BBj Language Support for VS Code and IntelliJ
BBj Language Support brings modern IDE tooling to BBj development in Visual Studio Code and
IntelliJ IDEA. One shared BBj language server powers both editors, so completion, diagnostics,
and navigation behave the same wherever you write BBj. Code completion reaches beyond BBj
keywords and functions into the Java classes, methods, and fields on your BBj classpath, and
errors — including BBj's own compiler diagnostics — surface as you type. Run your programs as
GUI, BUI, or DWC straight from the editor, and let the built-in visual composers write BBj calls
like MSGBOX, addWindow, and SETOPTS for you.
Install
Visual Studio Code
- Install from the VS Code Marketplace
- Or open the Extensions view (
Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X), search for "BBj", and install
BBj Programming Language Support by BASIS International Ltd.
- Quick Open:
ext install basis-intl.bbj-lang
IntelliJ IDEA
Offline install
The .vsix file and the IntelliJ .zip file are attached to every
GitHub release. Install them with
VS Code's "Install from VSIX..." or IntelliJ's "Install Plugin from Disk...".
After installing
On BBj 25.00 and later, enable the "BBj Language Service" in Enterprise Manager, then point the
extension or plugin at your BBj installation. Follow the Getting Started guide for
VS Code or
IntelliJ IDEA
for the full walkthrough.
Documentation
Full documentation lives at
BBx-Kitchen.github.io/bbj-language-server.
Features
Both IDEs run the same BBj language server, so the core features below behave the same in VS
Code and IntelliJ IDEA.
- Code completion. BBj verbs and keywords, built-in functions with documentation, variables,
and Java classes, methods, and fields from your BBj classpath; VS Code also offers snippets for
common code patterns.
- Errors as you type. Syntax errors, undefined variables, labels, or classes, class-member
access violations, and type mismatches are flagged immediately.
- BBj's own compiler, live. With BBj 26.03 or later, the BBj compiler's own parser checks the
open file as you type — the same errors the save-time compile reports, shown earlier. Choose
debounced, on-save, or off checking; an earlier BBj keeps the save-time compiler check.
- Hover and signature help. Function signatures and documentation, variable types, Javadoc for
Java classes and methods, and parameter hints while typing arguments.
- Navigation. Go to Definition across files, including the program file named in a
RUN or
CALL statement; Find All References in VS Code; document symbols and the IntelliJ Structure
view for quick jumps within a file.
- Java integration. Completion and Javadoc for Java classes, suggestions for a missing
use
statement, and a Refresh Java Classes command in both IDEs.
- Run from the editor.
Alt+G runs a program as GUI, Alt+B as BUI, Alt+D as DWC, and
Alt+C compiles it.
- Visual composers. MSGBOX, addWindow, addChildWindow, CVS(), and SETOPTS in code, plus the
SETOPTS line of the active config file, open from a cue above the call, the lightbulb in VS Code
or Alt+Enter in IntelliJ, or the context menu. See the
VS Code and
IntelliJ IDEA
composer guides.
- Enterprise Manager built in. Log in to Enterprise Manager for BUI and DWC runs in both IDEs;
VS Code also opens Enterprise Manager, shows the active config file and BBj.properties, and
lists the available classpath entries.
- Formatting and Denumber in both IDEs. Format a whole file, a selection, or on save with 15
formatter settings, and denumber line-numbered programs in the editor. This needs BBj 26.03 or
later and a running BBjServices. See the
VS Code and
formatting guides.
Take the full tour:
VS Code Features ·
IntelliJ IDEA Features
Requirements
- BBj 25.00 or higher, with BBjServices running locally
- Java 17 or higher
- BBj 26.03 or higher for live compiler diagnostics (an earlier BBj keeps the save-time compiler
check)
- Visual Studio Code 1.101.0 or higher
- IntelliJ IDEA 2024.2 or higher (Community or Ultimate), plus Node.js 22 or higher
(auto-detected from PATH, or auto-downloaded by the plugin)
See the Getting Started guides for
VS Code and
IntelliJ IDEA
for full setup details.
Help and feedback
Contributing? Issues and pull requests are welcome; build and test notes for contributors are in
CLAUDE.md. Licensed under the MIT License.
