MeVisLab Description Language (MDL) Support

VS Code language support for MeVisLab MDL files, including syntax highlighting for core MDL structures and validator-derived keywords.

What This Extension Supports

• MDL-related file extensions:
  • .def
  • .script
  • .mdl
  • .mlab
• Single-line comments (// ...)
• Multi-line comments (/* ... */)
• String forms:
  • "..."
  • "* ... *"
  • @@ ... @@
• Syntax categories generated from MDLValidation.def:
  • Block/group keywords (for example MacroModule, Window, Interface)
  • Property/tag names (for example title, dependsOn, allowChild)
  • Enum literals (for example stable, deprecated, Top)
  • MDL preprocessor-like directives (#include, #ifset, #ifnset)

Installation

Option 1: Install From VSIX

If you already have a .vsix package, install it with:

code --install-extension .\mdl-0.0.2.vsix --force

Option 2: Build And Install Locally

From this repository root:

npm install
npx @vscode/vsce package
code --install-extension .\mdl-0.0.2.vsix --force

Development Setup

• Install dependencies:

npm install

• Open this folder in VS Code.
• Press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host.
• Open a .def or .script file in the dev host and verify highlighting.

Updating Language Keywords From MDLValidation.def

NOTE: The MDLValidation.def file is not included in this repository. You must obtain it from your MeVisLab installation or development environment (it is located at MeVisLab/Modules/MDL/MDLValidation.def in a typical installation).

The grammar is generated/updated by:

• Script: scripts/update-mdl-language-config.js
• Output grammar: syntaxes/mdl.tmLanguage.json

Run The Updater

npm run update-language-config -- "C:/path/to/MDLValidation.def"

Optional second argument for custom grammar output path:

node scripts/update-mdl-language-config.js "C:/path/to/MDLValidation.def" "./syntaxes/mdl.tmLanguage.json"

What The Updater Does

• Parses Group, allow, and allowChild declarations for block keyword candidates.
• Parses assignment keys (key = value) for property keyword candidates.
• Parses enum values = "..." literals for enum keyword candidates.
• Rewrites repository sections in the grammar (blockKeywords, propertyKeywords, enumLiterals, directives).
• Writes metadata under generatedFrom with source path, generation timestamp, and keyword counts.

Recommended Updater Workflow

1. Run the updater against the desired MDLValidation.def.
2. Review grammar changes in syntaxes/mdl.tmLanguage.json.
3. Run tests.
4. Validate visually in VS Code with representative .def and .script files.
5. Commit both updater and grammar changes together.

Testing

Run all tests:

npm test

Current updater tests include:

• Parser behavior (block/property/enum extraction)
• Grammar patching behavior
• CLI integration behavior with temporary files

Test file location:

• test/update-mdl-language-config.test.js

Project Structure

• package.json: Extension manifest and npm scripts
• language-configuration.json: Brackets, comments, and auto-closing pairs
• syntaxes/mdl.tmLanguage.json: TextMate grammar used for highlighting
• scripts/update-mdl-language-config.js: Grammar updater from validator input
• test/update-mdl-language-config.test.js: Updater test suite
• CHANGELOG.md: Version history

Packaging For Distribution

npx @vscode/vsce package

This creates a .vsix package in the repository root.

Troubleshooting

• No highlighting updates after grammar changes:
  • Reload VS Code window (Developer: Reload Window).
  • Ensure the correct extension instance is installed (local VSIX vs published).
• Updater reports missing file:
  • Verify the full path to MDLValidation.def.
• Tests fail unexpectedly:
  • Reinstall dependencies with npm install.
  • Re-run npm test and inspect failing case output.

Notes

• The repository currently has no license file; vsce will warn during packaging.
• See vsc-extension-quickstart.md for baseline VS Code extension development notes.