Hitman VS Code Extension

A comprehensive VS Code extension for the Hitman HTTP scripting language that provides syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, linting, and integrated CLI execution.

Features

🎨 Syntax Highlighting

Full syntax highlighting for .hit files with custom file icons
Support for HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS)
Highlighting for clauses (WITH HEADER, WITH DATA, WITH QUERY)
Variable definitions (DEFINE) and interpolation ({{variable}}) highlighting
JSON syntax highlighting within data blocks
Comment support (# and //)

🚀 Code Execution

Run Entire File - Execute the complete file including all DEFINE statements and blocks
Run All Blocks - Execute all HTTP request blocks in the file sequentially
Run Individual Blocks - CodeLens buttons to run specific request blocks
Run with Variables - Automatically include required DEFINE statements when running blocks
Run with Flags - Interactive flag selection for advanced execution options
Smart Variable Detection - CodeLens shows variable usage count and missing variables
Integrated terminal output with real-time feedback
Support for all CLI flags: --log, --strict, --report, --dry-run, --timeout, --color

🔍 Intelligent Features

Enhanced Variable Support - Define and use variables with DEFINE statements and {{variable}} interpolation
Smart Variable Detection - Automatically detect undefined variables with context-aware suggestions
Auto-completion for HTTP methods, clauses, headers, and common URLs
Enhanced Hover tooltips with documentation for methods, headers, and variables
Undefined Variable Help - Hover over undefined variables for smart suggestions based on variable name
Code snippets for common request patterns and variable definitions
Enhanced Real-time linting with comprehensive validation:
- Duplicate WITH clause detection
- Variable placement validation
- Undefined variable warnings with suggestions
- JSON structure validation
- DEFINE statement syntax validation (catches extra content after values)
- Context-aware error messages

📊 Report Viewer

Beautiful HTML report viewer for execution results
Interactive request details with expandable sections
Success/failure statistics and performance metrics
Color-coded status codes and response times

⚙️ Configuration

Customizable default CLI flags
Configurable timeout settings
Color mode preferences
Custom CLI path support
Enable/disable linting

Requirements

Hitman CLI must be installed and available in your system PATH
VS Code version 1.100.0 or higher

To install the Hitman CLI, follow the instructions in the Hitman documentation.

Quick Start

Install the extension
Create a new file with .hit extension
Start typing HTTP requests:

# Simple GET request
GET https://api.example.com/users

# POST with JSON data
POST https://api.example.com/users
    WITH HEADER {
        "Content-Type": "application/json"
    }
    WITH DATA {
        "name": "John Doe",
        "email": "john@example.com"
    }

Press Ctrl+F5 (or Cmd+F5 on Mac) to run the file
Use CodeLens buttons for individual block execution
View results in the integrated terminal

Commands

Command	Shortcut	Description
`Hitman: Run File`	`Ctrl+F5` / `Cmd+F5`	Execute the entire .hit file
`Hitman: Run File with Flags`	-	Execute with interactive flag selection
`Hitman: Run Block`	CodeLens	Execute a specific HTTP request block
`Hitman: Run Block with Variables`	CodeLens	Execute block with auto-included DEFINE statements
`Hitman: Run Block with Flags`	CodeLens	Execute block with interactive flag selection
`Hitman: Open Report`	-	Open and view a Hitman report file

🆕 Enhanced Features

Smart Variable Management

Auto-Variable Detection: CodeLens automatically detects which variables each block uses
Run with Variables: Automatically includes required DEFINE statements when running individual blocks
Missing Variable Warnings: CodeLens titles show missing variables (e.g., "⚠️ Missing: token, userId")
Context-Aware Suggestions: Hover over undefined variables for smart suggestions based on variable name

Improved Block Execution

Run Entire File: Execute the complete file including all DEFINE statements
Run All Blocks: Execute only the HTTP request blocks sequentially
Run Individual Blocks: Execute specific blocks with or without variable auto-inclusion
Variable Usage Display: CodeLens shows how many variables each block uses

Enhanced Validation

DEFINE Statement Validation: Catches extra content after values (e.g., DEFINE var="value"extra)
Contextual Error Messages: More helpful error messages with specific suggestions
Variable Placement Validation: Ensures DEFINE statements are at the top of the file

CodeLens Enhancements

Each HTTP request block now shows:

▶️ Run (uses X vars) - Basic execution with variable count
▶️ Run with Variables - Auto-includes required DEFINE statements
⚙️ Run with Flags - Interactive flag selection

