v2.1.0

Overview

This release of the arDSL VS Code Extension focuses on improved code assistance features, better visual feedback, and various usability enhancements to streamline your AUTOSAR DSL development workflow.

New Features

Compile Button

A new compile button is now available in the editor toolbar (top right corner) when editing arDSL files. Click the button to compile your current file directly without having to navigate to the downloaded tool set.

Open Language Reference

A new command is available to open the arDSL language reference documentation directly from VS Code. This opens the local version of the language reference bundled with your installed arDSL compiler, giving you quick access to language documentation without leaving the editor.

AUTOSAR Type Hierarchy Navigation

You can now explore the AUTOSAR meta model directly in the editor. When working with AUTOSAR types, use the "Show Type Hierarchy" feature to see all subtypes of abstract classes like PackageableElement. This helps you discover which concrete types are available without leaving your editor or consulting external documentation.

GoTo AUTOSAR Type Declaration

You can now navigate directly to AUTOSAR type declarations in the meta model documentation, making it easy to understand the structure and properties of any AUTOSAR element. This includes:

• Dedicated syntax highlighting for AUTOSAR meta model documentation
• Rich information including splittability, patterns, and property inheritance details
• Deprecated properties are shown with strikethrough formatting for easy identification

Status Bar Information Display

The VS Code status bar now shows the currently used arDSL compiler version and the active AUTOSAR version, giving you quick visibility into your development environment configuration.

Enhancements

Major Code Completion Overhaul

Code completion has been significantly improved and now works reliably in many more scenarios:

• Model navigation completion: After typing a dot, get suggestions for properties and operations

  $myPackage.  // suggests: element, shortName, arPackage, ...
  

• Works with incomplete code: Get suggestions even with syntax errors

  @into $  // suggests valid symbols and function calls
  

• Smarter symbol suggestions: All symbols are shown, with correctly-typed ones prioritized

  uuid: $  // shows $myString first, but also $myPackage (for $myPackage.shortName)
  

• Empty property support: Completion works for properties without a value

  fileInfoComment:   // suggests valid string values
  

• Function definition support: Return type completion works even with existing function body

  @function foo(): AR  // suggests ARPackage, ARElement, ... even if @return exists below
  

• Plugin function support: Imported plugin functions now appear in completion suggestions
• Correct AUTOSAR class types: Fixed issue where completion would suggest incorrect AUTOSAR class types
• More robust parsing: The underlying grammar and parser have been consolidated for more consistent completions
• Completion Snippets Removed: The static code completion snippets have been removed and replaced by dedicated semantic code completions. Keywords like @function, @let, @into, @using, @iref, @include, @import, @return, and model navigation expressions are now handled through the improved code completion system, providing context-aware suggestions instead of static templates.

Enhanced Hover Tooltips

• Richer property information: Hover now shows RegEx patterns (for strings) or valid ranges (for numbers), plus multiplicity information
• Enum value documentation: Hovering over enum values now displays their description
• Documentation for empty properties: Hover over a property without a value to see its documentation and valid options
• Cleaner display: Properties without descriptions no longer show "null"; non-resolvable symbols no longer show type information
• Proper markdown rendering: Generic types like list<ARPackage> now display correctly instead of being truncated
• Fixed hover behavior for various property access patterns

Improved Syntax Highlighting

• Class names in generic type parameters are now correctly highlighted
• Type names in list types for function parameters are now properly colored
• Variables now have distinct coloring from keywords for better readability
• Overall more consistent visual appearance for type annotations

Better Navigation (GoTo Definition)

• GoTo definition now works correctly for path queries within functions
• Navigation resolves properly when working with heap objects

Usability Improvements

Better Error Messages

• Deprecation warnings now appear when you use deprecated AUTOSAR properties, helping you keep your models current with the latest AUTOSAR standards

Improved Installation

• Fixed artifact installation issues that could cause the extension to download incorrect compiler versions
• More reliable compiler detection and setup process

v2.0.3

What's Changed

This release revokes our theme extensions that caused undesired interaction with other languages when selected as theme.

Fixes

• fix: removed arDSL color themes from the Visual Studio Code Extension.
• fix: changed encoding of License.md to utf-8-bom.
• fix: proper forwarding of language server error messages to the Visual Studio Code Extension.

