QCAA Pseudocode VSCode Extension
This extension provides syntax highlighting and snippets for QCAA Digital Solutions Pseudocode, helping students write structured, readable, and correct algorithms.
Key Features
- Syntax Highlighting – Differentiates
KEYWORDS, variables, and operators.
- Code Snippets – Quickly insert full, correctly indented control blocks (e.g.
IF...ENDIF).
- Auto-Indentation – Automatically handles indentation for
IF, THEN, ELSE, ENDIF, and other structures.
- File Support – Works with files ending in
.qcaa, .pseudocode, and .pseudo.
Highlighting Reference
| Element |
Example |
Purpose |
| Control |
IF, WHILE, FOR, REPEAT, UNTIL |
Flow control structures |
| Modular |
BEGIN, END |
Algorithm or subroutine boundaries |
| I/O |
INPUT, WRITE, PRINT, OUTPUT |
Data exchange operations |
| Calculation |
CALCULATE, COMPUTE |
Explicit assignment statements |
| Operators |
=, AND, OR, NOT |
Assignment and logical operations |
| Variables |
totalScore, fileName |
CamelCase variable names |
All KEYWORDS follow QCAA’s convention — UPPERCASE and bold for clarity.
Snippets
Use these prefixes followed by Tab to insert common structures.
| Prefix |
Description |
Output Structure |
if-block |
Single branch |
IF condition THEN ... ENDIF |
if-else-block |
Dual branch |
IF condition THEN ... ELSE ... ENDIF |
while |
Pre-test loop |
WHILE condition ... ENDWHILE |
for |
Counted loop |
FOR count = start TO end ... ENDFOR |
repeat |
Post-test loop |
REPEAT ... UNTIL condition |
begin |
Main block |
BEGIN AlgorithmName ... END |
calc |
Assignment |
CALCULATE variable = formula |
input |
Input statement |
INPUT variableName |
Installation
- Search: In VS Code, open Extensions (
Ctrl+Shift+X) and search for QCAA Pseudocode.
- Install: Click Install.
- Use: Save your file with
.qcaa, .pseudocode, or .pseudo to activate highlighting and snippets.
Example
BEGIN CalculateAverage
INPUT total, count
CALCULATE average = total / count
IF average >= 50 THEN
OUTPUT "Pass"
ELSE
OUTPUT "Fail"
ENDIF
END
Notes
- Designed for QCAA Digital Solutions students and teachers.
- Ideal for assessment, practice, and algorithm design consistency.
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