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

hitman.defaultFlags: Default CLI flags to use when running Hitman files
hitman.timeout: Default timeout in seconds for HTTP requests (default: 30)
hitman.colorMode: Color mode for CLI output (auto, always, never)
hitman.reportPath: Default path for generated reports
hitman.enableLinting: Enable/disable syntax validation and linting
hitman.cliPath: Path to the Hitman CLI executable (default: hitman)

Syntax Reference

Variables

# Define variables at the top of the file (strict syntax)
DEFINE token="Bearer abc123"        # String (must be quoted)
DEFINE baseUrl="https://api.example.com"
DEFINE userId=123                   # Number
DEFINE debug=true                   # Boolean (true/false)
DEFINE headers={                    # Multi-line JSON object
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Authorization": "{{token}}"
}
DEFINE tags=["api", "test"]         # Single-line JSON array
DEFINE config={                     # Complex nested JSON
    "database": {
        "host": "localhost",
        "port": 5432
    },
    "features": ["auth", "api"],
    "debug": true
}
DEFINE optional="value";            # Optional semicolon
DEFINE x=2; #!MAHJ2l="ksk";         # Inline comments supported

# Use variables with {{variable}} syntax
GET {{baseUrl}}/users/{{userId}}
    WITH HEADER {{headers}}
    WITH DATA {
        "debug": {{debug}},
        "token": "{{token}}"
    }
    WITH QUERY {
        "format": "json",
        "debug": {{debug}}
    }

DEFINE Syntax Rules:

Format: DEFINE variableName=value (strict validation)
Variable names: Must start with letter/underscore, followed by letters/numbers/underscores
String values: Must be quoted ("string value")
Numbers: Unquoted integers or decimals (123, 45.67)
Booleans: true or false (unquoted)
Objects/Arrays: Valid JSON, single-line ({"key": "value"}) or multi-line
Optional semicolon: DEFINE var="value";
Inline comments: DEFINE var="value"; # comment or DEFINE var=123 // comment
Must be at top of file (before HTTP requests)

Invalid Examples:

DEFINE username="mahmoud"extra      # ❌ Extra content after value
DEFINE 123invalid="value"           # ❌ Variable name can't start with number
DEFINE invalid-name="value"         # ❌ Hyphens not allowed in variable names
DEFINE username hello world         # ❌ Unquoted string with spaces
DEFINE user name="value"            # ❌ Spaces in variable name

HTTP Methods

GET https://api.example.com/endpoint
POST https://api.example.com/endpoint
PUT https://api.example.com/endpoint
PATCH https://api.example.com/endpoint
DELETE https://api.example.com/endpoint
HEAD https://api.example.com/endpoint
OPTIONS https://api.example.com/endpoint

Headers

GET https://api.example.com/endpoint
    WITH HEADER {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "Authorization": "Bearer token",
        "Accept": "application/json"
    }

Request Data

POST https://api.example.com/endpoint
    WITH DATA {
        "key": "value",
        "number": 42,
        "boolean": true
    }

Query Parameters

GET https://api.example.com/endpoint
    WITH QUERY {
        "page": "1",
        "limit": "10",
        "sort": "name",
        "active": true
    }

Comments

# This is a line comment
// This is also a line comment

/* This is a
   block comment */

# Inline comments in DEFINE statements
DEFINE port=8080; # Server port
DEFINE url="https://api.com"; // API endpoint
DEFINE debug=true # Enable debugging

Code Snippets

The extension provides several built-in snippets:

get - Simple GET request
post - POST request with JSON data
put - PUT request with JSON data
patch - PATCH request with JSON data
delete - DELETE request with headers
auth - Request with authentication
form - Form data request
multi - Multiple requests template
define - Variable definition
defineobj - Object variable definition
getvar - GET request with variables
query - Request with query parameters
complete - Complete request with all sections

Known Issues

Large JSON responses in the report viewer may impact performance
CLI path detection may require manual configuration on some systems

Release Notes

1.0.0

Initial release with core features:

Syntax highlighting for .hit files
Code completion and hover providers
Integrated CLI execution
Real-time linting and diagnostics
HTML report viewer
Comprehensive configuration options

Contributing

Found a bug or want to contribute? Please visit our GitHub repository to report issues or submit pull requests.

License

This extension is licensed under the MIT License.

Hitman HTTP Scripting

Hitman Development Team