Synesis
Visual navigation and assisted editing for Synesis projects in Visual Studio Code.
Synesis is a VS Code extension for working with Synesis files (.syn, .synp, .synt, .syno). It provides navigation panels for bibliographic references, codes, relations, ontologies, and template fields, along with real-time diagnostics as you write.
What is Synesis
Synesis is the visual interface of the Synesis ecosystem. It connects to the Synesis compiler to display, in real time, the data from your qualitative research project: bibliographic references, analytical codes, causal relations (chains), ontology topics, and ontology annotations.
Everything is derived directly from your template (.synt) and annotation files (.syn, .syno) — no manual field configuration required.
Installation
Prerequisites
Install the Synesis compiler and language server via terminal:
pip install synesis synesis-lsp
Install the extension
- Download the
.vsix file from the releases page.
- In VS Code:
Ctrl+Shift+P → "Extensions: Install from VSIX..." → select the downloaded file.
Quick Start
- Open a folder containing a
.synp file (Synesis project) in VS Code.
- Click the Synesis icon in the left sidebar.
- The panels will be populated automatically with your project data.
The extension adds a sidebar with six panels:
| Panel |
What it shows |
| References |
All bibliographic sources in the project (SOURCE), with their annotation items nested below |
| Codes |
All analytical codes used in the annotations, with occurrences listed per file |
| Relations |
Causal relations (CHAIN) declared in items, grouped by source |
| Ontology Topics |
Topics defined in ontology files (.syno) |
| Ontology Annotations |
Usage of ontology topics across .syn annotation files |
| Template Fields |
Fields defined in the project template (.synt), grouped by scope (SOURCE / ITEM / ONTOLOGY) |
Clicking any item in a panel opens the corresponding file and positions the cursor at the exact line.
Commands and Shortcuts
| Shortcut |
Command |
Description |
Ctrl+Alt+G |
Synesis: Show Relation Graph |
Opens the relation graph for the entire project |
Ctrl+Alt+F |
Synesis: Show Relation Graph per File |
Opens the relation graph for the active file |
Ctrl+Alt+I |
Synesis: Show Relation Graph per Item |
Opens the graph for the item under the cursor |
Ctrl+Shift+A |
Synesis: Show Abstract |
Displays the bibliographic abstract for the active reference |
F2 (in panel) |
Rename Code / Rename Reference |
Renames a code or reference across the entire project |
The relation graph is interactive: you can zoom in and out and navigate through the nodes.
Context menus are available in the Codes panel (go to definition) and the References panel (rename reference).
Real-Time Diagnostics
While editing .syn and .syno files, the extension displays underlines and error messages directly in the editor — missing required fields, invalid bibliographic references, codes not defined in the template, and more. Errors also appear in the VS Code Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+M).
Themes
The extension includes two visual themes optimized for Synesis files:
- Synesis Dark
- Synesis Light
To activate: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Preferences: Color Theme" → select the desired theme.
License
MIT License — Christian Maciel De Britto.
See CHANGELOG.md for the version history.
