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feat: add new blog post about the ArxLang VS Code extension (#281)
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‎pages/blog/arxlang-vs-code-extension-a-closer-look/header.png‎

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‎pages/blog/arxlang-vs-code-extension-a-closer-look/index.md‎

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---
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title: "ArxLang VS Code Extension: A Closer Look"
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slug: "arxlang-vs-code-extension-a-closer-look"
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date: 2026-06-09
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authors: ["Yogendra Sankhla"]
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tags: ["ArxLang", "VS Code", "Extension"]
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categories: ["Tools"]
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description: "A closer look at the ArxLang VS Code extension, its features, and how it is built."
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thumbnail: "/header.png"
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template: "blog-post.html"
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---
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I’ve been keeping an eye on the Arx language for a while now. It’s still
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early days for the language, but when I got to know about the new
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version of the VS Code extension, I figured I’d actually sit down and
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try it properly. So here’s my honest take.
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## What is Arx?
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Arx is a statically typed language with Python-like indentation, two
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spaces, strictly enforced. Tabs will throw an error. It has a more
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explicit type system than Python and comes with built-in support for
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dataframe, series, and tensor types, making it well-suited for
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data-heavy workloads. The language is currently in draft stage, but the
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syntax is already coherent and well-structured.
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Without the extension, opening `.x` or `.arx` files in VS Code gives you
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a plain text experience – means no highlighting, no structure, no
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language recognition.
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## Installing the Extension
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The extension registers both `.x` and `.arx` file extensions. Once
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installed, the language shows up as ArxLang in the VS Code status bar,
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and syntax highlighting activates immediately.
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Standard keywords: `fn`, `class`, `return`, `if`, `while`, etc., are
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highlighted as expected. The extension also correctly handles
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Arx-specific constructs like `@[public, static, constant]` for access
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modifiers and `<T: i32 | f64>` for template parameter blocks, which are
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fairly unusual compared to most languages.
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## Docstring Highlighting
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Arx uses triple-backtick docstrings with a YAML-like format called
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Douki:
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```` arx
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class BaseCounter:
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"""
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```douki
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title: BaseCounter
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summary: Stores one inherited seed value for derived counters.
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```
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"""
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````
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Keys are rendered in a muted dark gray, values in a lighter gray-blue.
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The result is readable without competing visually with the surrounding
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code.
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## How It’s Built
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Rather than hand-writing a TextMate grammar JSON file, which tends to
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become large, fragile, and hard to maintain the extension uses a single
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source-of-truth manifest at `syntax/arx.syntax.json`. This file defines
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the entire Arx lexical grammar: keywords, operators, builtin types, and
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structural forms. A build script compiles the actual TextMate grammar
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from this manifest automatically, and CI checks that the two are always
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in sync.
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This approach makes the extension easier to maintain as the language
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evolves. Updating the grammar is a matter of editing one file and
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regenerating, rather than manually patching a complex grammar file.
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## Type and Operator Coverage
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The extension covers a broad range of Arx’s type system:
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- Integer varieties: `i8` through `i64` (including `int8`–`int64` and
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equivalent expanded aliases for boolean, string, and float categories)
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- Float types: `f16` to `f64`
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- Primitive types: `bool`, `str`, `char`, `datetime`, `timestamp`,
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`date`, `time`
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- Data types: `dataframe`, `series`, `tensor`, `list`
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Both symbolic operators (`&&`, `||`, `->`, `!=`) and word operators
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(`and`, `or`) are supported.
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## Current Limitations
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The extension is highlighting-only. There is no language server, meaning
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no hover documentation, go-to-definition, or autocomplete. Given that
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Arx is still in active development, this is a reasonable scope for now.
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An LSP would likely follow once the language stabilises.
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## Summary
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The ArxLang extension provides solid syntax highlighting for a language
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still in its early stages. The architecture built around a single
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maintainable manifest means it should keep pace with the language as it
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evolves. For anyone working with Arx code in VS Code, it’s a
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straightforward install that meaningfully improves readability.

‎pages/blog/arxlang-vs-code-extension-a-closer-look/index.qmd‎

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---
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title: "ArxLang VS Code Extension: A Closer Look"
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slug: "arxlang-vs-code-extension-a-closer-look"
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date: 2026-06-09
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authors: ["Yogendra Sankhla"]
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tags: ["ArxLang", "VS Code", "Extension"]
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categories: ["Tools"]
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description: "A closer look at the ArxLang VS Code extension, its features, and how it is built."
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thumbnail: "/header.png"
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template: "blog-post.html"
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---
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I've been keeping an eye on the Arx language for a while now. It's still early days for the language, but when I got to know about the new version of the VS Code extension, I figured I'd actually sit down and try it properly. So here's my honest take.
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## What is Arx?
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Arx is a statically typed language with Python-like indentation, two spaces, strictly enforced. Tabs will throw an error. It has a more explicit type system than Python and comes with built-in support for dataframe, series, and tensor types, making it well-suited for data-heavy workloads. The language is currently in draft stage, but the syntax is already coherent and well-structured.
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Without the extension, opening `.x` or `.arx` files in VS Code gives you a plain text experience – means no highlighting, no structure, no language recognition.
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## Installing the Extension
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The extension registers both `.x` and `.arx` file extensions. Once installed, the language shows up as ArxLang in the VS Code status bar, and syntax highlighting activates immediately.
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Standard keywords: `fn`, `class`, `return`, `if`, `while`, etc., are highlighted as expected. The extension also correctly handles Arx-specific constructs like `@[public, static, constant]` for access modifiers and `<T: i32 | f64>` for template parameter blocks, which are fairly unusual compared to most languages.
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## Docstring Highlighting
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Arx uses triple-backtick docstrings with a YAML-like format called Douki:
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````arx
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class BaseCounter:
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"""
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```douki
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title: BaseCounter
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summary: Stores one inherited seed value for derived counters.
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```
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"""
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````
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Keys are rendered in a muted dark gray, values in a lighter gray-blue. The result is readable without competing visually with the surrounding code.
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## How It's Built
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Rather than hand-writing a TextMate grammar JSON file, which tends to become large, fragile, and hard to maintain, the extension uses a single source-of-truth manifest at `syntax/arx.syntax.json`. This file defines the entire Arx lexical grammar: keywords, operators, builtin types, and structural forms. A build script compiles the actual TextMate grammar from this manifest automatically, and CI checks that the two are always in sync.
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This approach makes the extension easier to maintain as the language evolves. Updating the grammar is a matter of editing one file and regenerating, rather than manually patching a complex grammar file.
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## Type and Operator Coverage
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The extension covers a broad range of Arx's type system:
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* Integer varieties: `i8` through `i64` (including `int8`–`int64` and equivalent expanded aliases for boolean, string, and float categories)
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* Float types: `f16` to `f64`
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* Primitive types: `bool`, `str`, `char`, `datetime`, `timestamp`, `date`, `time`
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* Data types: `dataframe`, `series`, `tensor`, `list`
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Both symbolic operators (`&&`, `||`, `->`, `!=`) and word operators (`and`, `or`) are supported.
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## Current Limitations
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The extension is highlighting-only. There is no language server, meaning no hover documentation, go-to-definition, or autocomplete. Given that Arx is still in active development, this is a reasonable scope for now. An LSP would likely follow once the language stabilises.
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## Summary
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The ArxLang extension provides solid syntax highlighting for a language still in its early stages. The architecture built around a single maintainable manifest means it should keep pace with the language as it evolves. For anyone working with Arx code in VS Code, it's a straightforward install that meaningfully improves readability.

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