[Feature] Pattern Editor Code Autocompletion

ketukil commented 11 months ago

What feature would you like to see?

I would like to request a code autocomplete feature for the code editor. This feature would suggest relevant code snippets as the user is typing, which would help to speed up development and reduce errors. Code autocomplete is a common feature in many modern code editors and IDEs. It can be a very helpful tool for developers, especially when working with large or complex patterns. Code autocomplete can help to reduce the amount of time that developers spend typing code, and it can also help to catch errors early on.

How will this feature be useful to you and others?

Benefits:

There are a number of benefits to having a code autocomplete feature in the code editor. These benefits include:

Increased productivity: Code autocomplete can help developers to write code more quickly and efficiently.
Reduced errors: Code autocomplete can help to catch errors early on, which can save developers time and frustration.
Improved code quality: Code autocomplete can help developers to write more consistent and idiomatic code.

Drawbacks:

There are a few potential drawbacks to having a code autocomplete feature in the code editor. These drawbacks include:

Increased complexity: Code autocomplete can add complexity to the code editor, which could make it more difficult to use and maintain.
False positives: Code autocomplete can sometimes suggest code snippets that are not relevant or correct. This can be frustrating for developers and can lead to errors.

Overall, I believe that the benefits of having a code autocomplete feature in the code editor outweigh the drawbacks. I would encourage you to consider implementing this feature in a future release.

Request Type

[ ] I can provide a PoC for this feature or am willing to work on it myself and submit a PR

Additional context?

No response

paxcut commented 11 months ago

Although I would agree with you in general, the truth is that the current pattern editor source code makes writing such extension pretty difficult. As proof of this notice how the editor lacks other simpler common features as a text search utility or a context menu. These are not missing because the editor has been neglected, but because the Dear ImGui text editor (which is what the pattern editor is) is pretty hard to work with.

But there is an alternative. There exists a Visual Studio Code extension that features

Features

    [X] Semantic syntax highlighting
    [X] Go to definition (Experimental. Don't expect it to work in the following scenarios)
        names defined in a namespace
    [X] Find references (Experimental. Don't expect it to work in the following scenarios)
        names defined in a namespace
    [ ] Inlay hints
    [ ] Completion
    [X] Run code on imhex

find it here https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=calcoph.hexpat-language-server

no autocompletion but it is probably easier to implement there than in the pattern editor.

github-actions[bot] commented 1 week ago

This issue is marked stale as it has been open for 11 months without activity. Please try the latest ImHex version. (Avaiable here: https://imhex.download/ for release and https://imhex.download/#nightly for development version) If the issue persists on the latest version, please make a comment on this issue again

Without response, this issue will be closed in one month.

paxcut commented 1 week ago

This feature is planned for once the syntax highlighting extension is completed and merged.

WerWolv / ImHex