vscode-languageclient

What is vscode-languageclient?

The vscode-languageclient npm package is a library that helps in creating language clients for Visual Studio Code extensions. It facilitates communication between the client (VS Code) and the language server, enabling features like auto-completion, go-to-definition, and diagnostics.

What are vscode-languageclient's main functionalities?

Initialize Language Client

This code initializes a language client that communicates with a language server. The client is configured to listen to plaintext files and synchronize file events.

const { LanguageClient, TransportKind } = require('vscode-languageclient/node');
const client = new LanguageClient(
  'languageServerExample',
  'Language Server Example',
  {
    command: 'path/to/language-server',
    args: [],
    transport: TransportKind.stdio
  },
  {
    documentSelector: [{ scheme: 'file', language: 'plaintext' }],
    synchronize: {
      fileEvents: workspace.createFileSystemWatcher('**/.clientrc')
    }
  }
);
client.start();

Handle Server Notifications

This code sets up a handler for custom notifications sent from the language server to the client. It logs the received notification parameters to the console.

client.onReady().then(() => {
  client.onNotification('custom/notification', (params) => {
    console.log('Received custom notification:', params);
  });
});

Send Custom Requests

This code sends a custom request from the client to the language server and logs the server's response.

client.onReady().then(() => {
  client.sendRequest('custom/request', { text: 'Hello, server!' }).then((response) => {
    console.log('Received response:', response);
  });
});

Other packages similar to vscode-languageclient

vscode-languageserver

The vscode-languageserver package provides tools to implement a language server. It is often used in conjunction with vscode-languageclient to create a full language server-client setup. While vscode-languageclient is focused on the client-side, vscode-languageserver provides the server-side implementation.

monaco-languageclient

The monaco-languageclient package is similar to vscode-languageclient but is designed for use with the Monaco Editor, which is the editor that powers VS Code. It allows for language server communication in web-based editors, providing similar functionalities to vscode-languageclient but in a different environment.

lsp-client

The lsp-client package is a lightweight alternative to vscode-languageclient. It provides basic functionalities to communicate with language servers using the Language Server Protocol (LSP). It is less feature-rich but can be a good choice for simpler use cases.

README

VSCode Language Server - Client Module

This npm module allows VSCode extensions to talk to langauge servers implemented in any kind of language as long as the 'speak' the VSCode language server protocol.

Click here for a detaild document on how to uses this npm module to implement language servers for VSCode.