Itasca FLAC Language Support for Visual Studio Code

This extension provides syntax highlighting and basic language support for Itasca FLAC input (.dat) files and the inbuilt FISH scripting language.

FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua) is an explicit finite difference program widely used for geotechnical analysis and design.

Features

• Syntax highlighting for FLAC input files (up to version 7)
• Recognition of abbreviated FLAC commands
• Basic support for FISH scripting blocks
• Comment and number highlighting consistent with FLAC syntax

This extension focuses on syntax coloring only. It does not include snippets, linting, or code validation.

Installation

You can install this extension directly from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace or by searching Itasca FLAC inside VS Code’s Extensions panel.

Contributing

Contributions, suggestions, and pull requests are very welcome!
If you would like to help extend or refine this extension:

1. Fork the repository on GitHub:
   https://github.com/dkaramitros/vscode-flac

2. Clone your fork locally and install dependencies:

   git clone https://github.com/<your-github-username>/vscode-flac.git
   

3. Open the project in VS Code and press F5 to launch a new Extension Development Host for testing.

4. Make and test your changes (e.g., improving highlighting rules in syntaxes/flac.tmLanguage.json).

5. Submit a pull request with a short description of what you changed and why.

If you find an issue, please open it here: GitHub Issues

Packaging & publishing

Prerequisites

• Install Node.js (https://nodejs.org/) if not already installed.
• Install vsce (the VS Code Extension Manager):

npm install -g @vscode/vsce

Create the package (.vsix) from your extension root (the folder containing package.json):

vsce package

Install locally for testing:

• In VS Code: Extensions view -> ... -> "Install from VSIX..."
• or from the command line:

code --install-extension flac-language-0.0.1.vsix

Upload your generated .vsix using the Visual Studio Marketplace publisher portal:
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/manage

Known Issues

• Not all abbreviations are yet supported.

Release Notes

0.0.1

• Initial release
• Basic FLAC command and FISH highlighting
• Support for command abbreviations

Credits

• Icon artwork for this extension created by ChatGPT.

License

Released under the MIT License.
Copyright © 2025 Dimitris Karamitros

Enjoy working with FLAC in VS Code!