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VSCode Extension

Full IDE support for sigc development.

Installation

From Marketplace

  1. Open VSCode
  2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "sigc"
  4. Click Install

From Command Line

Bash
code --install-extension skelf-Research.sigc-vscode

Features

Syntax Highlighting

Full syntax highlighting for .sig files:

  • Keywords (data, signal, portfolio, emit)
  • Operators (zscore, rank, rolling_mean)
  • Numbers, strings, comments
  • Type annotations

Code Completion

IntelliSense for:

  • Operators: All 120+ operators with signatures
  • Keywords: Language keywords
  • Parameters: Function parameters
  • Variables: Defined variables in scope

Press Ctrl+Space to trigger completion.

Hover Documentation

Hover over any operator to see:

  • Function signature
  • Description
  • Parameters
  • Return type
  • Example usage

Error Diagnostics

Real-time error checking:

  • Syntax errors
  • Type mismatches
  • Undefined variables
  • Invalid operator usage

Errors appear with red underlines and in the Problems panel.

Go to Definition

Ctrl+Click or F12 to jump to:

  • Signal definitions
  • Variable declarations
  • Function definitions

Find References

Shift+F12 to find all usages of:

  • Signals
  • Variables
  • Functions

Format Document

Shift+Alt+F to format your strategy:

  • Consistent indentation
  • Proper spacing
  • Aligned operators

Code Folding

Collapse sections:

  • data: blocks
  • signal blocks
  • portfolio blocks

Configuration

Extension Settings

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for "sigc":

JSON
{
  // Path to sigc binary
  "sigc.binaryPath": "/usr/local/bin/sigc",

  // Enable real-time diagnostics
  "sigc.enableDiagnostics": true,

  // Diagnostic delay (ms)
  "sigc.diagnosticDelay": 500,

  // Format on save
  "sigc.formatOnSave": true,

  // Show inline hints
  "sigc.inlayHints.enabled": true,

  // LSP log level
  "sigc.logLevel": "info"
}

Workspace Settings

Create .vscode/settings.json:

JSON
{
  "sigc.binaryPath": "./target/release/sigc",
  "sigc.formatOnSave": true,
  "[sig]": {
    "editor.tabSize": 2,
    "editor.insertSpaces": true
  }
}

Snippets

Built-in snippets for common patterns:

data - Data Section

Text Only
data:
  source = "$1"
  format = ${2|csv,parquet|}
  columns:
    date: Date
    ticker: Symbol
    $3: Numeric as $4

signal - Signal Block

Text Only
signal ${1:name}:
  $2
  emit $3

portfolio - Portfolio Block

Text Only
portfolio ${1:name}:
  weights = rank(${2:signal}).long_short(top=${3:0.2}, bottom=${4:0.2})
  backtest from ${5:2020-01-01} to ${6:2024-12-31}

momentum - Momentum Signal

Text Only
signal momentum:
  mom = zscore(ret(prices, ${1:60}))
  emit mom

longshort - Long-Short Portfolio

Text Only
portfolio long_short:
  weights = rank(${1:signal}).long_short(top=${2:0.2}, bottom=${3:0.2}, cap=${4:0.05})
  backtest rebal=${5:21} from ${6:2020-01-01} to ${7:2024-12-31}

Type the snippet prefix and press Tab to expand.

Commands

Access via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

Command Description
sigc: Run Strategy Run current file
sigc: Run with Parameters Run with param overrides
sigc: Validate Check for errors
sigc: Format Document Format current file
sigc: Show Metrics Display performance metrics
sigc: Export Results Export to CSV/JSON
sigc: Open Documentation Open docs in browser

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+Shift+R Run strategy
Ctrl+Shift+V Validate
Ctrl+Shift+D Open diagnostics
F5 Run with debugger

Customize Shortcuts

Add to keybindings.json:

JSON
[
  {
    "key": "ctrl+shift+r",
    "command": "sigc.run",
    "when": "editorLangId == sig"
  }
]

Output Panel

Results appear in the Output panel:

  1. Open Output panel (Ctrl+Shift+U)
  2. Select "sigc" from dropdown

Shows:

  • Backtest results
  • Performance metrics
  • Errors and warnings
  • Debug output

Problems Panel

Errors and warnings appear in Problems panel:

  • Click error to jump to line
  • Hover for details
  • Quick fix suggestions

Debugging

Basic Debugging

  1. Set breakpoints (click line number)
  2. Press F5 to start debugging
  3. Step through execution

Debug Configuration

Create .vscode/launch.json:

JSON
{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "sigc",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Debug Strategy",
      "program": "${file}",
      "args": ["--verbose"]
    }
  ]
}

Watch Variables

Add variables to watch panel:

  • Signal values
  • Weight calculations
  • Intermediate results

Tasks

Define tasks in .vscode/tasks.json:

JSON
{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "Run Backtest",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "sigc run ${file}",
      "group": {
        "kind": "build",
        "isDefault": true
      }
    },
    {
      "label": "Validate All",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "sigc validate strategies/*.sig"
    }
  ]
}

Run tasks: Ctrl+Shift+B

Multi-Root Workspaces

Support for multiple strategy folders:

JSON
// workspace.code-workspace
{
  "folders": [
    { "path": "production" },
    { "path": "research" },
    { "path": "backtest" }
  ],
  "settings": {
    "sigc.binaryPath": "/usr/local/bin/sigc"
  }
}

File Associations

Ensure .sig files are recognized:

JSON
{
  "files.associations": {
    "*.sig": "sig"
  }
}

Enhance your sigc development:

Extension Purpose
Error Lens Inline error display
GitLens Git history
Jupyter Notebook support

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Working

  1. Check sigc is installed: sigc --version
  2. Verify path in settings
  3. Restart VSCode

No Syntax Highlighting

  1. Check file extension is .sig
  2. Reload window: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window"

LSP Errors

  1. Check Output panel for errors
  2. Increase log level:
    JSON
    { "sigc.logLevel": "debug" }
  3. Restart LSP: Command Palette → "sigc: Restart Language Server"

Slow Diagnostics

  1. Increase delay:
    JSON
    { "sigc.diagnosticDelay": 1000 }
  2. Disable for large files:
    JSON
    { "sigc.diagnostics.maxFileSize": 100000 }

Updating

Auto Update

Extensions update automatically by default.

Manual Update

  1. Open Extensions view
  2. Click update button on sigc extension

Check Version

Bash
code --list-extensions --show-versions | grep sigc

Contributing

Report issues or contribute:

Next Steps