vscode-proto3-next
Protobuf 3 support for Visual Studio Code
Salute to the long-standing zxh0/vscode-proto3 extension that has accompanied us for so long.
This is an excellent and concise extension in VSCode, and it is well worth our continuous effort to make small optimizations.
✨ New Features
This extension extends the original functionality with significant improvements:
- Enhanced Import Resolution: Automatically resolves imports using paths defined in
protoc.options, enabling reliable "Go to Definition" across your workspace.
- Rich Hover Support:
- Definition Preview: Hover over message or enum types to view their complete definition, including fields and numbers.
- Nested Structures: Full support for visualizing nested messages and enums.
- Formatted Documentation: Comments are beautifully formatted, preserving multi-line structures.
📚 Release Notes
See CHANGELOG.md
🧩 Original Features (Inherited from vscode-proto3)
VSCode Commands
By default ctrl-shift-p opens the command prompt.
| Command |
Description |
proto3: Compile All Protos |
Compiles all workspace protos using configurations defined with protoc.options. |
proto3: Compile This Proto |
Compiles the active proto using configurations defined with protoc.options. |
Features
- Syntax highlighting
- Syntax validation
- Code snippets
- Code completion
- Code formatting
- Brace matching
- Line and block commenting
- Compilation
Syntax Highlighting
The grammar is written in tmLanguage JSON format.
Syntax Validation
The validation is triggered when you save the proto file. You need protoc
compiler to enable syntax validation. You also need a settings.json file
to tell the extension the full path of protoc if it is not in path.
Extension Settings
Below is an example settings.json file which comes from
example/.vscode:
{
"protoc": {
"path": "/path/to/protoc",
"compile_on_save": false,
"options": [
"--proto_path=protos/v3",
"--proto_path=protos/v2",
"--proto_path=${workspaceRoot}/proto",
"--proto_path=${env.GOPATH}/src",
"--java_out=gen/java"
]
}
}
Fields
The possible fields under the protoc extension settings which can be defined in a settings.json file.
| Field |
Type |
Default |
Description |
| path |
string |
protoc in PATH |
Path to protoc. Defaults to protoc in PATH if omitted. |
| compile_on_save |
boolean |
false |
On .proto file save, compiles to --*_out location within options |
| compile_all_path |
string |
Workspace Root |
Search Path for Compile All Protos action. Defaults to the Workspace Root |
| use_absolute_path |
boolean |
false |
Set true for compile_all_path search files using absolute path |
| options |
string[] |
[] |
protoc compiler arguments/flags, required for proto validation and compilation |
In-Line Variables
These variables can be used to inject variables strings within the protoc extension configurations. See above for examples.
| Variable |
Description |
| config.* |
Refer settings items in Preferences. |
| env.* |
Refer environment variable. |
| workspaceRoot |
Returns current workspace root path. |
Code Completion
A very simple parser is written to support code completion.
Code Snippets
| prefix |
body |
| sp2 |
syntax = "proto2"; |
| sp3 |
syntax = "proto3"; |
| pkg |
package package.name; |
| imp |
import "path/to/other/protos.proto"; |
| ojp |
option java_package = "java.package.name"; |
| ojoc |
option java_outer_classname = "ClassName"; |
| o4s |
option optimize_for = SPEED; |
| o4cs |
option optimize_for = CODE_SIZE; |
| o4lr |
option optimize_for = LITE_RUNTIME; |
| odep |
option deprecated = true; |
| oaa |
option allow_alias = true; |
| msg |
message MessageName {} |
| fbo |
bool field_name = tag; |
| fi32 |
int32 field_name = tag; |
| fi64 |
int64 field_name = tag; |
| fu32 |
uint32 field_name = tag; |
| fu64 |
uint64 field_name = tag; |
| fs32 |
sint32 field_name = tag; |
| fs64 |
sint64 field_name = tag; |
| ff32 |
fixed32 field_name = tag; |
| ff64 |
fixed64 field_name = tag; |
| fsf32 |
sfixed32 field_name = tag; |
| fsf64 |
sfixed64 field_name = tag; |
| ffl |
float field_name = tag; |
| fdo |
double field_name = tag; |
| fst |
string field_name = tag; |
| fby |
bytes field_name = tag; |
| fm |
map<key, val> field_name = tag; |
| foo |
oneof name {} |
| en |
enum EnumName {} |
| sv |
service ServiceName {} |
| rpc |
rpc MethodName (Request) returns (Response); |
Google API Design Guide
The following snippets are based on
Google API Design Guide.
Support "Format Document" if clang-format is in path, including custom style options.
By default, clang-format's standard coding style will be used for formatting. To define a custom style or use a supported preset add "clang-format.style" in VSCode Settings (settings.json)
Example usage
"clang-format.style": "google"
This is the equivalent of executing clang-format -style=google from the shell.
With multiple formatting options
"clang-format.style": "{ IndentWidth: 4, BasedOnStyle: google, AlignConsecutiveAssignments: true }"
For further formatting options refer to the official clang-format documentation
Known Issues
Auto-completion does not work in some situations.
Some users consistently see an error like spawnsync clang-format enoent when they save. This happens when the "formatOnSave"-setting is enabled in VSCode and "clang-format" cannot be found. To fix this:
On MacOS
- Install clang-format on your system:
brew install clang-format
- Install the
clang-format plugin in VSCode
Release Notes
See CHANGELOG.md.
