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Nim Extension

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This extension adds language support for the Nim language to VS Code, including:

Read how it differs from other Nim extensions, of which there are a surprising number.

History & Trivia

This extension started out as a Nim port of an extension written in TypeScript for the Nim language. The port was done as a learning exercise for myself (@saem) and also meant to allow the community to contribute to it more easily. For the "full museum" experience be sure to checkout the original announcement on the nim forums. This entire section wouldn't be here if it wasn't for cpbotha's post suggesting it, thanks.

Since then community members (notably: @RSDuck, @dscottboggs, and yours truly) have made various contributions directly to this version. From bug fixes to small enhancements.

Presently (2020-12-13) the difference between the two extensions is likely not particularly noticeable to the casual user, arguably it's seen more active maintenance. Some differences you might notice:

For anyone who might wish to see heavy JavaScript or NodeJS interop example or submit a small patch the difference is significant:

Here is one of those really convincing testimonials as a conclusion:

I learned some Nim, a bit about VS Code extensions, got a useful Nim editor, and it might help someone else. Not bad. -- Saem

Using

First, you will need to install Visual Studio Code 1.27.0 or higher. In the command palette (cmd-shift-p) select Install Extension and choose Nim.

The following tools are required for the extension:

Note: It is recommended to turn Auto Save on in Visual Studio Code (File -> Auto Save) when using this extension.

Options

The following Visual Studio Code settings are available for the Nim extension. These can be set in user preferences (cmd+,) or workspace settings (.vscode/settings.json).

Example

{
    "nim.buildOnSave": false,
    "nim.buildCommand": "c",
    "nim.lintOnSave": true,
    "nim.project": ["project.nim", "project2.nim"],
    "nim.licenseString": "# Copyright 2020.\n\n"
}

Nim Lanugage Server integration (experimental)

vscode-nim provides optional integration with Nim Language Server as an alternative of using nimsuggest. In order to activate it, put the following lines in your config:

{
    "nim.provider": "lsp"
}

Similar to vscode-nim Nim Language Server uses nimsuggest under the hood and to control the way nimsuggest is created you can use nim.projectMapping. Here it is a sample config:

{
    "nim.provider": "lsp",
    "nim.projectMapping": [{
        // open files under tests using one nimsuggest instance started with root = test/all.nim
        "projectFile": "tests/all.nim",
        "fileRegex": "tests/.*\\.nim"
    }, {
        // everything else - use main.nim as root.
        "projectFile": "main.nim",
        "fileRegex": ".*\\.nim"
    }]
}

For the full set of properties supported by the language server you can check Configuration options section. To access the server commands(e. g. (Re)starting nimsuggest) use Command palette... -> Source actions

Commands

The following commands are provided by the extension:

Debugging

Visual Studio Code includes a powerful debugging system, and the Nim tooling can take advantage of that. However, in order to do so, some setup is required.

Setting up

First, install a debugging extension, such as CodeLLDB, and any native packages the extension may require (such as clang and LLDB).

Next, you need to create a tasks.json file for your project, under the .vscode directory of your project root. Here is an example for CodeLLDB:

// .vscode/tasks.json
{
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "tasks": [
        {
            "label": "nim: build current file (for debugging)",
            "command": "nim",
            "args": [
                "compile",
                "-g",
                "--debugger:native",
                "-o:${workspaceRoot}/bin/${fileBasenameNoExtension}",
                "${relativeFile}"
            ],
            "options": {
                "cwd": "${workspaceRoot}"
            },
            "type": "shell",
        }
    ]
}

Then, you need to create a launch configuration in the project's launch.json file. Again, this example works with CodeLLDB:

// .vscode/launch.json
{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "type": "lldb",
            "request": "launch",
            "name": "nim: debug current file",
            "preLaunchTask": "nim: build current file (for debugging)",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}/bin/${fileBasenameNoExtension}",
            "args": [],
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
        }
    ]
}

You should be set up now to be able to debug from a given file in the native VS Code(ium) debugger.

Debugger preview screenshot

Code Completion

This extension relies on nimsuggest for code completion. Nimsuggest is basically a frontend for the nim compiler, so it accepts compiler flags, like --path, as well as reads config files. If you're not getting code completion suggestions, nimsuggest does not have a complete picture of your project. You likely need to create a config file for your project file with --path options for nimsuggest.

Developing the Extension

Alternatively, feel free to give side-loading a shot.

Side-loading the Extension

TODO

ChangeLog

ChangeLog is located here