MSC Adams Extension for Visual Studio Code
Table of Contents
Features
Syntax highlighting
Full syntax highlighting for .cmd, .mac, .adm, and .acf files.
| Dark |
Light |
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Adams View Command Language Intellisense
- Autocomplete for Adams commands and functions
- Inline documentation on hover for commands, functions, and user macros
Intellisense support for Adams View Python Interface
- Autocomplete for the Adams Python API
- Inline documentation and type hints on hover
Debugging python scripts in Adams View
You can debug python scripts in Adams View using the Python Extension. This extension provides a convenient button to attach the debugger to an existing Adams View process.
Note: Debugging is supported in Adams Car too! See
Debugger not breaking when attached to Adams Car
if you are having trouble getting the debugger to break in Adams Car.
Steps to debug a python script in Adams View
- Open an Adams View session
- Open the python script you want to debug in Visual Studio Code
- Click the Debug Python Script in Adams button in the top right of the editor
- Note: If you have multiple Adams View sessions open, you will be prompted to select one
- Set breakpoints in the python script
- In the Adams View session, import the python script
- The python script will break at the breakpoints.
Run in Adams View
Important: The command server must be running for these features to work. The demos below show how to
start the command server.
Tip: Add command_server start to your startup macro (aviewAS.cmd or aview.cmd) to automatically
start the command server when Adams View is opened. This will allow you to run python scripts in
Adams View without having to manually start the command server.
Run selection in Adams View (works for both CMD and Python files)
Run File in Adams View (works for both CMD and Python files)
Note: For python files, the button is located within the existing python run button stack.
Open Adams View From Explorer
Snippets
Snippets for common Adams CMD and Python patterns.
CMD Linter
The extension includes a Language Server Protocol (LSP)-based linter for Adams View CMD files.
It flags unknown commands, invalid arguments, and other syntax errors as you type.
Diagnostic codes include:
| Code | Severity | Description |
|------|----------|-------------|
| E001 | Error | Unknown command |
| E002 | Error | Invalid macro parameter |
| E003 | Error | Invalid argument name |
| E004 | Error | Missing required argument |
| E005 | Error | Mutually exclusive arguments |
| E006 | Error | Duplicate argument |
| E105 | Error | Design function missing parentheses |
| W103 | Warning | Dangling continuation character |
| I202 | Info | Hardcoded Adams ID reference |
Macro Scanning
Enable msc-adams.linter.scanWorkspaceMacros to let the linter discover user-defined macro files
(.mac by default) in the workspace. Once scanned, user-defined macros are recognised as valid
commands and their declared parameters are validated when the macro is called.
The linter also scans for User-Defined Element (UDE) definitions, recognising custom UDE commands
and their parameters.
Code Navigation
- Go to Definition — Ctrl+Click on any macro invocation, variable, part, marker, constraint, or UDE to jump to where it's defined.
- Find All References — Right-click → Find All References to see every usage across the workspace.
- Macro Parameter Navigation — Ctrl+Click on
$param_name in a macro body to jump to its definition; Shift+F12 for all references.
- Hover Documentation — Hover over a macro invocation to see its help string (sourced from
!HELP_STRING in the macro file header or the help_string= argument of an inline macro create statement). Hover over Adams commands to see argument details, types, and descriptions.
Copilot Agent Skills
The extension bundles 5 domain-knowledge skills that teach GitHub Copilot how to work with Adams. These are automatically available in Copilot Chat for all users who install the extension.
| Skill |
Description |
| adams-cmd-model-builder |
Build models using Adams CMD syntax |
| adams-python-model-builder |
Build models using the Adams Python API |
| adams-flex |
Flexible bodies, MNF files, and rotordynamics |
| adams-simulation-debugger |
Diagnose convergence failures and solver issues |
| adams-subroutine-writer |
Write C, C++, and Fortran user subroutines |
MCP Servers
The extension registers two Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers that allow AI assistants to interact with Adams directly:
Adams View — Connects to a running Adams View session. Provides tools to run CMD commands, execute Python, load files, submit simulations, and read the session log.
Adams CMD Linter — Static analysis tools that let AI agents look up command syntax (adams_lookup_command), lint raw CMD text (adams_lint_cmd_text), and lint CMD files (adams_lint_cmd_file). This allows agents to validate their own Adams output before showing it to you.
