What is the Future of WinBatch Studio?

[cssyphus]

Are there any plans to advance WinBatch Studio?

I do the majority of my coding in React and Python, making heavy use of VSCode and Notepad++. I've also used Eclipse, Atom, Sublime, etc. But for WinBatch scripts, ALWAYS the WB Studio - the debug simply cannot be replaced.

There are a few things in those other IDEs that I truly miss in the now slightly out-of-date WB Studio. I do not miss or care about fancy eye candy (aero icons, rounded buttons, etc). Just functionality.

Here's my Wish List:

- Code Folding
    - Fold All Subs, Fold All udf/uds
    - perhaps also fold for/next, while/endwhile, if/endif
    - if easiest, just implement folding from one "fold-trigger" (such as a double-comment: ;;My Sort-Trigger-Label) to the next (the ;;SortLabel could act as the bit that remains visible to the coder)
- when select (double-click or etc) a variable name (or any text), highlight that string throughout the file
- Duplicate Line via keyboard (without replacing clipboard contents)
- Move line up/down via keyboard (e.g. Alt+Up, Alt+Dn or Ctrl+Up etc)
- allow a bit more custom colorization options. For example, a black background makes it hard to read the purple if, for, while, drop, return, gosub, exit, intcontrol, continue keywords. Be nice to choose that color.
- drag editor tabs to reorganize editor windows when multiple scripts open
- Block commenting (like /*  */ )
- Preferences checkbox to allow colorize variable names that begin with _ char (underscore character)

NB: Some of the above list (e.g. ;;code-fold-trigger) might need Preferences checkboxes to turn them on/off due to pre-existing code (e.g. someone might have used several ;;;;; to make them stand out)
NB: Several of my scripts are over 5k lines

Anyone else who would happily purchase an upgrade to have these new features added to the WB Studio IDE?
Any other ideas?

[ChuckC]

Given the extensible nature of VSCode, including having used it to compile C# code on Windows which is then remotely debugged as it executes on a Linux system, and also using it to compile C++ on a remote Linux system and then, again, remotely debug it, I would be all for seeing a WinBatch-specific VSCode extension being developed that would integrate Intellisense support for WIL code, WinBatch+Compiler compilation of WBT to WBC/EXE and debugging of a locally executing WBT/WBC under control of VSCode as the debug client.

Having such a VSCode extension would allow for WIL/WinBatch specific function parts to be present while removing the overhead of a separate coding & debugging IDE from the equation.

[td]

Given the extensible nature of VSCode, including having used it to compile C# code on Windows which is then remotely debugged as it executes on a Linux system, and also using it to compile C++ on a remote Linux system and then, again, remotely debug it, I would be all for seeing a WinBatch-specific VSCode extension being developed that would integrate Intellisense support for WIL code, WinBatch+Compiler compilation of WBT to WBC/EXE and debugging of a locally executing WBT/WBC under control of VSCode as the debug client.

Having such a VSCode extension would allow for WIL/WinBatch specific function parts to be present while removing the overhead of a separate coding & debugging IDE from the equation.

Adding WIL syntax coloring to Vscode is something that any WinBatch user with a little familiarity with javascript/JSON should be able to handle. The syntax coloring on this forum, the Tech Database, and in the Consolidated WIL Help file was provided by WinBatch users. That is a tradition we hope to continue.

Debugging WinBatch scripts in Vscode is a knotty problem... But as always we appreciate the feedback.

[td]

Are there any plans to advance WinBatch Studio?

I do the majority of my coding in React and Python, making heavy use of VSCode and Notepad++. I've also used Eclipse, Atom, Sublime, etc. But for WinBatch scripts, ALWAYS the WB Studio - the debug simply cannot be replaced.

There are a few things in those other IDEs that I truly miss in the now slightly out-of-date WB Studio. I do not miss or care about fancy eye candy (aero icons, rounded buttons, etc). Just functionality.

Here's my Wish List:

- Code Folding
    - Fold All Subs, Fold All udf/uds
    - perhaps also fold for/next, while/endwhile, if/endif
    - if easiest, just implement folding from one "fold-trigger" (such as a double-comment: ;;My Sort-Trigger-Label) to the next (the ;;SortLabel could act as the bit that remains visible to the coder)
- when select (double-click or etc) a variable name (or any text), highlight that string throughout the file
- Duplicate Line via keyboard (without replacing clipboard contents)
- Move line up/down via keyboard (e.g. Alt+Up, Alt+Dn or Ctrl+Up etc)
- allow a bit more custom colorization options. For example, a black background makes it hard to read the purple if, for, while, drop, return, gosub, exit, intcontrol, continue keywords. Be nice to choose that color.
- drag editor tabs to reorganize editor windows when multiple scripts open
- Block commenting (like /*  */ )
- Preferences checkbox to allow colorize variable names that begin with _ char (underscore character)

NB: Some of the above list (e.g. ;;code-fold-trigger) might need Preferences checkboxes to turn them on/off due to pre-existing code (e.g. someone might have used several ;;;;; to make them stand out)
NB: Several of my scripts are over 5k lines

Anyone else who would happily purchase an upgrade to have these new features added to the WB Studio IDE?
Any other ideas?

Again the feedback is appreciated even if it is a repeat performance.

[JTaylor]

This sounds like an interesting project.   Will have to take a closer look at the Extension API.   I would probably try make it more like a vi editor though, if I do something.   I use Lemmy to do almost all of my editing.   Probably wouldn't need all my fingers and toes to count the number of times I have used Studio in 25 years.

Jim

[ChuckC]

There's an open/standard specification for interfacing with a remote debugger, and that's what some of these VSCode extensions are making use of.  Having experienced the horrors of using "gdb" instead of Visual Studio to debug a sophisticated multi-threaded service application, anything that provides a studio-like debugging experience is very much welcome.

I'd imagine that as far as WB Studio is concerned, the debugger functionality is rolled altogether rather than being a reusable "debug agent" that could readily be hosted in a different code editor.


---

If running short of fingers & toes, start counting in binary on the remaining ones...

[td]

The problem isn't from not knowing the how. It is precisely from knowing the how.

[cssyphus]

VSCode language extension for WinBatch posted here:

https://forum.winbatch.com/index.php?topic=2725.0