PICC CCS Support

This is an alpha-stage, non-official and non-affiliated VSCode extension for the PICC CCS C (command line) commercial compilers made by Custom Computer Services, Inc. www.ccsinfo.com

The official ccsinfo PCW IDE (if included in your paid product) has proven functionnality and advantages like wizards, help references etc., and this project has no any intention to replace it. Use it as an alternative on your responsibility.

The author assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or data lost that this extension may cause.
Please always make copies of your source code.
The information contained in this project is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, or full functionnality.

Repository  |  Forum Topic  |  Marketplace Page   |  Open VSX Registry

⚙️ Features

• VSCode IntelliSense features (code completion, parameter info, quick info, member lists)
  NOTE: Requires the microsoft/vscode-cpptools extension. For VSCodium, you need to sideload .VSIX any version before 1.24.5 from GitHub e.g. take 1.23.6
• Compile / Clean as Tasks
• See and navigate to lines with Errors / Warnings / Information at PROBLEMS window
• Contextual Help by F1 or right-click over a word in code
• Shortcuts in Run Task list to CCSLOAD, SIOW and Wizards

🔨 Install

1. Make sure you have the ccsinfo PICC Compiler installed on default location
2. Visit Extension Marketplace Page | Open VSX Registry
3. Alternatively, you can sideload a VSIX file: Select vscode extensions section and click over three dots ...
   Navigate to the offline file:

🛠️ Activate the extension in your PICC CCS Project Folder

1. Open your project folder with VSCode.
2. Invoke Ctrl+Shift+P or type: > then find PICC CCS: Setup Project.
   (initial .vscode subfolder will be created)

NOTE: After updating to a new version of the extension, do PICC CCS: Migrate Workspace (full update) or delete .vscode, setup and configure

3. Other commands you can invoke at any time later:

PICC CCS: Show C/C++ Extension Setup Guidance - provides detailed steps
PICC CCS: Help Tools Setup Guidance - steps for help openers setup, see next
PICC CCS: Reset Prompts - all prompts reset for this workspace. They will appear again on next activation
PICC CCS: Migrate To IntelliSense Header - (depreciated) - adds header to previous version workspace
PICC CCS: Cleanup Old Tasks Configuration - (depreciated) - corrects tasks from older variant
PICC CCS: Migrate Workspace (full update) - new updating variant of both above

🔧 Supercharge IntelliSense for CCS Driver Functions

The CCS compiler uses non-standard syntax e.g. (int8 &hr) that the C/C++ extension IntelliSense will not work. Here is the solution:

Option A: Automatic - included

(See below Usage 9. for existing projects)
When you run PICC CCS: Setup Project on a new workspace, the extension now:

• Copies a ccs_intellisense.h to your .vscode folder
• Configures c_cpp_properties.json to automatically inject it

The header contains standard C prototypes for all CCS driver functions at given version, giving you:
✅ Parameter hints when typing function calls
✅ Autocomplete for function names
✅ Hover documentation
✅ All without modifying your original .c files

Option B: Generate header, see TOOLS.md - advanced

⚖️ The generated headers contain only function prototypes derived from CCS driver files or your own ones. No proprietary implementation code is copied or distributed. Users of the commercial CCS compiler are already licensed to use the driver interfaces.

❓ Configure the .chm or .pdf help opener

1. You can use a special old KeyHH.exe (Ralph Walden) software for a contextual search in ccsc.chm instead of using the MS Windows' provided HH.exe. Get it (KeyHH 1.1) from this Web Archive and follow the links to download KeyHHSetup.exe, which installs the tool in: C:\Windows

2. If you prefer the PDF help to open by Adobe PDF Reader, get the help file from here and place it in PICC installation folder.

3. Go to Extension -> Settings - to enable/disable and select which tool to use in user and workspace scope.

NOTE: if you enable in user space, the contextual Help menu (F1) will be available globaly in your vscode!

🎯 Usage

1. Enjoy the VSCode features
2. When your main .c file is opened and focused, select Run Task > "- PICC Build -" > then select the type of the compiler.
3. Run Task > "PICC Clean" deletes some output files.
4. See PROBLEMS and TERMINAL windows for compilation output details.

5. To open contextual help on selected word, use F1 or a right-click -> select first line from the menu.

6. On version later than 0.1.5, to change the compiler PCB, PCH, PCM, PCD "flavor" (it will be remembered for next session) click on status bar.

7. Upgrade Note: Users updating existing workspaces from version 0.1.5 or earlier will be prompted to update their tasks.json configuration. A backup will be created automatically.

8. To invoke manually later the migration cleanup by command palette, type PICC CCS: Migrate Workspace (full update)
   Configure again the .chm or .pdf help opener

9. To migrate an existing Workspaces to use IntelliSense Header

• Open your workspace
• Run command: PICC CCS: Migrate Workspace (full update)
• The extension will copy the header and update your configuration
• Configure again the .chm or .pdf help opener
• Reload window and enjoy enhanced IntelliSense!

🚧 Development

1. Clone the code from this GitLab Repository

2. Download and install Node.js if not already done.

3. Get vsce (VS Code Extension Manager) - by terminal command:

   npm install -g vsce
   

4. Initialize the project:

   npm install
   

5. Make your code changes...

6. In the extension’s root directory, run:

   vsce package
   

   This will create a new .vsix file for your tests.