Feature Request: CL Language Formatter

[JDubbTX]

Please provide format capabilities similar to what the RPGLE language provides.

The CL Formatter should:

1. Have configurations for label position, command starting position, and command continuation start position.
2. Allow for adjusting the line length
3. Automatically handle placement of continuation characters.

Allow for formatting of a single CL command, multiple CL commands, or an entire document.

Reason for request:
Currently CL programming in VSCODE is somewhat of a pain compared to other platforms such as RDi, or even PDM (greenscreen). Both of these platforms allow for prompting a CL command, and after prompting the CL command is properly formatted. RDi has automatic formatting capability as you type. Conversely, In VSCODE, manual placement of the continuation character is required, as well as proper indentation, etc.

It is common practice in PDM to 'prompt - F4' and then immediately press 'enter' on a CL command just for the formatting capabilities.
For context or inspiration, here is a screenshot of what RDi provides for CL language formatting and controls:

[jkyeung]

It's cool to see the configurability RDi provides. I definitely am in favor of replicating (if not even somehow improving on) that. I understand and appreciate the practice of (mindlessly) using F4, Enter to normalize formatting. There's definitely value to normalization.

But I welcome any facility that will encourage something more readable. Like lines starting at or near the left edge, with sensible indentation of nested code. A wall of unnecessarily short lines, with line breaks at semantically awkward places, is less than ideal in my opinion. One can dream of a time when everyone is using VS Code, Merlin, or RDi, and shops start to standardize new code on a more **FREE-like style of formatting.

That being said, I think it is important to be able to easily (with a single button or checkbox) set the configuration so that it exactly mimics what SEU does.

[JDubbTX]

I like the thought of starting cl code in the left most position, but then when you are editing source with labels its nice to have those labels be in a left margin. I'm kinda on the fence on this. I tried writing a cl program in a totally freeform way. While it works, its not visually appealing to have the labels in the same start position as unlabeled code.

[edmundreinhardt]

So should the indent be only as much as the longest label?

[jkyeung]

I think accommodating labels in their own space on the left is a reasonable thing to do. Looks like RDi provides sufficient configurability in that regard. No reason VS Code couldn't do the same.

[ThomasBarberot]

Beginning the code on the first left column is a good solution, and in RDi, I put the label on the previous line of the command, and in a different color.
So I think it totally readable in this way.

[bobcozzi]

This is kind of old now... the CL Prompter does format just like SEU does when returning the command string. The Syntax checker helps. Until we had the CL Syntax Checker integrated, I couldn't safely implement the advanced CL prompter. The one currently in the markeplace was generation 1, I'm on generation 4 now which is a lot more robust--but it still too buggy to release. Once it is under control, I'll release it.
As I said, when you return from prompting it does format the CL command very similar to the way the IBM i green-screen CL Prompter does today. IIRC I did include adjustments for the first line indent, and subsequent line indent. So you folks that like placing the command in column 1 for some reason, should not have an issue with it. If you like the SEU style formatting results from its prompter, you should also be very happy.
These things take a while and then IBM has to integrate it into the CL extension which for the syntax checker took several months. So we'll see.
Question: Does "BOB" have a CL prompter? If so, it that going to be good enough moving forward?

[jkyeung]

This is kind of old now...

But still appreciated!

The one currently in the markeplace was generation 1, I'm on generation 4 now which is a lot more robust--but it still too buggy to release. Once it is under control, I'll release it.

I'm looking forward to it!

These things take a while and then IBM has to integrate it into the CL extension which for the syntax checker took several months. So we'll see.

Understood.

Question: Does "BOB" have a CL prompter? If so, it that going to be good enough moving forward?

I have no idea. I've been meaning to take a look (at the overall BOB project, or whatever it's called now), but haven't had the time.

[bobcozzi]

I opened up the CL Prompter today since it was on my mind, and It seems pretty stable, but the prompter itself isn't as well formatted as the old version 1 out there in the marketplace now. So once I get the formatting looking less scary, I'll push out an updated version. But the end-goal is to eventually submit it as a PR to the IBM-CLLE extension like I did with the Syntax checker. Here is the MONMSG command prompter with 2 msgID's followed by its returned CL command (NOTE: all the commands in the source were prompted and formatted using the CL prompter v4)

[SanjulaGanepola]

A CL formatter is definitely a feature that we want to get around to implementing.

These things take a while and then IBM has to integrate it into the CL extension which for the syntax checker took several months. So we'll see.

The syntax checker definitely took a lot longer than it should have to get in (delays on my part as I was busy towards the end of last year with conferences and a couple other projects). But we do still always try our best to stay on top of PRs as best as we can.

But the end-goal is to eventually submit it as a PR to the IBM-CLLE extension like I did with the Syntax checker.

For the CL prompter webview, have you considered using Code for IBM i's CustomUI API. It is what we use across many of our extensions to create custom webviews that fit the VS Code look and feel. For reference, you can see here our current set of supported UI components here. But this definitely can be beefed up with more components from VSCode Elements. I could eventually also help with this if needed.

Here are a couple examples of how we have used it before:

Project Explorer:

Db2 for IBM i:

[bobcozzi]

The CL Prompter is effectively complete. It also includes a Format CL command (Context-menu). Users can format "this" line or the entire source file. Works pretty well.
I'd like to get some use-cases and testing going on before creating a PR for CLLE extension. So if you know of any Users who are waiting on a Prompter and/or Formatter for CL point them at the CLPrompter extension.