Prog8 Language Support for VS Code

Syntax highlighting and language support for Prog8, a structured programming language for 8-bit 6502/65c02 microprocessors.

Features

• Syntax Highlighting for .p8 files including:

  • Keywords and control flow (if, else, for, while, repeat, when, sub, etc.)
  • Data types (byte, ubyte, word, uword, long, float, bool, str)
  • Pointer types (^^) and typed address-of operators (&&, &<, &>)
  • Variable declarations with proper identifier highlighting
  • Block/namespace definitions with optional address (main $c000 { })
  • Compiler directives (%import, %address, %zeropage, %asm, %ir, etc.)
  • String literals with encoding prefixes (default:, petscii:, sc:, iso:, etc.)
  • Numeric literals (decimal, hexadecimal $, binary %)
  • Built-in functions (len, sizeof, lsb, msb, rol, ror, peek, poke, etc.)
  • Memory-mapped variable declarations (&ubyte BORDER_COLOR = $d020)
  • Inline assembly blocks with 6502 instruction highlighting
  • Comments (; line comments and /* */ block comments)
  • Operators (arithmetic, bitwise, logical, comparison)
  • Virtual registers (r0-r15 and variants)
  • Library modules (txt, sys, math, floats, cx16, cbm, etc.)

• Language Configuration:

  • Auto-closing brackets and quotes
  • Comment toggling
  • Code folding
  • Proper indentation

Supported Targets

Prog8 supports these retro computer platforms:

• Commander X16 (65c02 CPU)
• Commodore 64 (6502 CPU)
• Commodore 128 (6502 CPU)
• Commodore PET (limited support)
• Various external configurable targets (Atari 800 XL, Neo6502, NES, etc.)

Example Code

%import textio
%zeropage basicsafe

main {
    sub start() {
        txt.print("Hello, Prog8!\n")
        
        ubyte counter
        for counter in 0 to 10 {
            txt.print_ub(counter)
            txt.nl()
        }
        
        return
    }
}

Installation

From VSIX

1. Download the .vsix file from the releases
2. In VS Code, open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
3. Run "Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
4. Select the downloaded file

From Source

1. Clone this repository
2. Run npm install (if using npm scripts)
3. Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host
4. Open a .p8 file to see syntax highlighting

Package as VSIX

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package

File Associations

This extension automatically associates with .p8 file extensions.

Related Links

• Prog8 Documentation
• Prog8 GitHub Repository
• Commander X16
• Prog8 Discord Channel (on Commander X16 Discord)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

This extension is released under the MIT License.

Enjoy coding in Prog8! 🎮