Macaulay2 for Visual Studio Code

This extension adds language support for Macaulay2 to Visual Studio Code. It is intended for editing .m2 files and running Macaulay2 interactively without leaving the editor.

Requirements

If the extension cannot find Macaulay2, set macaulay2.executablePath to the full path of your M2 executable. On Windows, leaving this empty also checks WSL for M2; a WSL path such as /usr/bin/M2 can be used as the manual path when needed.

Getting Started

Install Macaulay2 first, then open a .m2 file in VS Code. The extension will try to find the M2 executable automatically.

VS Code shows a short Get Started with Macaulay2 walkthrough after installation, and it remains available from the Getting Started page.

Use F12 or run Macaulay2: Start M2 REPL from the Command Palette to start the webview REPL. Use Shift+Enter or Ctrl+Enter to send the current selection, or the current line when nothing is selected, to the webview REPL. Use the run button in the editor title area of a .m2 file to send the whole file to the webview REPL. Sending code to a Macaulay2 terminal session remains available from the Command Palette and right-click editor menu, but has no default keybinding. Both send commands can be rebound in VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts, which can be found by using the settings wheel in the extension menu.

• Optional executable switcher. Set macaulay2.showExecutableSwitcher to true and add paths to macaulay2.executablePathAlternatives to show a status bar button for switching between M2 binaries.
• This extension comes with a Macaulay2 formatter. When in a .m2 file, press Shift+Option+F to autoformat.

Features

• Syntax highlighting for Macaulay2 source files and fenced Macaulay2 code blocks in Markdown.
• Document formatting for .m2 files through VS Code's standard Format Document command.
• Completion suggestions for Macaulay2 symbols, functions, constants, and keywords.
• Language configuration for comments, brackets, quotes, and surrounding pairs.
• An integrated Macaulay2 REPL in a VS Code webview.
• Terminal-backed evaluation in a standard VS Code terminal through a separate command/keybinding.
• Automatic M2 executable detection on macOS and Windows, including WSL installs on Windows, with a manual override when needed.

Commands

Command	Description
Macaulay2: Start M2 REPL	Start the integrated webview REPL.
Macaulay2: Send Line or Selection to Macaulay2 Webview	Send the current selection or line directly to the webview REPL.
Macaulay2: Run Macaulay2 File	Send the active Macaulay2 file to the webview REPL.
Macaulay2: Start M2 Terminal	Start Macaulay2 in a VS Code terminal.
Macaulay2: Send Line or Selection to Macaulay2 Terminal	Send the current selection or line directly to the terminal REPL.
Macaulay2: Interrupt M2 Computation	Interrupt the running Macaulay2 computation.

Default Keybindings

Keybinding	Command
Shift+Enter	Send the current selection or line to the webview REPL.
Ctrl+Enter	Send the current selection or line to the webview REPL.
Ctrl+C	Interrupt the running Macaulay2 computation when the webview REPL is active.

There is no REPL target setting. To send evaluation to the terminal from a keybinding, bind Macaulay2: Send Line or Selection to Macaulay2 Terminal in VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts. The interrupt shortcut is also controlled through VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts.

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
macaulay2.executablePath	""	Optional path to the M2 executable. Leave empty to auto-detect.
macaulay2.launchArgs	""	Additional command-line arguments passed to M2 when starting REPL sessions, for example --print-width 50.
macaulay2.webviewColorTheme	vscode	Choose the webview REPL color theme: classic, light, dark, or vscode.
macaulay2.webviewTopLevelMode	webapp	Choose the webview REPL top-level output mode: webapp or standard.
macaulay2.webviewMatrixKatexMaxEntries	2500	Maximum matrix entries the webview REPL renders with KaTeX. Larger matrices use Macaulay2 net output, matching topLevelMode = Standard.

Acknowledgements

This package was developed by John Cobb, Paul Zinn-Justin, and Mike Stillman. This extension was built from a previous version developed by Corey Harris. The process of finding M2 executables on WSL was adapted from Al Ashir Intisar.