Airalogy Markdown Studio
Airalogy Markdown Studio is a professional VS Code extension designed for editing and previewing AIMD (Airalogy Markdown) protocol files — an extended Markdown format for defining experimental protocols with interactive templates like variables, steps, and checkpoints. It provides a modern, "Scientific Minimalist" preview interface to help scientists and researchers visualize their experimental workflows.
Features
- Interactive Timeline Preview: Visualize your protocol as a sleek, card-based timeline.
- Scientific Minimalist Design: High-fidelity UI inspired by professional lab design tools, offering high contrast and reduced visual clutter.
- Unified Rendering Engine: Powered by Remark/Rehype and Vue.js for robust and extensible document parsing.
- Python Backend Integration: Binary sidecar architecture for advanced features like AI assistance and data export.
- Real-time Synchronization: The preview updates instantly as you edit your
.aimd files.
- Smart Variable Highlighting: Easily identify and interact with protocol variables.
- Theme Support: Choose between Modern, Journal, Clinical, and Westlake themes with full dark mode support.
- Status Bar Integration: Quick access to preview commands directly from the status bar.
Usage
- Open any file with the
.aimd extension.
- Click the AIMD Preview button in the status bar (bottom right).
- Alternatively, use the preview icon in the editor title bar or the context menu.
Extension Settings
This extension contributes the following settings:
aimd.preview.buttonText: Customize the status bar button text.aimd.preview.buttonIcon: Change the status bar icon (uses VS Code Codicons).aimd.preview.buttonPriority: Adjust the position of the status bar button.aimd.pythonMode: Switch between bundled (pre-compiled) and system Python environments.aimd.systemPythonPath: Path to the system Python executable (auto-synced with Python extension).
Requirements
- VS Code version 1.74.0 or higher.
- Python 3.8+ (Optional: The extension bundles pre-compiled binaries for Win/Mac/Linux, but a local Python installation can be used for development).
Release Notes
0.4.5
Smart dependency management:
- Intelligent Error Handling: Assigner failures with missing packages now show one-click install buttons.
- uv First: All installations default to
uv package manager for speed and reliability.
- Python Version Check: Warns if Python < 3.13 (required by Airalogy SDK) with actionable options.
- Homebrew Detection: Recognizes macOS Homebrew Python and guides users to proper installation methods.
0.4.4
Project structure improvements:
- New Logo: Updated extension icon with refreshed branding.
- Consolidated Backend: Merged
airalogy_mock and aimd_studio modules into python/ directory for cleaner project structure.
- Migrated to Organization: Source code now hosted at github.com/airalogy/studio.
0.4.3
Critical Fix:
- Missing Module in Package: Included
airalogy_mock directory in the extension package. This resolves the backend crash when switching to System Python ("airalogy_mock not found" / "NoneType object is not callable").
0.4.2
Features and improvements:
- Environment Management: Seamless switching between Bundled and System Python.
- Dependency Handling: Automatic check and install prompts for
airalogy package.
- Session Persistence: Active sessions now survive backend restarts and environment switches.
0.4.1
Bug fixes for Windows binary:
- airalogy SDK: Fixed missing SDK in compiled binaries causing Record mode errors.
- Version Endpoint: Added backend version info for debugging.
0.3.2
Bug fixes and packaging improvements:
- Dependency Bundling: Fixed missing runtime dependencies (e.g.,
unified) in packaged extension using esbuild.
- Improved Reliability: Resolved "Cannot find module" errors on fresh installations.
0.3.1
CI/CD automation and build pipeline:
- Multi-Platform Binaries: Automated PyInstaller builds for Win/Mac/Linux.
- Auto Publishing: GitHub Actions for automatic marketplace releases.
0.3.0
Python backend integration:
- Binary Sidecar Pattern: Python backend via JSON-RPC over stdio.
- Backend Bridge: Seamless TypeScript-Python communication.
0.2.0
Major update focusing on UI refinement and architecture modernization:
- Scientific Minimalist Redesign: A cleaner, more professional look.
- Unified Renderer: Robust parsing using the Unified ecosystem.
- Vue.js Integration: Completely rewritten preview interface using Vue.
- Enhanced Reliability: Fixed numerous parsing and display bugs.
0.1.0
Initial release of AIMD Studio:
- Basic syntax highlighting for
.aimd files.
- Advanced Timeline Preview with card-based layout.
- Experimental ProFlow-style rendering.
- Status bar and editor title integration.
Happy Experimenting!
