SDDS Viewer for VS Code

VS Code extension for reading and visualizing .sdds files with a custom editor and interactive plotting.

Current Status

Implemented:

• Custom readonly editor for *.sdds (opens directly from Explorer)
• Command-based open flow with fallback support for non-.sdds file extensions
• Python SDDS backend integration (soliday.sdds preferred, sdds fallback)
• Per-page data model for:
  • parameters
  • columns
  • arrays
• Metadata support per entry:
  • units
  • description
• Webview tabs:
  • Overview
  • Table
  • Plot
• Plot features:
  • Plotly interactive zoom/pan/scroll
  • X selector including None (row index)
  • multi-Y selection via dropdown checklist (click-to-toggle)
  • line style selector (Default/Auto, Solid, Dotted, Dashed, Dash-dot)
  • marker selector (Default/Auto, circle/x/square/diamond/triangle-up/triangle-down/cross/star)
  • mode selector (Markers only, Lines only, Lines+Markers)
  • deterministic default per-trace style cycling for multi-Y
  • Show All Series button to restore legend-hidden traces
  • Export PNG with VS Code Save As dialog
• Python unit tests for backend parsing and paging behavior
• Public demo SDDS files in test/:
  • pythonReadExample.sdds
  • function_plot_demo.sdds

Overview Example

The screenshot below shows the current Overview tab layout.

Repository Layout

• src/extension/: extension host code
• src/extension/panel/SDDSViewerPanel.ts: webview UI + plot logic
• src/extension/panel/SddsCustomReadonlyEditorProvider.ts: custom editor provider
• src/extension/python/sddsReader.ts: Python process integration
• src/python/read_sdds.py: SDDS reader CLI
• test/: test data + Python unit tests
• docs/: backlog and planning docs

Requirements

• Node.js 20+
• VS Code 1.90+
• Python 3.9+
• Python package: soliday.sdds or compatible sdds

Python Configuration

The extension runs the SDDS backend with python3 by default.

If your SDDS package is installed in a different interpreter, set:

• sddsViewer.pythonPath

Example (settings.json):

{
  "sddsViewer.pythonPath": "/opt/homebrew/bin/python3.11"
}

Development Setup

npm install
npm run build
npm test

In VS Code:

1. Open this folder.
2. Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host.
3. Click an .sdds file in Explorer, or run SDDS: Open Viewer.

Commands

• SDDS: Open Viewer (sddsViewer.openViewer)
• SDDS: Open Viewer for Active File (sddsViewer.openViewerForActiveFile)

License

MIT

Feature Requests

If you have feature wishes or improvement ideas, please open an issue.

Next Steps

1. Implement virtualized/chunked table rendering for large SDDS files.
2. Add plot QoL enhancements:
   • Select all / Clear all Y-series behavior refinements
   • optional search inside Y selector
   • export options polish (SVG/CSV trace export)
3. Add integration tests for custom editor open flow and plot export Save As flow.
4. Improve docs with screenshots/GIFs of Overview/Table/Plot interactions.