Please help me creating VS Code extension

[leodevbro]

I want to create a VS Code extension with my specific idea, I have already made a DEMO in react.js, what do you think about it?

https://youtu.be/qrEKSe8VkYQ
(Block marking / Block highlighting)

I wrote the opening/closing block finding and nesting algorithm myself. The code link is in the video description.

Is it possible to create such extension in VS Code? I learned some basics of the extension API, created some testing blocks with createTextEditorDecorationType function, but it seems that the decoration manipulation is very limited, so limited that maybe it's not even possible to create as simple block marking feature as my DEMO.

[mattbierner]

Neat idea!

I don't think you can create exactly what you are after with the current VS Code apis but there are two areas to explore:

• First take a look at VS Code's existing folding support. This is also based on code blocks behind the scenes but uses this block information for folding instead of visually rendering them (although users can hover in the gutter to see folding ranges). At the very least, instead of writing your own algorithm to get the blocks, you could reuse the folding ranges so that your extension works across languages

• For rendering, check out the decorations API: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-extension-samples/tree/master/decorator-sample

  As you note this is limited but I believe you could use it to:

  • change the background color of some code
  • Add decorations in the gutter that shows the block ranges

  You may also be able to find some other creative ways to use decorations that let you show block ranges

Hope that provides some starting points to explore further

[leodevbro]

Thanks, yeah my algorithm works but using native VS Code inner system to find blocks would be much faster and less error prone.
I'll try your advices. I also found this open source project:

https://github.com/CoenraadS/Bracket-Pair-Colorizer-2

Which looks interesting because it "uses the same bracket parsing engine as VSCode", so maybe I can examine their code and learn how to get the locations of brackets {}[]() faster.

Folding ranges also sound very interesting. I'll try each way.

[leodevbro]

Hello there again, I have super great news. the extension actually works, I did finish to the point of demonstration. It needs some polishing to be done, but the hardest part is complete. I'm still working, I'll inform you when I finish it or if I need any help.

VSCode API is hell sometimes : d
it was very hard to reach this point, but somehow did...

Blockman v0.9
https://youtu.be/ZmvLgIDJNg8

.

[leodevbro]

I'm trying to get folding ranges for a file, I looked into the API, but could not find the right function. Can you write a sample code to get folding ranges for a file? Maybe the sample code will be just several lines.