georgejecook / vscode-brightscript-language

A Visual Studio Code extension for Roku's BrightScript language

BrightScript Extension for VSCode

A VSCode extension to support Roku's BrightScript language.

Features

• Syntax highlighting
• Code formatting (provided by brightscript-formatter)
• Debugging support - Set breakpoints, launch and debug your source code running on the Roku device all from within VSCode
• Publish directly to a roku device from VSCode (provided by roku-deploy)
• Basic symbol navigation for document and workspace ("APPLE/Ctrl + SHIFT + O" for document, "APPLE/Ctrl + T" for workspace)
• Goto definition (F12)
• Peek definition (Alt+F12)
• Find usages (Shift+F12)
• XML goto definition support which navigates to xml component, code behind function, or brs script import (F12)
• Method signature help (open bracket, or APPLE/Ctrl + SHIFT + SPACE)
• Brightscript output log (which is searchable and can be colorized with a plugin like this: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=IBM.output-colorizer
• Roku remote control from keyboard

Requirements

Your project must be structured in the way that Roku expects, which looks something like this:

• manifest
• components/
  • HomeScene.brs
  • HomeScene.xml
• source/
  • main.brs

Here is a sample launch configuration

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "type": "brightscript",
            "request": "launch",
            "name": "BrightScript Debug: Launch",
            "host": "192.168.1.17",
            "password": "password",
            "rootDir": "${workspaceRoot}", //update if roku project lives in a subdirectory
            "stopOnEntry": false,
            "debugServer": 4711
        }
    ]
}

If your BrightScript project is located in a subdirectory of the workspace, you will need to update the launch configuration property called 'rootDir' to point to the root folder containing the manifest file.

For example, if you have this structure:

• Root Workspace Folder/
  • Images/
  • Roku App/
    • manifest
    • components/
      • HomeScene.brs
      • HomeScene.xml
    • source/
      • main.brs

then you would need change rootDir in your launch config to look like this:

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            ...
            "rootDir": "Roku App/${workspaceRoot}",
            ...
        }
    ]
}

Special Cases

Debug source files with Custom build process

If you have a build process that moves files from a source directory to an output directory, by default you will need to place breakpoints in the output directory's versions of the files.

IF your build process does not change line numbers between source files and built files, this extension will allow you to place breakpoints in your source files, and launch/run your built files. Pair this with vscode's task system, and you can build your code, then launch and debug your code with ease.

Example:

• src/
  • main.brs
  • language.brs
  • manifest
• languages/
  • english.brs
  • french.brs
• dist/
  • main.brs
  • language.brs
  • manifest

Here's a sample launch.json for this scenario:

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "type": "brightscript",
            "request": "launch",
            "name": "BrightScript Debug: Launch",
            "host": "192.168.1.100",
            "password": "password",
            "rootDir": "${workspaceFolder}/dist",
            "debugRootDir": "${workspaceFolder}/src",
            "preLaunchTask": "your-build-task-here"
        }
    ]
}

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

• brightscript.format.keywordCase: specify case of keywords when formatting
• brightscript.format.compositeKeywords: specify whether composite words (ie: "endif", "endfor") should be broken apart into their two-word format (ie: "end if", "end for")
• brightscript.format.removeTrailingWhiteSpace: specify whether trailing whitespace should be removed on format

Roku Remote Control

You can use your keyboard as a Roku remote by clicking inside the Output or Debug Console panel of VSCode, and then pressing one of the predefined keyboard shortcuts from the table below. You can also press win+k (or cmd+k on mac) from inside those same panels to bring up a text box to send text to the Roku device.

This extension sends keypresses to the Roku device through Roku's External Control API. The 12 standard Roku remote buttons are already included. The keys are mapped using the when clause so it will only send remote commands if the Output or Debug Console Panel has focus (panelFocus) AND the Editor Find widget is NOT visible (!findWidgetVisible).

Here are the commands included in this extension:

Keyboard Key	Roku Remote Key	Keybinging Command
Backspace	Back Button	extension.brightscript.pressBackButton
win+Backspace (or cmd+Backspace on mac)	Backspace	extension.brightscript.pressBackspaceButton
Escape	Home Button	extension.brightscript.pressHomeButton
up	Up Button	extension.brightscript.pressUpButton
down	Down Button	extension.brightscript.pressDownButton
right	Right Button	extension.brightscript.pressRightButton
left	Left Button	extension.brightscript.pressLeftButton
Enter	Select Button (OK)	extension.brightscript.pressSelectButton
win+Enter (or cmd+Enter on mac)	Play Button	extension.brightscript.pressPlayButton
win+left (or cmd+left on mac)	Rev Button	extension.brightscript.pressRevButton
win+right (or cmd+right on mac)	Fwd Button	extension.brightscript.pressFwdButton
win+8 (or cmd+8 on mac)	Info Button	extension.brightscript.pressStarButton

You also have the ability to create keybindings for any other Roku supported key by adding. Here's a example entry for keybindings.json of how to create a VSCode keyboard shortcut to send the space key to the Roku:

{
	"key": "Space",
	"command": "extension.brightscript.sendRemoteCommand",
	"args": "Lit_%20",
	"when": "panelFocus && !inDebugRepl && !findWidgetVisible"
}

Contributing

View our developer guidelines for more information on how to contribute to this extension.

You can also chat with us on slack. (We're in the #vscode-bs-lang-ext channel).

Known Issues

Click here to see the list of known issues.

Changelog

Click here to see the changelog.