PICT Pairwise Testing with CoverTable
Syntax highlighting, live diagnostics, and covering-array generation for
Microsoft PICT model files, powered by the
CoverTable engine — no external binary
required.
Features
- Syntax highlighting for
.pict files: parameters, values, weights (N),
negatives ~, aliases a|b, parameter references <Name>, sub-models
{ A, B } @ N, and the constraint language (IF/THEN/ELSE, AND/OR/NOT,
IN/LIKE, [Field] refs, sets, strings, arithmetic).
- Diagnostics: unknown references, malformed constraints, and other parse
errors are surfaced inline with line numbers, as you type.
- Generate Covering Array: run the model and open the result as a TSV/CSV
table. You are prompted for the output file name, pre-filled with
<model>.tsv / <model>.csv; the file is written next to the model,
overwriting any existing file with that name, and opened. Command:
PICT: Generate Covering Array (also on the editor context menu).
- Progress & cancel: generation runs in time slices with a determinate
progress notification (
<rows> rows · <pct>% · ~<n>s left) that stays
responsive and can be cancelled mid-run. On completion you get a summary
(row count, order, elapsed time) and a warning if any pairs were left
uncovered by the constraints.
- Status-bar footer: while a
.pict file is active, the bottom bar shows
Strength · Criterion · Sorter · Case · ▷ Generate. Click any option to
change it (persisted to settings); click Generate to run.
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
pict.strength |
2 |
Combinatorial order (/o). 2 = pairwise, 3 = triple-wise. |
pict.criterion |
greedy |
Row-construction criterion: greedy (fewest rows) or simple. |
pict.sorter |
random |
Candidate ordering: random (varies) or hash (deterministic). |
pict.caseSensitive |
false |
Case-sensitive comparisons/aliases. Off = case-insensitive. |
pict.output.format |
tsv |
Result separator: tsv or csv. |
pict.output.includeHeader |
true |
Emit a header row of parameter names. |
pict.output.promptFileName |
true |
Ask for the output file name before generating. |
pict.diagnostics.enable |
true |
Toggle inline parse diagnostics. |
The status-bar footer edits pict.strength, pict.criterion, pict.sorter,
and pict.caseSensitive directly, so it stays in sync with these settings.
A file name ending in .csv/.tsv overrides pict.output.format for that run.
Per-file { ... } @ N sub-models still override pict.strength for their factors.
Development
pnpm install # or npm install
pnpm run compile # bundle once to dist/extension.js
pnpm run watch # rebuild on change
Then press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host.
The extension imports the engine by package name — covertable and
covertable/pict — resolved to the in-repo source via tsconfig.json paths
(the same convention docs/ uses). esbuild honours those paths, so the engine
is bundled straight from source and stays in lock-step with the library shipped
in this repository. No build of typescript/ is required first.
| |
