TMD Music Language for VS Code

Official Visual Studio Code extension providing language support, syntax highlighting, and snippets for the TMD (Timebase Mark Down) format.

Features

• Syntax Highlighting:
  • ::SCORE:: root score marker.
  • Song title ** Title **.
    • Global tempo (!= 120), movable-do base (?= C), optional declared tonality (key= Bm), and time signature (<4/4>).
  • Paragraph definitions (intro:Piano@|0|{ ... }).
  • Section divisions (<4*>, <16*>).
  • Numbered musical notation (Jianpu) with accidentals (1', 2,) and octave marks (1^, 1_).
  • Chord symbols ([Cmaj7], [1], [6m]).
  • Tuplets and rhythm modifiers (%(---)).
  • Arrangement execution flow (-> intro -> A ->#).
  • Block comments (/* ... */).
• Snippets:
  • score: Generates a minimal TMD score template.
  • para: Generates an instrument paragraph block.
  • sec: Inserts a section rhythmic grid.
  • tup: Inserts a tuplet group.
  • ch: Inserts a chord symbol.
• Commands & Export Integrations (via tmd CLI):
  • TMD: New from template (interactive template picker for Starter, Lead Sheet, Band, Canon, Drums, and Lyrics)
  • TMD: Format Document (Shift + Option + F standard format document provider)
  • TMD: Check Measure Consistency (live diagnostics and warnings in Problems panel)
  • TMD: Open Song Inspector (interactive visual dashboard for vocal range, key metrics, timeline, and chords)
  • TMD: Play Audio Preview in Terminal (editor top-right title bar & context menu)
  • TMD: Open Web MIDI Player (interactive webview player with piano, chiptune, and system synth)
  • TMD: Refactor: Double Grid / Halve Grid / Duplicate Track / Generate Harmony / Rename...
  • TMD: Export to MIDI (.mid)
  • TMD: Export to MusicXML (.musicxml)
  • TMD: Export to ABC Notation (.abc)
  • TMD: Export to LilyPond (.ly)
  • TMD: Render to PDF via LilyPond (.pdf)
  • TMD: Render to WAV Audio (.wav)
  • TMD: Install AI Agent Skills
• Diagnostics & Formatting:
  • Automatically checks beat counts in bar lines (|) on save and open.
  • Highlights incorrect measures with warning squigglies and details in VS Code's Problems view.
• AI & GitHub Copilot Integration:
  • Copilot Chat Participant (@tmd):
    • @tmd /check: Inspects measure lengths, beat math, and structural errors.
    • @tmd /compose: Composes melodies, chords, and multi-track counterpoints.
    • @tmd /fix: Diagnoses and automatically fixes measure beat discrepancies.
    • @tmd /explain: Analyzes musical structure, chord progressions, and solfege.
  • VS Code Language Model Tools:
    • tmd_check: Programmatic validation tool for agent workflows.
    • tmd_format: Auto-indents and cleans TMD score layout.
    • tmd_get_specification: Returns complete TMD specification and Jianpu rules.
  • Repository Copilot Instructions:
    • Includes .github/copilot-instructions.md for seamless ambient Copilot code completion and chat guidance.
• Language Configuration:
  • Auto-closing pairs and surrounding brackets for {}, [], (), <>, /**/, ****.
  • Code folding for paragraph blocks { ... }.

Installation

Local Direct Installation (No Marketplace Needed)

You can install or symlink this extension directly into VS Code, VS Code Insiders, Cursor, or VSCodium without going through the official Microsoft Extension Marketplace:

# Symlink mode (Recommended for active development - changes reflect on reload):
./scripts/install-vscode-extension.sh

# Copy mode (Standalone offline install without repo dependencies):
./scripts/install-vscode-extension.sh --copy

# VSIX mode (Pack and install .vsix via CLI):
./scripts/install-vscode-extension.sh --vsix

# Uninstall:
./scripts/install-vscode-extension.sh --uninstall

After running the script, open VS Code, press Cmd+Shift+P (or Ctrl+Shift+P), select Developer: Reload Window, and open any .tmd file (such as sample/basic/三天三夜.tmd) to enjoy syntax highlighting, playback, and visual inspectors!

Packaging & Publishing

To package into a redistributable .vsix archive or publish:

# Build .vsix to dist/ (auto compiles TypeScript & bundles assets):
./scripts/package-vscode-extension.sh

# Publish directly to Visual Studio Marketplace:
./scripts/package-vscode-extension.sh --publish

# Publish to Open VSX Registry:
./scripts/package-vscode-extension.sh --open-vsx