# move-analyzer

Provides language support for the Move programming language.

Currently, this means a basic grammar and language configuration for Move (`.move`) that enables
syntax highlighting, commenting/uncommenting, simple context-unaware completion suggestions while
typing, and other basic language features in Move files.

For information about Move visit [the Move repository](https://github.com/move-language/move).

## How to Install

The move-analyzer Visual Studio Code extension works via two components: the extension itself and
the `move-analyzer` language server.

### 1. Installing the `move-analyzer` language server<span id="Step1">

The `move-analyzer` language server is a Rust program that is part of the
[Move repository](https://github.com/move-language/move). It may be installed in one of two ways:

* Clone [the Move repository](https://github.com/move-language/move) yourself and build
   `move-analyzer` from its source code, which is especially useful if you will work on core Move.
   To do so, follow the instructions in the Move tutorial's
   [Step 0: Installation](https://github.com/move-language/move/tree/main/language/documentation/tutorial#step-0-installation).
* Use Rust's package manager `cargo` to install `move-analyzer` in your user's PATH. This
   is recommended for people who do not work on core Move.
   1. If you don't already have a Rust toolchain installed, you should install
      [Rustup](https://rustup.rs/), which will install the latest stable Rust toolchain.
   2. Invoke `cargo install --git https://github.com/move-language/move move-analyzer` to install the
      `move-analyzer` language server in your Cargo binary directory. On macOS and Linux, this is
      usually `~/.cargo/bin`. You'll want to make sure this location is in your `PATH` environment
      variable. If you plan to use the language server with Move language flavors different from core Move,
      you should specify an additional option to `cargo install` command as different Move flavors
      may enforce different max length of the Move address type: `--features "address20"` option for Move
      flavors requiring 20-byte long addresses (e.g., Sui Move) and `--features "address32"` option
      for Move flavors requiring 32-byte long addresses (e.g., Aptos Move).

To confirm that you've installed the language server program successfully, execute
`move-analyzer --version` on the command line. You should see the output `move-analyzer 1.0.0`.

### 2. Installing the move-analyzer Visual Studio Code extension

1. Open a new window in any Visual Studio Code application version 1.55.2 or greater.
2. Open the command palette (`⇧⌘P` on macOS, or use the menu item *View > Command Palette...*) and
   type **Extensions: Install Extensions**. This will open a panel named *Extensions* in the
   sidebar of your Visual Studio Code window.
3. In the search bar labeled *Search Extensions in Marketplace*, type **move-analyzer**. The
   move-analyzer extension should appear in the list below the search bar. Click **Install**.
4. Open any file that ends in `.move`. Or to create a new file, click **Select a language**, and
   choose the **Move** language. As you type, you should see that keywords and types appear in
   different colors.

### Troubleshooting

If you see an error message *language server executable 'move-analyzer' could not be found* in the
bottom-right of your Visual Studio Code screen when opening a Move file, it means that the
`move-analyzer` executable could not be found in your `PATH`. You may try the following:

1. Confirm that invoking `move-analyzer --version` in a command line terminal prints out
   `move-analyzer 1.0.0`. If it doesn't, then retry the instructions in [step 1](./Step1). If it
   does successfully print this output, try closing and re-opening the Visual Studio Code
   application, as it may not have picked up the udpates to your `PATH`.
2. If you installed the `move-analyzer` executable to a different location that is outside of your
   `PATH`, then you may have the extension look at this location by using the the Visual Studio Code
   settings (`⌘,` on macOS, or use the menu item *Code > Preferences > Settings*). Search for the
   `move-analyzer.server.path` setting, and set it to the location of the `move-analyzer` language
   server you installed.
3. If the above steps don't work, then report
   [a GitHub issue to the Move repository](https://github.com/move-language/move/issues) to get help.

## Features

Here are some of the features of the move-analyzer Visual Studio Code extension. To see them, open a
Move source file (a file with a `.move` file extension) and:

- See Move keywords and types highlighted in appropriate colors.
- Comment and un-comment lines of code using the `⌘/` shortcut on macOS (or the menu command *Edit >
  Toggle Line Comment*).
- Place your cursor on a delimiter, such as `<`, `(`, or `{`, and its corresponding delimiter --
  `>`, `)`, or `}` -- will be highlighted.
- As you type, Move keywords will appear as completion suggestions.
- If the opened Move source file is located within a buildable project (a `Move.toml` file can be
  found in one of its parent directories), the following advanced features will also be available:
  - compiler diagnostics
  - go to definition
  - go to type definition
  - go to references
  - type on hover
  - outline view showing symbol tree for Move source files