Editor support

A Visual Studio Code extension for RALGOL ships with this distribution as a ready-to- install package (vscode/ralgol-0.1.1.vsix). It gives .ralgol files syntax highlighting and syntax/semantic checking on save: when you save a script, the extension runs the real ralgolitc compiler over it and surfaces its diagnostics as red squiggles and Problems-panel entries — each tagged with the same E### error code the device reports. What the editor flags is exactly what the device would reject, so you catch mistakes before you ever deploy.

You install it the same way as any other VS Code extension: download the .vsix and add it. The only other thing it needs is the ralgolitc compiler.

What you get

• Syntax highlighting for interface and script blocks, types, field flags, control flow, function calls, instances, units, comments, and numbers.
• On-save diagnostics from ralgolitc: a line-and-column squiggle for every error or warning, each carrying its code (E101, E208, E303, …). The same codes are explained in the language reference and reported by the device.
• Runs on a complete file: the check runs when you open or save a .ralgol file, so the compiler always sees a whole script rather than a half-typed line.

Requirements

The ralgolitc compiler. It performs the syntax and semantic checks on its own and needs no device or network connection to do so. Get it from this distribution:

• Linux: linux/ralgolitc
• Windows: windows/ralgolitc.exe

You also need Visual Studio Code 1.75 or newer.

Install

Download the extension package — vscode/ralgol-0.1.1.vsix — and install it in VS Code: open the Extensions view, click the ... menu at its top, choose Install from VSIX…, select the file, and reload when prompted. (From a terminal the same install is code --install-extension ralgol-0.1.1.vsix.)

To uninstall later, use the Uninstall button on the extension in the Extensions view.

Configure the compiler path

The extension calls a program named ralgolitc on your PATH by default. If the compiler is not on your PATH — for example you are using the binary bundled in this distribution — point the extension at it. Open Settings, search for ralgol, and set Ralgol: Compiler Path, or edit settings.json directly:

{
  // absolute path to the bundled compiler for your OS
  "ralgol.compilerPath": "/path/to/this/distribution/linux/ralgolitc"
}

On Windows the value would end in windows\\ralgolitc.exe. If the extension cannot find the compiler it shows a one-time warning telling you to set this.

Settings

Using it

Open or create a file with a .ralgol extension. The editor highlights it as RALGOL immediately, and a check runs when you open the file and each time you save it. Leave a mistake in — drop a semicolon, misspell a function — save, and a red squiggle appears under it; hover for the message, or open the Problems panel (View → Problems) to see every diagnostic with its code:

counter.ralgol  3:32  error[E303]  missing ';'

Fix it, save again, and the squiggle clears. Because the diagnostics come straight from ralgolitc, a file with no squiggles is a file the device will accept.

For the language itself — the grammar, every field flag, and the full function library behind these checks — see the language reference. For a guided introduction to writing scripts, see the scripting guide.

Troubleshooting

“compiler ‘ralgolitc’ not found” warning. The extension could not run ralgolitc. Set ralgol.compilerPath to the bundled binary for your OS (see Configure the compiler path). On Linux, make sure the file is executable (chmod +x linux/ralgolitc).

No highlighting or checks. Confirm the file ends in .ralgol and that VS Code shows RALGOL in the language indicator at the bottom-right. If you just installed the extension, reload VS Code (Developer: Reload Window, or restart it).

Squiggles do not update as I edit. Checks run on save, not on every keystroke — save the file to refresh the diagnostics.

Next steps

• Scripting guide — develop your own real-time scripts.
• Language reference — syntax, field flags, and every function.
• Quickstart — compile your first script and deploy it to a device.