Support for language-configuration.json by lahodaj · Pull Request #9749 · apache/netbeans

lahodaj · 2026-10-25T11:27:30Z

VS Code has various configuration files; one of the is language-configuration.json (see https://code.visualstudio.com/api/language-extensions/language-configuration-guide; e.g.: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/blob/main/extensions/cpp/language-configuration.json). This allows to configure the Toggle comment action, brace matching, some aspects of typing completion, indentation, etc.

The idea in this PR is to start with a support for this configuration. Currently, toggle comment, brace matching and typing completion are (somewhat) supported.

The file can either be specified using API (demonstrated for C/C++), or manually in Tools/Options/Editor/Language Servers.

Note javadoc is partially written by qwen3.8, see: 1f05b50

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…into language-configuration-support

…upport

jtulach

reusing VSCode configuration files is certainly good idea
few comments/brainstorming ideas inline

jtulach · 2026-10-31T05:29:11Z

 javac.release=17
 javac.compilerargs=-Xlint -Xlint:-serial
 javadoc.arch=${basedir}/arch.xml
+javadoc.apichanges=${basedir}/apichanges.xml


I am always glad, when a module with an API offers apichanges.xml and they are actually used. It helps to run ant javadoc and read thru the result.

jtulach · 2026-10-31T05:31:13Z

    editor.lib,\
    editor,\
    lib.uihandler,\
+    lsp.client,\


I cannot find lsp.client at https://bits.netbeans.org/dev/javadoc/ right now. I assume this change is going to fix it.

That's the intent of the change.

jtulach · 2026-10-31T05:36:25Z

+ *
+ * <p>Each method is a factory suitable for use as a layer
+ * {@code instanceCreate} target and should be registered under the
+ * {@code Editors/<mime-type>}/...} folder or an appropriate sub-folder.


The wording here, gives me some idea, but explicit examples to copy would be more helpful. Maybe I find them near each individual method?

jtulach · 2026-10-31T05:37:18Z

+     * <p>Requires the {@code mimeType} attribute (String) on the registration
+     * file. If absent, {@code text/plain} is used as a fallback.
+     *
+     * <p>Sample registration:


Nice example to copy!

jtulach · 2026-10-31T05:53:22Z

                    </run-dependency>
                </dependency>
+                <dependency>
+                    <code-name-base>org.netbeans.libs.jackson</code-name-base>


I can already see:

ide/c.google.gson

libs.json_simple

I assume both the existing libraries could parse the JSON as well. What's your motivation to add Jackson?

So, unfortunately, the real-world language configurations (at least the C/C++ one) contain things like comments:
https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/blob/1306698e328e5e531f5e632301d30020aa994eff/extensions/cpp/language-configuration.json#L110

or trailing commas in object definitions:
https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/blob/1306698e328e5e531f5e632301d30020aa994eff/extensions/cpp/language-configuration.json#L106

Given the goal here is to be able to use the unmodified language configuration files, we need a parser that can tolerate both of these, and I believe Gson cannot be configured to tolerate the trailing commas, and the simple json does not tolerate the comments (although I admit I didn't know about the simple json). Jackson can be configured to tolerate both of these misbehaviors.

jtulach · 2026-10-31T05:55:38Z

I can see the module was already in the enterprise cluster:

nbbuild/netbeans/LICENSE:enterprise/modules/ext/jackson/jackson-annotations-2.17.2.jar Apache-2.0 nbbuild/netbeans/LICENSE:enterprise/modules/ext/jackson/jackson-core-2.17.2.jar Apache-2.0 nbbuild/netbeans/LICENSE:enterprise/modules/ext/jackson/jackson-databind-2.17.2.jar Apache-2.0 nbbuild/netbeans/LICENSE:enterprise/modules/ext/jackson/jackson-dataformat-cbor-2.17.2.jar Apache-2.0 nbbuild/netbeans/LICENSE:enterprise/modules/ext/jackson/jackson-dataformat-yaml-2.17.2.jar Apache-2.0 nbbuild/netbeans/LICENSE:enterprise/modules/ext/jackson/jackson-datatype-jsr310-2.17.2.jar Apache-2.0 nbbuild/netbeans/LICENSE:enterprise/modules/ext/jackson/jackson-module-jaxb-annotations-2.17.2.jar Apache-2.0

moving it to ide causes no harm...

