BigFix Relevance Developer
Catch mistakes in BigFix Relevance while you write it. Problems are underlined
as you type, in the fixlets, tasks, analyses, dashboards and documents where
your relevance already lives. Whole-file relevance gets syntax highlighting.
Features
Diagnostics as you type
Every relevance statement in an open file is checked, and problems appear as
squiggles and in the Problems panel (Cmd+Shift+M on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+M on
Windows and Linux).
Each one names its rule, for example [unknown-inspector], so it's easy to look
up. Checks include:
- Statements that can't run: parse errors, unterminated strings and
comments,
it with nothing to refer to, and type errors such as comparing a
number with a string.
- Inspector names: names no known inspector defines, with "did you mean"
suggestions; and client-only and session-only inspectors mixed in one
statement.
- Plural and singular: a singular spelling where more than one value can
come back, which fails when it does, and plurals where the engine needs a
single value.
- Version comparisons that quietly compare the wrong way, such as
version "14.6" > version "14" truncating, or version-like strings compared
as text.
- ActionScript: substitutions (
{...}) that are never closed, that can
produce several values, or that produce something with no text form; and
ActionScript command words used inside relevance.
- Complexity: statements whose structure or evaluation cost is far above
what ordinary content needs.
Syntax highlighting
.rel and .bsr files, and relevance in Markdown code fences, are colored:
keywords such as of, whose and if ... then ... else, comparison, logical and
arithmetic operators (including is not equal to and does not contain),
it, strings, numbers and comments.
A language for relevance
BigFix Relevance is available as a language for any editor. Use
Toggle Block Comment to wrap a selection in /* */, and parentheses and
quotes are matched as you type. A new, unsaved file set to BigFix Relevance is
checked as you type too, before it has a name.
Where relevance is found
| Files |
What is checked |
.bes, .bes.xml |
Every relevance element, success criteria, analysis properties, and {...} substitutions in action scripts |
.ojo, .besrpt, .beswrpt, .webreport, .html, .htm |
<?Relevance ...?> blocks and relevance passed to JavaScript Relevance(...) calls |
.rel |
The whole file, as one client or session relevance statement |
.bsr |
The whole file, as one session relevance statement |
.md, .markdown |
Code fences tagged relevance, client_relevance or session_relevance |
In Markdown, only fenced blocks with one of those tags are read:
```relevance
exists file "C:\Windows\notepad.exe"
```
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
|
bigfixRelevance.maxDocumentBytes |
1048576 (1 MiB) |
Files larger than this are not checked; they get one information message instead, so a very large generated file can't slow the editor down. |
bigfixRelevance.trace.server |
off |
Set to messages or verbose to log the extension's activity to its Output channel, for troubleshooting. |
Commands
- BigFix Relevance: Restart Language Server: restarts the checker, for
example after a settings change or if diagnostics stop updating.
Known limitations
- A problem with a statement as a whole, such as one that is too complex, and
a problem in the file around the relevance, such as an unclosed code fence,
underline the whole line they are on. Every other problem underlines just
the text it is about.
- Highlighting colors keywords and operators, not inspector names.
- Hover information and completion are not available yet.
- A file is checked when its name ends in one of the file types above, or when
its language is set to BigFix Relevance. Other files are left alone.
- The checker starts the first time you open a file with relevance to check,
so it uses no memory in windows without any. Markdown and HTML files count
only once they contain relevance, as described above.
Feedback
Report problems or ideas at
github.com/jgstew/bigfix-relevance-analyzer/issues.
The checks come from
bigfix-relevance-analyzer,
which also provides them on the command line and as a pre-commit hook.
License
MIT
| |
