VS Code Extension

The CalcKernel extension makes .ck files easier to write in Visual Studio Code. It is optional: the first-program tutorial also works with any plain-text editor.

Install it#

1. Open the Extensions view in VS Code.
2. Search for CalcKernel and choose the extension published by Luxine. You can also open its Marketplace page.
3. Select Install, then open a .ck file. VS Code should recognize it as CalcKernel automatically.

If you install from a VSIX instead, choose the package for your operating system and processor from a successful extension build. In the Extensions view, open the … menu and choose Install from VSIX….

What the extension adds#

• Syntax highlighting and snippets for CK code.
• Live error messages, including for edits you have not saved yet.
• Completion, hover information, and function signature help.
• Go to definition, references, rename, symbols, and formatting.

The extension includes the language server needed for these editor features, so you can use them without setting up a separate compiler. It does not install the compiler needed to run or build a CK program.

Run or build from VS Code#

Open a local .ck file and use CK: Check Current File from the Command Palette to check it with the bundled language server. To use CK: Run Current File or CK: Build Current File, download a Native-enabled ckc from the latest CalcKernel release. Put it on your PATH, or set ck.compiler.path in VS Code to its absolute path.

The language server can check unsaved edits as you type. Command Palette checks, runs, and builds save the current file before invoking ckc and require a local file. If you are just learning CK, you can also keep using the terminal commands in the first-program tutorial.