Documentation

• docs: fix spelling of Visual Studio Code
• docs(Readme): bump default compiler version to 'v2.0.2'

v2.0.2

Release Notes - arDSL VS Code Extension 2.0.2

Release Date: October 2025

Overview

We're excited to introduce the first official release of the arDSL VS Code Extension! This extension transforms VS Code into a powerful development environment for AUTOSAR DSL, bringing professional syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, real-time error detection, and instant documentation access right to your fingertips. Development is faster and more enjoyable with features that help you write correct code the first time.

Features

Beautiful Syntax Highlighting

Your arDSL code now comes alive with carefully designed syntax highlighting that makes it easy to read and understand at a glance. Keywords, types, strings, comments, and other language elements are clearly distinguished with colors that adapt to your VS Code theme (both light and dark modes are supported).

The highlighting is powered by a custom TextMate grammar that covers approximately 90% of the language syntax, providing instant visual feedback as you type without any performance impact.

Intelligent Code Completion

Start typing and watch as the extension suggests exactly what you need. The code completion system understands the AUTOSAR meta-model and your code's structure to offer relevant suggestions:

• Property names - When working inside objects, see all available properties for that meta-model class.
• Meta-model classes - Get suggestions for valid AUTOSAR classes when defining elements or building object hierarchies.
• Collection flattening - Discover which classes can be used via collection flattening directly inside objects.
• Symbols and functions - Access your constants and functions with $ prefix completions that understand scope.
• Into-statements - Receive the same helpful suggestions when modifying existing objects.

Code completion works even with incomplete or syntactically incorrect code, handling tricky parsing scenarios where the parser attempts to auto-correct incomplete code. You get accurate suggestions even when writing meta-model classes between other elements, ensuring you receive help exactly when you need it most - while you're still typing.

AUTOSAR {
  ARPackage vector {
    // Type 'ele' and see 'element' suggested
    element [
      // Type 'Ser' and see 'ServiceInterface' suggested
      ServiceInterface myService {
        // Type any letter and see all valid properties
      }
    ]
  }
}

The extension provides accurate completions even when writing meta-model classes between other elements:

AUTOSAR {
  ARPackage vector {
    element [
      ServiceInterface s1 {}
      Ser // Accurate completions here, even between other elements
      ServiceInterface s3 {}
    ]
  }
}

Real-Time Error Detection

Stop waiting for manual compilation to find errors. The extension runs the arDSL compiler in the background as you type, showing errors and warnings immediately in your editor with familiar red squiggles. Click on any error to see a detailed explanation, and quickly navigate between issues to fix them efficiently.

This instant feedback helps you catch mistakes early, understand what's wrong, and fix issues before they compound.

Instant Documentation on Hover

Learning the AUTOSAR meta-model is now effortless. Simply hover your mouse over any element to see:

• Meta-model documentation - Detailed descriptions of classes and properties pulled directly from the AUTOSAR specification.
• Type information - See the type of any symbol, variable, or expression without searching through code.
• Function signatures - Understand function parameters and return types at a glance.
• Type annotations - Get information about type declarations in let-statements and function definitions.

No more switching to external documentation or guessing what a property means - the answers are right there when you need them.

Quick Navigation with Go-to-Definition

Jump instantly to where things are defined with Go-to-Definition support. Ctrl+click on any symbol, reference, or model navigation expression to navigate directly to its definition:

• Symbol usage - Jump from a symbol reference to its let-statement or function definition.
• Object references - Navigate from a shortName path reference to where the object is defined.
• Model navigation - Follow model navigation chains to see where target values are defined.
• Path queries - Jump to the objects resolved by path query expressions.

This makes exploring and understanding large models effortless, helping you quickly understand code structure and dependencies.

Automatic Compiler Downloads

The extension automatically downloads and manages the arDSL compiler for you. When you open an arDSL file, the extension checks for the latest compiler version and downloads it if needed - no manual setup required. The compiler runs in the background to power all the language features.

The extension includes comprehensive error handling for various network scenarios:

• No internet connection - Clear message explaining the connectivity issue.
• Certificate problems - Helpful guidance when custom certificates are not configured correctly.
• Interrupted downloads - Recovery instructions when downloads are cancelled or interrupted.
• Rate limiting - Informative messages if GitHub API rate limits are reached.
• Startup failures - Clear error messages that help distinguish between download issues and local startup problems.

Each error message is designed to help you quickly understand what went wrong and what to do next, making troubleshooting much faster.