Syntax highlighting and formatting for Exult's UseCode C (UCC), with highlighting for UseCode Assembly files.
This extension provides TextMate-based grammars for UseCode source files (extensions: .ucc, .uc, .uh, .ucxt) and UseCode assembly (.uca). It focuses on accurate highlighting of keywords, types, numbers, strings, comments, directives, script commands, intrinsics, and labels.
- TextMate grammar for UseCode C (UCC) with:
- Keywords, types, operators
- Strings and escape sequences
- Line and block comments
- Directives (#include, #game, #line, etc.)
- Intrinsic and user function highlighting
- TextMate grammar for UseCode Assembly (.uca) with mnemonics, labels, directives and comments
- Language configuration (brackets, auto-closing, surrounding pairs)
- UseCode C document formatter based on the Python
format_usecode.pyreference, with token-preserving whitespace edits - Sample file included at
samples/test.ucfor testing and verification
Install from the Marketplace once published, or test locally:
- Install dependencies (for packaging, requires Node.js 24 or newer):
npm ci- Package locally:
npm run package- Install the produced
.vsixin VS Code: open Command Palette -> "Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
Or run the extension in the Extension Development Host via the Debug view.
- Open any UseCode source file (e.g.
*.uc,*.ucc,*.uh,*.ucxt,*.uca). VS Code should auto-detect the language. If not, set the language mode at the bottom-right and choose "UseCode" or "Usecode Assembly". - Use the included
samples/test.ucas a quick verification of highlighting coverage.
Use Format Document in a UseCode C file to format braces, indentation, operators, labels, conversations, scripts, and long calls. The formatter respects the editor's tabs/spaces and tab size settings, preserves existing LF or CRLF line endings, and defaults to a preferred line width of 100 (usecode.format.maxLineLength, minimum 40). Strings and comments remain intact, and atomic tokens can exceed the preferred width. Files with unterminated literals or unbalanced delimiters are left unchanged; details appear in the Usecode Formatter output channel.
This extension is selected as the default formatter for all UseCode C file extensions. Language-specific user or workspace settings can override this default. UseCode Assembly files have highlighting only.
To enable formatting on save, add these settings:
"[usecode]": {
"editor.formatOnSave": true
}Include screenshots in images/ and reference them here. Example:
If no screenshot is present, the Marketplace will still display the README text; screenshots are recommended.
See CHANGELOG.md for release history.
This project is licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later. See the LICENSE file for details.
Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue or pull request on the repository. When contributing:
- Add tests or examples where useful
- Keep grammar changes minimal and documented
- Include sample snippets or test cases for any new rules
Run npm test to compile the TypeScript extension and check formatting and highlighting with VS Code's TextMate and Oniguruma engines. Set EXULT_ROOT to an Exult checkout to also check intrinsic coverage against all three engine tables. npm run compile builds the extension into out/; packaging runs this build automatically.
Script words are scoped inside scheduled scripts, new script expressions, and script blocks appended with <<. Conversation blocks scope fallthrough, with ordinary identifier scopes restored inside loop and switch bodies. These TextMate contexts use balanced delimiters; complex unbraced loop bodies (such as an if/else body) and the exact transition between a loop header and its body remain approximations of the compiler's parser. Intrinsic names are highlighted independently of following call punctuation so comments and line breaks do not change their scopes; bare intrinsic names shadowed by user declarations retain intrinsic highlighting.
Please add repository information in package.json (repository, bugs, homepage) so the Marketplace page links to the source. Replace placeholders with your repository URL before publishing.
If you'd like, I can: add a placeholder images/icon.png and images/screenshot1.png, wire up a simple GitHub Actions workflow to package on push, and finish the remaining package.json metadata. Tell me which you'd prefer next.