jtulach · 2026-10-31T05:56:26Z

    )
 })
 @GrammarRegistration(grammar="resources/c.tmLanguage.json", mimeType=MIMETypes.C)
+@LanguageConfigurationRegistration(languageConfiguration="resources/language-configuration.json", mimeType=MIMETypes.C)


Very nice API.

jtulach · 2026-10-31T05:59:00Z

+    <fileset>
+        <file>src/org/netbeans/modules/cpplite/editor/file/resources/language-configuration.json</file>
+        <license ref="MIT-vscode" />
+        <comment type="COMMENT_UNSUPPORTED">Source: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/blob/main/extensions/cpp/language-configuration.json</comment>


Do we have such a file also for Kotlin?

e.g. could it accompany or replace

netbeans/java/kotlin.editor/src/org/netbeans/modules/kotlin/editor/KtDataObject.java

Lines 39 to 48 in e337e53

@GrammarRegistrations({

@GrammarRegistration(

mimeType = "text/x-kotlin",

grammar = "Kotlin.tmLanguage.json"

),

@GrammarRegistration(

mimeType = "text/x-gradle+x-kotlin",

grammar = "Kotlin.tmLanguage.json"

)

})

What's the relation between TextMate grammar and this language configuration?

Couldn't both these files be consumed by @GrammarRegistration?

e.g. add an optional languageConfiguration attribute to @GrammarRegistration?

In theory, the language configuration and grammars are independent (after all, they are two independent files). I admit that in practice, it is hard to image a language configuration for a language with a non-Textmate lexer lexer, so, in practice, these are likely to be used together.

I am, however, not convinced that putting "language configuration" into "GrammarRegistration" is appropriate: the language configuration is not really a grammar, and it is certainly not a place where I would look for the registration of the language configuration.

jtulach · 2026-10-31T06:06:14Z

+     *
+     * @return language configuration
+     */
+    public String languageConfiguration();


Wouldn't merging this attribute into @GrammarRegistration be easier to use?

…eFeatures.java Co-authored-by: Jaroslav Tulach <jst@seznam.cz>

… into language-configuration-support

jlahoda and others added 18 commits July 19, 2026 12:50

Adding LanguageConfiguration.

e18c0b2

Adding configuration toggle comment action.

413f55f

Adding test; adding ability to register language configuration.

cbbe31b

Improving the language-configuration-based toggle line comment action.

5535ea5

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/language-configuration-support' …

5e292cb

…into language-configuration-support

language-configuration based brace matching

1bb6abd

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/language-configuration-support' …

e0e300a

…into language-configuration-support

Sketch of typing completion.

cf1acef

Adding test.

9a0c164

Optimization.

5481e0f

Improving typing completion.

ccca35b

Fixes.

cd20de9

Support for autoCloseBefore.

dfe4415

Surrounding pairs.

c2b1a47

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream' into language-configuration-s…

cfc20b3

…upport

Working on making the language-configuration.json support usable.

f53bbdb

Improving javadoc, by qwen3.8.

1f05b50

Filling in an api change.

72416ca

lahodaj added this to the NB33 milestone Oct 25, 2026

lahodaj requested review from jtulach and mbien October 25, 2026 11:27

lahodaj added the LSP [ci] enable Language Server Protocol tests label Oct 25, 2026

jtulach added the Need Squashing label Oct 27, 2026

jtulach reviewed Oct 31, 2026

View reviewed changes

jlahoda and others added 3 commits November 1, 2026 08:57

Moving LanguageConfiguration out of the 'friend' package.

5671bbe

Update ide/lsp.client/src/org/netbeans/modules/lsp/client/api/Languag…

b4a172e

…eFeatures.java Co-authored-by: Jaroslav Tulach <jst@seznam.cz>

Merge remote-tracking branch 'lahodaj/language-configuration-support'…

32d0dd9

… into language-configuration-support

	@GrammarRegistrations({
	@GrammarRegistration(
	mimeType = "text/x-kotlin",
	grammar = "Kotlin.tmLanguage.json"
	),
	@GrammarRegistration(
	mimeType = "text/x-gradle+x-kotlin",
	grammar = "Kotlin.tmLanguage.json"
	)
	})

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lahodaj commented Oct 25, 2026

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jtulach Oct 31, 2026 •

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