or join the community.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Made with 🌳 by the Baobab team.