SciTE > VScode migration

[mLipok]

What is the status of the SciTE > VSCode development environment migration?

To put it another way, have all SciTE functionalities (including those from DynamicLUA) been ported to VSCode add-ons?

What additional benefits does VSCode offer compared to SciTE + DynamicLUA?

[WildByDesign]

I am using version 1.6.0 of the VSCode extension from @LoganCH and it has DynamicLUA. I believe some of it was added more recently but don't recall the specific version. But if I add a function, say _ChooseFont() and don't have the include, it will add #include <Misc.au3> at the top. Autocomplete for function names and variables also works very well.

52 minutes ago, mLipok said:

What additional benefits does VSCode offer compared to SciTE + DynamicLUA?

I would say just a much more modern experience overall that is easier on your eyes.

For what it's worth, I did use SciTE initially for about 6 months and got used to it. Then I moved to VSCodium for all of my AutoIt stuff for the past 1.5 years approx. Like any change, there is an adjustment period where everything feels new and unusual. But I could never go back to SciTE now. My workflow is much faster in VSCodium.

[mLipok]

I see that portable is also possible

https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/portable

 

[WildByDesign]

5 minutes ago, mLipok said:

I see that portable is also possible

Yes. I run both VSCodium and VSCode as portable. I mostly use VSCodium though as I prefer open-source whenever possible.

For either one, as long as you create a subdirectory named data, they both become portable and all of your settings and extensions are stored there. It makes it much easier when upgrading.

[WildByDesign]

Although with portable, you wont get a right-click context menu in Explorer by default. So I have a .reg file for VSCode/VSCodium that does that:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Open files
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with VS Code]
@="Edit with VS Code"
"Icon"="D:\\Tools\\VSCode\\Code.exe,0"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with VS Code\command]
@="\"D:\\Tools\\VSCode\\Code.exe\" \"%1\""

You would need to modify that depending on where your VSCode binaries are stored.

[WildByDesign]

Also important, Jos made an add-on for VSCode that allows for the Ctrl+Shift+Z shortcut to run the wrapper and detect/add missing includes as well. I am pretty sure that is in the beta SciTE full installer. Very helpful addition.

[donnyh13]

I can't speak for the porting of all features etc., I know I do miss Jos' way of dealing with declared and used variables in file, or from other files? e.g., In one file I can be working on a function for LibreOffice and need to use a variable declared in a Constants file that was used somewhere else in the current file, but currently, unless I missed something, Logan's won't display that unless it is declared in the same file. Even if the variable has been used in the file, Logan's won't offer it up. I have found the extension by genius does however offer declared constants from other files. But I won't compare the two, each has their pluses, and someone more experienced in the two would do a better job.

For VSCode in general, I miss the Scite folding style, especially of comments, or more specifically headers. You just can't fold function headers, unless they are indented, which mkaes things messier to navigate. This is due to VSCode relying on indentation for folding, and also that you can't really (that I know of), set up a folding rule for semicolon comments.

A few benefits I have come to like, and that makes me use VSC more often:

The ability to "Find" and "Replace" in a folder of files, e.g.: If I want to replace the name of a Constant or Function that was used quite a bit, I can do that with the find and replace quickly, and even see the results of each file it's found in. I know Scite can find and replace also in all open files, but it's a little more tedious.

You can integrate GitBlame into the files to see a history of the line's changes.

You can do a split view of files, allowing you to compare or modify two files at once.

There's a few more benefits I find, but can't think of currently.

With that said, I still use Scite for general work because I have one or two lua scripts that I made to do basic tasks. These could be converted to what VS Code uses, but I haven't taken the time to do it, or to research it. Also Scite is a bit quicker for my computer still. And I am used to Scite,

Best regards,

Donny

[Jos]

Just my 2 cents: vsc doesn't have any dynamic autocomplete like i made in the latest version of the lua script, but it can add, as mentioned, the missing includes at the top by using the stuff that is buildin into autoit3wrapper for some years now. 

For me, on the odd occasion I do some au3 coding, the standard autocomplete in VS Code is in 90% of the cases good enough, and then I trigger the missing includes to get that part done.

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Jos