DevCPC for VS Code

Demo

VS Code extension to work with DevCPC projects from inside the editor.

Platform Support

macOS · Linux · WSL — Windows native is not supported.

What It Includes

Project Setup view (DevCPC activity bar, left sidebar):
- Open an existing project folder
- Create a new DevCPC project with a guided wizard
DevCPC tasks view (Explorer): run tasks defined in .vscode/taskcpc.json
Retro Virtual Machine (RVM) launcher: launch RVM for a specific CPC model directly from the editor toolbar

Requirements

DevCPC CLI
VS Code 1.60.0 or higher
macOS, Linux or WSL

Installation

Install the extension from the Marketplace or from a .vsix file.
Open a folder that contains a DevCPC project, or create one from the Project Setup sidebar.
Add .vscode/taskcpc.json to your project to enable task execution from the Explorer panel.

The DevCPC icon in the VS Code activity bar (left sidebar) opens the Project Setup panel. It provides two actions:

Open existing project

Click Pick a folder to browse for an existing DevCPC project directory. A dialog will ask whether to open it in the current window or in a new VS Code window.

Create a new project

Click Create New Project to open the creation wizard as a side panel. Fill in:

Field	Description
Project name	Name of the new project directory
Project type	Template to use (e.g. `Basic`, `C`, …)
CPC model	Target machine: `464`, `664` or `6128`
RVM path (optional)	Path to the Retro Virtual Machine executable
Destination folder	Where the project will be created

Once confirmed, the CLI scaffolds the project and the extension offers to open the generated folder immediately.

Task Execution — Explorer Panel

The DevCPC section in the Explorer panel lists all tasks defined in .vscode/taskcpc.json. Click any task to run it in the integrated terminal.

Example taskcpc.json:

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "DevCPC: Build",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "$HOME/.DevCPC/bin/devcpc",
      "args": ["build"],
      "presentation": {
        "reveal": "always",
        "panel": "shared",
        "focus": false,
        "clear": true
      },
      "problemMatcher": []
    },
    {
      "label": "DevCPC: Run",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "$HOME/.DevCPC/bin/devcpc",
      "args": ["run"],
      "problemMatcher": []
    }
  ]
}

Composite tasks with dependsOn / dependsOrder are fully supported.

Retro Virtual Machine (RVM) Launcher

A menu in the editor toolbar (▶ DevCPC → Emulador → Retro Virtual Machine) lets you launch RVM for a specific CPC model without leaving VS Code.

How to use

Configure the path to the RVM executable in VS Code settings (devcpc.rvm.path).
Open any file inside a DevCPC project.
Click the ▶ button in the editor title bar and navigate to DevCPC → Emulador → Retro Virtual Machine.
Choose the target model: 464, 664 or 6128.

The extension will:

Optionally terminate any running RVM instance (see devcpc.rvm.killExistingInstance).
Spawn RVM as a detached, fire-and-forget process with the -b=cpcXXX argument.

VS Code Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`devcpc.rvm.path`	string	`""`	Absolute path to the RVM executable
`devcpc.rvm.killExistingInstance`	boolean	`true`	Terminate any running RVM instance before starting a new one
`devcpc.software.installPath`	string	`""`	Absolute path to the DevCPC software installation directory. Defaults to `~/.DevCPC` if left empty

`devcpc.conf` Reference

The extension reads devcpc.conf from the workspace root to drive emulator and runtime decisions.

# Target CPC model: 464 | 664 | 6128
CPC_MODEL=6128

# File to run after loading (omit for tape load on CPC 464)
RUN_FILE=mygame.bas

# Emulator type: integrated | rvm
EMULATOR_TYPE=rvm

Issues

Report issues at: https://github.com/destroyer-dcf/devcpc-vscode-ext/issues

License

MIT

DevCPC

devcpc