SQF Language Support for VS Code

Syntax highlighting, real-time diagnostics, IntelliSense, hover docs, wiki lookup, snippets, formatting, and build integration for Arma SQF and SQ# (SQF Sharp).

Powered by the SQ# engine — a .NET reimplementation of Arma 3's SQF scripting language.

Features

Feature	Description
Syntax highlighting	Full TextMate grammars — 2,630 Arma commands + SQ# keywords
Real-time diagnostics	Red wavy underlines as you type — no save needed
IntelliSense autocomplete	All 2,630 commands + local variables + keywords
Hover documentation	~120 commands with signatures and descriptions
Wiki lookup	Ctrl+K Ctrl+W → open community.bistudio.com/wiki/<command>
Go to definition	Ctrl+Click on #include "file.sqf" to open it
Code snippets	25 snippets: if, while, for, switch, try, private, params, etc.
Document formatting	Shift+Alt+F — auto-indent based on {} blocks
SQ# CLI integration	Compile, run, lex, parse from command palette
Problem matcher	Errors appear in Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+M)
Bundled CLI	Zero-install — self-contained SQ# binaries for win/linux/mac
Preprocessor highlighting	#include, #define, #ifdef (Arma SQF mode)
Bracket matching	{}, [], () auto-close and match
Code folding	//region markers + indentation-based
Status bar toggle	Click to switch between Arma SQF and SQ# highlighting
Task integration	tasks.json compile and run tasks

Language Modes

Both modes auto-detect .sqf files and run SQ# diagnostics on all of them. The difference is syntax highlighting:

Mode	File Association	Highlighting
Arma SQF	.sqf (default)	All 2,630 Arma commands + preprocessor
SQ#	Manual switch via status bar or Ctrl+Shift+P	SQ# keywords + concurrency commands

Click the status bar indicator (Arma SQF / SQ#) to toggle highlighting mode. Diagnostics, autocomplete, hover, and all other features work in both modes.

SQ# CLI Integration

No setup required — self-contained SQ# binaries bundled for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Override: set sqf.sqsharpCliPath to a custom SQ# CLI path.

Commands (Ctrl+Shift+P)

Command	Description
SQ#: Compile current file	Compile to bytecode
SQ#: Run current file	Execute script
SQ#: Lex current file	Token dump
SQ#: Parse current file	AST dump
SQF: Open Wiki for command at cursor	Open Arma wiki page

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+K Ctrl+W	Open wiki for command at cursor
Shift+Alt+F	Format document

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
sqf.sqsharpCliPath	""	Path to SQ# CLI (empty = use bundled binary)
sqf.lintOnSave	true	Run diagnostics on file save
sqf.lintOnChange	true	Run diagnostics as you type (500ms debounce)

Snippets

Type prefix + Tab to expand:

Prefix	Output
if	if-then block
ife	if-then-else
ifex	if-exitWith
while	while-do loop
for	for-do (C-style)
forf	for-from-to range
forfs	for-from-to-step
switch	switch-do
try	try-catch
func	function definition
params	params declaration
private	private array
forEach	forEach loop
spawn	spawn code block
spawnOn	spawnOn scheduler
shared	shared variable (SQ#)
include	#include "file.sqf"
define	#define MACRO
addeh	addEventHandler
+ hint, syschat, diag, format, hashmap, call

Development

npm install
npm run compile
npm run generate-grammars   # Regenerate syntax highlighting from reference.txt
npm run publish-cli          # Build SQ# CLI binaries for all platforms

Press F5 to launch extension in debug mode.

Credits

• SQ# engine: SQF.NET
• Arma command reference: community.bistudio.com