VS Code Extension¶

The Raven VS Code extension provides a complete development environment for Raven programming language.

Installation¶

From VS Code Marketplace¶

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search: "Raven Language"
Click Install

From Command Line¶

code --install-extension martian56.raven-language

Manual Installation¶

Download: raven-language-1.1.5.vsix from GitHub Releases
Install: code --install-extension raven-language-1.1.5.vsix

Features¶

Syntax Highlighting¶

Keywords: fun, let, if, elseif, else, while, for, struct, enum, import, export, from, print, … (Raven uses the single keyword elseif for else-if branches, not two words else if.)
Types: int, float, bool, string, void
Operators: +, -, *, /, %, ==, !=, &&, ||
Comments: // and /* */
Strings: Proper string highlighting
Numbers: Integer and float highlighting

Code Snippets¶

Type these shortcuts and press Tab:

Shortcut	Result
`let`	`let name: Type = value;`
`fun`	`fun name() -> Type { }`
`if`	`if (condition) { }`
`ifelse`	`if (condition) { } else { }`
`elseif`	`} elseif (condition) { }` (continues a chain)
`ifelseif`	`if` / `elseif` / `else` chain
`while`	`while (condition) { }`
`for`	`for (let i: int = 0; i < len; i = i + 1) { }`
`struct`	`struct Name { field: Type }`
`enum`	`enum Name { Variant1, Variant2 }`
`print`	`print("message");`
`printf`	`print(format("{}", value));`
`format`	`format("template", args)`
`main`	`fun main() -> void { }`

Language Configuration¶

Comments: // and /* */
Brackets: (), [], {}
Auto-indentation: Smart indentation for blocks
Word wrapping: Proper line wrapping

File Association¶

Extension: .rv files are recognized as Raven
Icon: Raven logo in file explorer
Language Mode: Shows "Raven" in status bar

Usage¶

Creating Raven Files¶

Create new file: Ctrl+N
Save as: filename.rv
Language mode: Automatically set to Raven

Running Raven Programs¶

The extension doesn't include a built-in runner, but you can:

Open terminal: Ctrl+``
Run program: raven filename.rv
Start REPL: raven

Debugging¶

Currently, Raven doesn't have a debugger, but you can:

Add print statements: print("Debug: ", variable);
Use REPL: Test code interactively
Check syntax: raven filename.rv -c

Configuration¶

Settings¶

You can customize the extension in VS Code settings:

{
  "raven.language.enabled": true,
  "raven.snippets.enabled": true,
  "raven.highlighting.enabled": true
}

Keybindings¶

Add custom keybindings in keybindings.json:

[
  {
    "key": "ctrl+f5",
    "command": "workbench.action.terminal.sendSequence",
    "args": {
      "text": "raven ${file}\n"
    },
    "when": "resourceExtname == '.rv'"
  }
]

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Extension not working - Reload VS Code: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window" - Check if .rv files show "Raven" in status bar - Verify extension is enabled in Extensions panel

Syntax highlighting not working - Make sure file has .rv extension - Check if language mode is set to "Raven" - Try reopening the file

Snippets not working - Type the shortcut and press Tab - Make sure snippets are enabled in settings - Check if there are conflicts with other extensions

Getting Help¶

GitHub Issues: Report bugs
VS Code Marketplace: Extension page
Documentation: This site

Development¶

Building the Extension¶

If you want to modify the extension:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/martian56/raven.git
cd raven/raven-vscode-extension

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Package
vsce package

Contributing¶

Fork the repository
Make changes to the extension
Test thoroughly
Submit pull request

Future Features¶

Planned improvements: - Language Server Protocol (LSP) - Full IntelliSense - Debugger support - Step-through debugging - Error highlighting - Real-time error detection - Code formatting - Auto-formatting - Go to definition - Jump to function definitions - Hover documentation - Function documentation on hover

Next: GitHub Repository - Source code and issues