XersLang VSCode Extension

Official Visual Studio Code extension for the XersLang programming language, providing syntax highlighting, code snippets, and language support.

Features

Syntax Highlighting

Full syntax highlighting for .xers files
Keywords: fn, let, mut, const, if, else, while, return, break, continue
Types: i64, i32, i16, i8, u64, u32, u16, u8, f64, f32, bool, char, str, void, ptr
Builtin functions: alloc, peek, poke, strlen, streq, print_int, read_file, file_len, write_file, exit
String, number, and comment highlighting
Operator highlighting

Hover Documentation

Hover over built-in functions and keywords to see documentation.

Code Snippets

Ready-to-use snippets for common patterns:

Trigger	Description
`fn`	Function definition
`fnv`	Function with no return value
`main`	Main function with return
`mains`	Simple main function
`if`	If statement
`ife`	If-else statement
`while`	While loop
`fori`	For-like loop using while
`let`	Variable binding with type
`leti`	Variable binding (inferred type)
`alloc`	Allocate memory
`peek`	Read from memory
`poke`	Write to memory
`strlen`	Get string length
`streq`	Compare strings
`printi`	Print integer
`readf`	Read file
`flen`	Get file length
`writef`	Write file
`ret`	Return statement
`ret0`	Return 0
`exit`	Exit program
`buffer`	Buffer allocation template
`fib`	Fibonacci function template

Language Features

Bracket matching and auto-closing
Comment toggling (// and /* */)
Automatic indentation
Code folding support
Compile and Run commands

Commands

Command	Keybinding	Description
XersLang: Compile Current File	`Ctrl+Shift+B`	Compile the current .xers file
XersLang: Compile and Run	`F5`	Compile and run the current .xers file

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
`xerslang.compilerPath`	`xersc`	Path to the XersLang compiler executable

Installation

From VSIX (Manual Installation)

Package the extension (requires vsce):

cd tools/xers-vscode
npm install
npm run compile
npm run package

Install the generated .vsix file:
- Open VS Code
- Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
- Click the ... menu at the top
- Select "Install from VSIX..."
- Choose the generated xerslang-0.1.0.vsix file

From Source (Development)

Copy to VS Code extensions folder:

# Windows
xcopy /E tools\xers-vscode %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions\xerslang-0.1.0\

# Linux/Mac
cp -r tools/xers-vscode ~/.vscode/extensions/xerslang-0.1.0

Reload VS Code:
- Press Ctrl+Shift+P
- Type "Reload Window"
- Press Enter

Usage

Open or create a .xers file
Start typing - autocompletion will suggest keywords and builtins
Use snippets by typing the trigger prefix (e.g., fn + Tab)
Use Ctrl+/ to toggle line comments
Use Ctrl+Shift+B to compile
Use F5 to compile and run

Example

// Fibonacci calculator in XersLang
fn fibonacci(n: i64) -> i64 {
    if n <= 1 {
        return n;
    }
    let a = 0;
    let b = 1;
    let i = 2;
    while i <= n {
        let temp = a + b;
        a = b;
        b = temp;
        i = i + 1;
    }
    return b;
}

fn main() -> i64 {
    let result = fibonacci(10);
    print_int(result);  // Prints 55
    return 0;
}

Builtin Functions Reference

Memory Management

alloc(size: i64) -> i64 - Allocate memory
free(ptr: i64) -> i64 - Free memory
peek(ptr: i64) -> i64 - Read byte from memory
poke(ptr: i64, value: i64) -> i64 - Write byte to memory

String Operations

strlen(str: i64) -> i64 - Get string length
streq(str1: i64, str2: i64) -> i64 - Compare strings (1 if equal)

I/O Operations

print_int(value: i64) - Print integer to stdout
read_file(path: str) -> i64 - Read file contents
file_len(path: str) -> i64 - Get file size in bytes
write_file(path: str, data: i64, len: i64) -> i64 - Write to file

Process Control

exit(code: i64) - Exit program with code

Project Structure

xers-vscode/
+-- package.json                  # Extension manifest
+-- README.md                     # This file
+-- language-configuration.json   # Language config (brackets, comments)
+-- syntaxes/
|   +-- xers.tmLanguage.json     # TextMate grammar for syntax highlighting
+-- snippets/
|   +-- xers.json                # Code snippets
+-- src/
|   +-- extension.ts             # Extension entry point
+-- out/
    +-- extension.js             # Compiled extension

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

XersLang