japhib [Lexaloffle Blog Feed]

New PICO-8 LS feature: Code Formatting

Fri, 19 May 2023 16:39:58 UTC

Just released a new feature for my VSCode plugin PICO-8 LS: Code formatting! (Link to install VSCode extension)

IMO it's most useful for making minified code from e.g. a tweetcart more readable. Example:

(The code snippet above is the excellent TweetTweetJam entry XTRIS, by Fletch: https://fletchmakesstuff.itch.io/xtris)

Note that it's accessible in multiple ways:

The regular Format Document command in VSCode (alt+shift+F is the default keyboard shortcut)
Command Palette -> PICO-8 LS: Format File for regular code formatting
Command Palette -> PICO-8 LS: Format File: Each Statement on Separate Line which will put each statement on a separate line. (By default, the formatter lets multiple statements be on the same line, preserving your cart structure.) This is the command used in the GIF above.

Please be careful when using this tool, and save a backup of your cart before formatting it! Since this is the first time it's being released, there may still be issues to work through.

Big thanks to beetrootpaul for help implementing this feature!

Report any issues here: https://github.com/japhib/pico8-ls/issues

pico8-ls: a VSCode Language Server for PICO-8

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 21:57:07 UTC

I've always been frustrated by how low-tech the dev environment feels for PICO-8, so I finally decided to do something about it. Introducing:

PICO-8 Language Server for VSCode

pico8-ls is a full-featured language extension for VSCode. It gives the full IDE experience, as if you were developing with Javascript, Java, Python, C#, etc.

Download here: pico8-ls - VSCode Marketplace

This extension has full support for the PICO-8 dialect of Lua - which means you don't have to move your code into a .lua file, or go through and remove all the += to get the Lua extension to work!

Here are some other useful features:

Go to definition
Find references
Warning on undefined variable usage
Get documentation for built-in functions by hovering over them
Support for "#include"ing other files

Demo of hover-docs, auto-complete, and signature help:

My most proud achievement is getting the #include statements to work, since go-to-definition and find-references both work across #include file boundaries. Demo of that working:

Anyways, I hope you find it useful! If you find any issues, please file an issue for them on GitHub:

pico8-ls Issues on GitHub

duck_pond.exe

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 23:33:02 UTC

duck_pond

by japhib

[Click to Play]

This was mainly a study for me on making interesting-looking water with basic reflection/distortion. I think it turned out fun. Just relax by the pond and watch the ducks.

Stranded on Saturn - a Commander Keen demake

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 19:34:59 UTC

stranded_on_saturn

by japhib

[Click to Play]

Stranded on Saturn - a demake of Commander Keen 1-3. Pogo your way through 4 huge levels to find the Bean With Bacon Megarocket and escape back to Earth!

Controls:

(o) or z - jump
(x) or x - get out/put away pogo stick

Hold jump while pogoing to go a lot higher!

Collect lollipops, sodas, and Vorticon teddy bears for an extra challenge. These are totally optional and just serve as an extra objective for those that are interested (much like the strawberries in Celeste).

Stranded On Saturn - WIP Commander Keen Demake - Lvl

Fri, 15 May 2020 20:25:54 UTC

stranded_on_saturn

by japhib

[Click to Play]

This is a tribute/demake to the original, oldschool Commander Keen games! Still very much a work in progress. The first level is done. Updated 12/30/2020