Prog8 Language Support for VS Code

Language support extension for Prog8, a structured programming language designed for 8-bit 6502/65c02 microprocessors, including the Commodore 64, Commander X16, and other retro computers.

Features

Syntax Highlighting

Comprehensive syntax highlighting for .p8 files with support for:

• Control flow statements and keywords
• Data types and type annotations
• Compiler directives and pragmas
• String literals with encoding prefixes
• Numeric literals (decimal, hexadecimal, binary)
• Built-in functions and library modules
• Memory-mapped variables
• Inline assembly blocks
• Comments and operators

Code Intelligence

• Code Completion: Context-aware suggestions for keywords, functions, and symbols
• Go to Definition: Navigate to symbol declarations
• Find References: Locate all uses of a symbol
• Hover Information: View documentation and type information
• Document Symbols: Outline view and breadcrumb navigation
• Workspace Symbols: Search for symbols across your project

Project Support

• Prog8 Project Files: Support for prog8.project.json configuration files
• Build Integration: Compile and run Prog8 programs directly from VS Code
• Import Resolution: Automatic resolution of %import statements

Project File Format

Create a prog8.project.json file in your project root to configure compilation settings:

{
  "name": "My Prog8 Project",
  "main": "main.p8",
  "target": "cx16",
  "outputDir": "build",
  "launchEmu": true,
  "srcdirs": ["src", "lib"],
  "compilerArgs": ["-optimize"]
}

Required fields:

• main - Main source file to compile.
• target - Target platform: cx16, c64, c128, pet32, virtual, or path to a custom target .properties file (e.g., ./nes.properties).

Optional fields:

• name - Project name for display.
• outputDir - Output directory for compiled files.
• launchEmu - Launch emulator after compilation (default: true).
• srcdirs - Additional source directories for imports.
• compilerArgs - Extra compiler arguments.
• compilerPath, javaPath, assemblerFolder, emulatorFolder - Override tool paths.
• run - Custom script to run after compilation.
• compilationMode - Compilation strategy: auto, standard, or custom-script.
• progb - ProgB-specific formatting settings.

Custom Targets

When using a custom target (.properties file), the extension cannot provide IntelliSense for the built-in libraries since they are defined externally. To enable hover information, code completion, and syntax coloring for your custom target's library symbols, add the custom target's library directory to srcdirs:

{
  "main": "main.p8",
  "target": "./nes.properties",
  "srcdirs": ["path/to/custom-target/lib"]
}

This allows the extension to parse the library source files and provide full language support.

Environment Variables During Compilation

Editor Features

• Auto-closing brackets and quotes
• Comment toggling
• Code folding
• Smart indentation
• Symbol formatting

Supported Platforms

This extension supports Prog8 development for:

• Commander X16
• Commodore 64
• Commodore 128
• Commodore PET

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

Install directly from the VS Code Extensions Marketplace by searching for "Prog8" or install from a .vsix file using the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and selecting "Extensions: Install from VSIX...".

Requirements

To compile and run Prog8 programs, you need the Prog8 compiler installed on your system.

Resources

• Prog8 Documentation
• Prog8 GitHub Repository
• Commander X16 Website
• Prog8 Discord Community

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.