customlanguages.md

Custom languages support

Custom languages support can be added in the languages directory found at:

• Linux: uses XDG_CONFIG_HOME, usually translates to ~/.config/ecode/languages
• macOS: uses Application Support folder in HOME, usually translates to ~/Library/Application Support/ecode/languages
• Windows: uses APPDATA, usually translates to C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\ecode\languages

ecode will read each file located at that directory with json extension. Each file can contain one or several languages. In order to set several languages the root element of the json file should be an array, containing one object for each language, otherwise if the root element is an object, it should contain the language definition. Language definitions can override any currently supported definition. ecode will prioritize user defined definitions.

Language definition format

{
	"name": "language_name",
	"files": [ "Array of file extensions supported" ],
	"comment": "Sets the comment string used for auto-comment functionality.",
	"patterns": [
		{ "pattern": "lua_pattern", "type": "type_name" },
		{ "pattern": "no_capture(pattern_capture_1)(pattern_capture_2)", "type": { "no_capture_type_name", "capture_1_type_name", "capture_2_type_name" } },
		{ "pattern": ["lua_pattern_start", "lua_pattern_end", "escape_character"], "type": "type_name" }
		{ "regex": "perl_regex", "type": "type_name" },
		{ "regex": "no_capture(pattern_capture_1)(pattern_capture_2)", "type": { "no_capture_type_name", "capture_1_type_name", "capture_2_type_name" } },
		{ "regex": ["regex_start", "regex_end", "escape_character"], "type": "type_name" }
	],
	"symbols": [
		{ "symbol_name": "type_name" }
	],
	"visible": true, /* sets if the language is visible as a main language in the editor, optional parameter, true by default */
	"auto_close_xml_tag": false, /* sets if the language defined supports auto close XML tags, optional parameter, false by default */
	"lsp_name": "sets the LSP name assigned for the language, optional parameter, it will use the _name_ in lowercase if not set"
}

Porting language definitions

ecode uses the same format for language definition as lite and lite-xl editors. This makes much easier to add new languages to ecode. There's also a helper tool that can be download from ecode repository located here that allows to directly export a lite language definition to the JSON file format used in ecode.

Extending language definitions

It's possible to easily extend any language definition by exporting it using the CLI arguments provided: --export-lang and --export-lang-path. A user wanting to extend or improve a language definition can export it, modify it and install the definition with a .json extension in the custom languages path. For example, to extend the language vue you will need to run: ecode --export-lang=vue --export-lang-path=./vue.json, exit the exported file and move it to the custom languages path.

Language definition example

{
  "name": "Elixir",
  "files": [ "%.ex$", "%.exs$" ],
  "comment": "#",
  "patterns": [
    { "pattern": "#.*\n",                "type": "comment"  },
    { "pattern": [ ":\"", "\"", "\\" ],    "type": "number"   },
    { "pattern": [ "\"\"\"", "\"\"\"", "\\" ], "type": "string"   },
    { "pattern": [ "\"", "\"", "\\" ],     "type": "string"   },
    { "pattern": [ "'", "'", "\\" ],     "type": "string"   },
    { "pattern": [ "~%a[/\"|'%(%[%{<]", "[/\"|'%)%]%}>]", "\\" ], "type": "string"},
    { "pattern": "-?0x%x+",              "type": "number"   },
    { "pattern": "-?%d+[%d%.eE]*f?",     "type": "number"   },
    { "pattern": "-?%.?%d+f?",           "type": "number"   },
    { "pattern": ":\"?[%a_][%w_]*\"?",     "type": "number"   },
    { "pattern": "[%a][%w_!?]*%f[(]",    "type": "function" },
    { "pattern": "%u%w+",                "type": "normal"   },
    { "pattern": "@[%a_][%w_]*",         "type": "keyword2" },
    { "pattern": "_%a[%w_]*",            "type": "keyword2" },
    { "pattern": "[%+%-=/%*<>!|&]",      "type": "operator" },
    { "pattern": "[%a_][%w_]*",          "type": "symbol"   }
  ],
  "symbols": [
    {"def": "keyword"},
    {"defp": "keyword"},
    {"defguard": "keyword"},
    {"defguardp": "keyword"},
    {"defmodule": "keyword"},
    {"defprotocol": "keyword"},
    {"defimpl": "keyword"},
    {"defrecord": "keyword"},
    {"defrecordp": "keyword"},
    {"defmacro": "keyword"},
    {"defmacrop": "keyword"},
    {"defdelegate": "keyword"},
    {"defoverridable": "keyword"},
    {"defexception": "keyword"},
    {"defcallback": "keyword"},
    {"defstruct": "keyword"},
    {"for": "keyword"},
    {"case": "keyword"},
    {"when": "keyword"},
    {"with": "keyword"},
    {"cond": "keyword"},
    {"if": "keyword"},
    {"unless": "keyword"},
    {"try": "keyword"},
    {"receive": "keyword"},
    {"after": "keyword"},
    {"raise": "keyword"},
    {"rescue": "keyword"},
    {"catch": "keyword"},
    {"else": "keyword"},
    {"quote": "keyword"},
    {"unquote": "keyword"},
    {"super": "keyword"},
    {"unquote_splicing": "keyword"},
    {"do": "keyword"},
    {"end": "keyword"},
    {"fn": "keyword"},
    {"import": "keyword2"},
    {"alias": "keyword2"},
    {"use": "keyword2"},
    {"require": "keyword2"},
    {"and": "operator"},
    {"or": "operator"},
    {"true": "literal"},
    {"false": "literal"},
    {"nil": "literal"}
  ]
}

For more complex syntax definitions please see the definition of all the native languages supported by ecode here and here.