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

• Install from the JetBrains Marketplace
• Or go to Settings > Plugins > Marketplace, search for "BBj", install BBj Language Support, and restart the IDE.

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.

Topic	VS Code	IntelliJ IDEA
Getting Started	VS Code	IntelliJ IDEA
Features	VS Code	IntelliJ IDEA
Configuration	VS Code	IntelliJ IDEA
Commands	VS Code	IntelliJ IDEA
Composers	VS Code	IntelliJ IDEA

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

• GitHub Issues — report bugs or request features
• BBj Documentation — the official BBj language reference

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Contributing? Issues and pull requests are welcome; build and test notes for contributors are in CLAUDE.md. Licensed under the MIT License.