Extension Settings
This extension contributes the following settings:
msc-adams.adamsLaunchCommand: Path to the mdi.bat file in your Adams installation.msc-adams.aviewPortNumber: Port number for connecting to Adams View (default: 5002).msc-adams.debugOptions: Options passed to the Python debugger (e.g. justMyCode, subProcess).msc-adams.showDebuggerWarning: Show a warning when attaching the debugger to Adams View 2023+.msc-adams.runInAdams.substituteSelf: String to replace $_self with when running in Adams View.msc-adams.runInAdams.substituteParams: Substitute macro parameters with their default values.msc-adams.runInAdams.autoLoadAdamspyStubs: Automatically add adamspy stub files to the Python intellisense path.msc-adams.runInAdams.autoLoadAdamsSitePackages: Automatically add Adams site-packages to the Python intellisense path.
CMD Linter Settings
CMD Linter Settings
msc-adams.linter.scanWorkspaceMacros: When enabled, the CMD linter scans the workspace for
macro files and uses them to suppress false "unknown command" errors for user-defined macros.
Disabled by default.msc-adams.linter.macroPaths: Glob patterns used to discover macro files when
scanWorkspaceMacros is enabled. Defaults to ["**/*.mac"].msc-adams.linter.macroIgnorePaths: Glob patterns for files or folders to exclude from macro
scanning. Defaults to [].msc-adams.linter.showMacroHint: When a user-defined macro call triggers an E001 error, show
a hint suggesting that scanWorkspaceMacros can be enabled. Defaults to true.msc-adams.linter.udePaths: Glob patterns used to discover UDE definition files when
scanWorkspaceMacros is enabled. Defaults to ["**/*.cmd"].msc-adams.linter.udeIgnorePaths: Glob patterns for files or folders to exclude from UDE
definition scanning. Defaults to [].msc-adams.linter.enabled: Enable or disable the CMD linter. Defaults to true.msc-adams.linter.pythonPath: Path to the Python interpreter used to run the linter server. Leave empty to use the workspace Python.msc-adams.linter.severity: Minimum diagnostic severity to report ("error", "warning", or "info"). Defaults to "info".
Customizing Syntax Colors
Customizing Syntax Colors
You may override the extension's default syntax colors using the editor.tokenColorCustomizations setting. The extension uses the following scopes:
- parameter.reference
- variable
- constant
- arguments
- parameter.definition
- selfParameter
- command.command
- command.control
- command.argument
- command.argument.continued
The example below would change the color and font style of the variable scope
"editor.tokenColorCustomizations": {
"textMateRules": [
{
"scope": "variable",
"settings": {
"foreground": "#02485e",
"fontStyle": "bold"
}
}
]
}
Run In Adams: Substitute Params
Run In Adams: Substitute Params
When enabled (default), the extension will substitute macro parameters (i.e. variables prefixed
with $) in the macro/selection before running it in Adams View. This will only work if the
parameter is defined in the macro with a default value
For example, the following macro will run in Adams View with the parameter $part substituted with
PART_1 and $mass substituted with 1.
!$part:t=part:d=PART_1
!$mass:t=real:d=1
part modify rigid_body mass_properties part=$part mass=$mass
However, the following macro will not run in Adams View because the parameter $part is not
defined with a default value.
!$part:t=part
!$mass:t=real:d=1
part modify rigid_body mass_properties part=$part mass=$mass
Run In Adams: Substitute $_self
Run In Adams: Substitute $_self
When running a macro or a selection of a macro, the extension will substitute $_self with the
a user defined value. The default is .mdi. This is useful when the macro uses local variables.
Note: It is common convention to clear out local variables at the end of a macro using
var del var=$_self.*. If using this convention, you should not use the default .mdi. Instead,
it is recommended to create an empty library in adams view and set the value of
msc-adams.runInAdams.substituteSelf to the name of the library.
Requirements
Known Issues
Show known issues
Attaching the Debugger to Adams View does not work in version 2023
The debugger appears to attach but fails to stop at break points.
Tip: A workaround is to simply import the threading module before attaching the debugger. The easiest
way to do this is to open the adams view command line, switch to python, and run
import threading. You can also automate this by adding
var set var=.mdi.tmp_int int=(eval(run_python_code("import threading"))) to aviewAS.cmd.
Equal Sign In A String On A Continuation Line
An equal sign in a string on a continuation line (i.e. a line following &) breaks syntax
highlighting for the rest of the file.
A workaround is to add !" after the line with the equal sign. As shown below.
Support
Submit issues to https://github.com/bthornton191/adams_vscode/issues
