API for interoperability with other extensions

[Lramseyer]

Overview

Now that this extension has been published and has been noticed by some people, I wanted to start thinking about interoperability with other extensions. Namely other HDL extensions that tie in with linters, compilers, and simulators. I have support for terminal links, which can add signals to the viewer, or place the marker at a particular timestamp, but I want to open up that API to other extension. So I created this discussion for any ideas or requests you might have. But I have listed some of my own, and I am curious to hear your thoughts!

Marker placement

Currently, this lives as a function:
viewerProvider.setMarkerAtTime(time: number)
viewerProvider.setMarkerAtTimeWithUnits(time: number, units: string);
These may need to be broken out as a command

Adding Signals via Netlist Path

This also lives as a function:
viewerProvider.addSignalByNameToDocument(netlistPath: string);
This may need to be broken out as a command

Linking Signals to RTL path

I will need to clean up the context menu code a little bit, but in essence, it would be possible to add context menu items in the package.json under contributes.submenus and contributes.menus such that when a signal is right clicked on in the viewer, or in the netlist view, an event will be passed along with the command. This event would contain the netlist path, which could be referenced back to the RTL, or to another signal, or whatever your extension desires!

[hongshui3000]

I like this extension very much
If it can work well with terosHDL, it will be of great benefit to the entire RTL/FPGA development and debugging process.
https://github.com/TerosTechnology/vscode-terosHDL

[Lramseyer]

Do you have any specific ideas for how to integrate this with TerosHDL? Carlos and I are in contact, and I'm sure that we would both be interested in interoperability!

[hongshui3000]

I use Verdi a lot at work, but I can't use it in some private work. vscode-terosHDL and vaporview can be a free alternative。
It would be great if the operating habits could be similar to Verdi