clarion-extension README

Version 0.3.4

Welcome to the README for the "clarion-extension" project!

Features

The "clarion-extension" is designed as an addition to the fushnisoft.clarion extension. It offers various snippets and code folding for efficient Clarion coding.

You can find a handy Cheat Sheet here. We also provide initial code folding, which will be expanded upon. A special thanks to Mark Goldberg for his contribution.

Document Outline is supported, thanks to a generous contribution from Allen Zhu.

Workspace Settings and Configuration

We've introduced helpful workspace settings and commands:

• Command: Clarion Configure ClarionProperties.xml File Use this command to configure the ClarionProperties.xml file for your workspace. To access the settings:

  1. Go to "File" > "Preferences" > "Settings".
  2. Search for "clarion" to find the workspace settings related to the extension.
  3. Manually edit the settings or use the provided command to configure them.

• Command: Clarion Select Application Solution File This command assists in selecting your application's solution file.

  To activate these commands:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + P (or Cmd + Shift + P on macOS) to open the command palette.
  2. Search for "Clarion" to see the available commands.
  3. Select the desired command to execute.

Please ensure that you have a workspace set up and the required settings configured for the extension's features to work as intended.

Go To File for Included Files

This requires the settings described above to work

The "clarion-extension" now includes an advanced feature that enhances the "Go To Definition" functionality for INCLUDE and MODULE statements. With the new link provider and hover provider, the extension intelligently handles these statements and provides a more informative experience.

Here's how it works:

• When you use an INCLUDE('FileName.clw') or Class MODULE('FileName.clw') statement, the extension will check the Clarion workspace settings to locate the specified file.

• If the file is found based on the settings, VS Code will highlight the file name by underlining it to indicate that it was found.

• When you hover your mouse over the underlined link, a hover will appear displaying the first few lines of the code from the linked file.

• For INCLUDE statements with sections, such as INCLUDE('myFile.clw', 'SectionName'), hovering over the section name will display the first few lines at that specific section location.

To open the linked file directly:

• Ctrl+Click on the underlined link.
• Or, press Ctrl+F12 to open the file.

Please note that the previous functionality of this feature has been removed in favor of this more streamlined and informative experience.

Make sure to have your workspace settings configured as described above to enable this feature.

Getting Started

To maximize the "clarion-extension," ensure you have the VS Code extension for Clarion installed. You can obtain it from the marketplace or directly within Visual Studio Code.

Contributing and Feedback

As the "clarion-extension" project is in beta, we eagerly welcome your feedback and contributions. If you encounter issues or have improvement ideas, please don't hesitate to share them. Together, we can refine and enhance this extension to better serve Clarion developers.

Acknowledgments

This extension builds upon the groundwork laid by Mark Goldberg for code folding, and benefits from the contributions of Allen Zhu for Document Outline support.

We also acknowledge the invaluable contribution of Brahn Partridge, who passed away in October 2021. A great friend and contributor to the Clarion community, Brahn's early work on the textmate language definition laid the foundation for this extension. Without his efforts, this extension would not have been possible.

Additional Resources

For quick reference, consult the Cheat Sheet to unlock the full potential of the extension.

Thank you for choosing the "clarion-extension." Happy coding!