Clarion Extension for Visual Studio Code

Professional Clarion language support for Visual Studio Code with intelligent code navigation, IntelliSense, and build integration.

🚀 Quick Links

5-Minute Quick Start - Get up and running fast
Common Tasks - Everyday workflows made easy
Installation Guide - Detailed setup instructions
Full Changelog - See what's new
Report Issues - Found a bug?

✨ Key Features

🎨 Clarion & Template Language Support

Full language support for Clarion code, basic support for templates.

Clarion files (.clw, .inc) - Complete syntax highlighting and IntelliSense
Template files (.tpl, .tpw) - Syntax highlighting with 100+ template keywords
Code folding for structures and template blocks
Context-aware coloring for Clarion code
Note: Template files have syntax highlighting only (no IntelliSense/navigation)
Learn more about Code Editing →

💡 Signature Help & Documentation

Get instant parameter hints and documentation - works immediately, no solution needed!

148 built-in functions with parameter hints
Method overload support
Hover documentation for all symbols
Learn more about Signature Help →

✏️ Code Snippets

Write code faster with 50+ smart snippets - works immediately!

Structure templates (IF, LOOP, CASE, etc.)
Variable declaration shortcuts
Procedure and method templates
Learn more about Snippets →

📂 Solution Management

Open any Clarion solution - just open the folder.

Auto-detects .sln files in folder
Recent solutions list for quick access
No workspace files needed
Learn more about Solution Management →

Jump to definitions, find implementations - works in same file immediately, cross-file with solution.

Press F12 to go to definition (same file: no solution needed!)
Press Ctrl+F12 to go to implementation
Hover for documentation and previews
Cross-file navigation requires solution
Learn more about Navigation →

🔧 Build Integration

Generate applications directly from VS Code.

Right-click to build from Solution View
Multiple build configurations (Debug/Release)
Live build output
Learn more about Building →

🎯 Real-time Diagnostics

Catch errors as you type.

Unterminated structures
Missing RETURN statements
FILE validation (DRIVER, RECORD)
Learn more about Diagnostics →

✏️ Code Editing Tools

Productivity features to write code faster.

50+ code snippets
Paste as Clarion String
Add Method Implementation
Create New Class wizard
Learn more about Code Editing →

📦 Installation

Requirements

Visual Studio Code (latest version)
Clarion (for build features)

Quick Install

Open VS Code
Press Ctrl+Shift+X
Search for "Clarion Extensions"
Click Install

Detailed installation instructions →

🎓 Learning Resources

For New Users

Quick Start Guide - 5 minutes to your first solution
Common Tasks - How do I...?
Installation Guide - Detailed setup

Feature Documentation

Navigation Features - F12, Ctrl+F12, hover tooltips
Signature Help - Parameter hints and documentation
Solution Management - Working with solutions
Diagnostics & Validation - Error detection
Code Editing Tools - Snippets, commands, wizards

Reference

All Commands - Complete command reference
All Settings - Configuration options
Snippet Reference - Code snippet cheat sheet
Clarion Language Reference - Language syntax

🆕 What's New

Latest: v0.8.6 (2026-01-12)

50-70% faster Ctrl+F12 - CrossFileCache reduces subsequent navigations to <100ms
First navigation: 2-4 seconds (reads + caches file)
Subsequent navigations: <100ms (cache hits)

🎯 Routine Support Enhancements

Full namespace prefix support - DO DumpQue::SaveQState now works with hover and Ctrl+F12
New RoutineHoverResolver with code preview
Added DO_ROUTINE and ROUTINE_LABEL patterns

🏗️ Solution View Enhancements

Dependency-aware build order - Projects build in correct dependency order
Application sort toggle - Switch between Solution Order and Build Order
Build progress indicators - Spinning icon, build counter (e.g., "Building 2/5")
Batch UpperPark commands - Import/Export/Show All Differences
New context menu commands - Build Project, Generate + Build, Copy Path, Open in Clarion IDE
Generate All/Build All - Build multiple applications in dependency order

FUNCTION declarations now work with Ctrl+F12 (cross-project)
Procedures without parameters show correct hover info
Methods named like keywords (e.g., MESSAGE) show method info instead of keyword help

See full changelog →

Recent: v0.8.5 (2026-01-09)

🔧 Folding Provider Fix

Fixed critical issues with code folding for window definitions:

APPLICATION structures now fold correctly
Nested MENU structures fold properly at any indentation level
Removed arbitrary 50-column limit for structure recognition

Impact: Complex window/application definitions with nested menus now have proper code folding support.

Recent: v0.8.4 (2026-01-09)

🎨 Template Language Support

Dedicated syntax highlighting for .tpl and .tpw files with 100+ template keywords.

⚡ Performance Boost

50-60% faster token processing with optimized caching and parent relationship indexing.

F12 now correctly prioritizes local variables over globals with the same name.