KDevelop API Documentation

How to add support for a programming language

List of things to have "complete" support of a given language in KDevelop

List of optional things to support a given language in KDevelop: Take a look at Programming Languages Support Status (doc/api/LangSupportStatus.dox file) to see the current status/features of the programming languages currently supported by KDevelop.

Language Support

Any language support should be written as a kdevelop part and implement KDevLanguageSupport interface (lib/interfaces/kdevlanguagesupport.h).

Implementing methods:

Should be enough for a language support to start working.

KDevelop ships with KDevLang project template. It is a simple language support prototype that can be used when developing language support plugins with KDevelop. To use it, start a New Project and select: C++->KDevelop->KDevelop Language Support Plugin in the application wizard. The template is located in languages/cpp/app_templates/kdevlang, you can change it there if you need.

You should look at languages/ruby for a simple language support implementation. For a compilable language support, consult languages/ada or languages/pascal (they are not so complex as languages/cpp).

Pascal would be a good starting place, as it is the smaller of the two by far.

Language support can offer additional features:

Class wizard

Attribute/Method wizard

Qt UI subclassing

If there is a Qt bindings for your language and there is a possibility to use QtDesigner ui files, you could implement ui subclassing feature: See cpp and java for examples.

Language parser

In general, class stores can be filled with information without specialized and complex language parsers (take a look at languages/python that have a very simple python parser) but your language support will surely benefit from having such. There is a hand-written c/c++ parser (lib/cppparser) in KDevelop that might be used for ObjC or related C-based languages.

Other (not so complex as c++) languages can be parsed by ANTLR based parsers (library is in lib/antlr). Consult www.antlr.org for a ANTLR documentation and look at languages/java, languages/ada and languages/pascal for an example of using such parsers. The latest version of ANTLR (2.7.2) has support for Java, C, Pascal, Ada, C++, CIM, HTML, IDL, Verilog, VRML, OCL, ASN.1, and SQL. You can write an ANTLR parser for your own language, of course.

Class store

If you write (or have) a language parser, your language support can have "class store" (a database containing the information about scopes, classes and methods - their names, names of source files, location in source files, etc.). Class store libraries can be found at lib/catalog (Catalog) and lib/interfaces (CodeModel).

KDevelop provides class browsers that extract information from a class store and display it in a tree view and toolbar selectors of scopes, classes and methods.

Memory class store

CodeModel is the memory class store. It is very efficient and thus it is recommended for using as a project class store. CodeModel libraries are located in lib/interfaces/codemodel.h. The class browser for a CodeModel based stores is parts/classview.

Persistant class store

Catalog is the persistant class store for KDevelop. Persistant class store can be used as an information storage for code completion but it also can be used as a class store for the project. Take a look at languages/cpp for an example of using catalog. Catalog is stored on disk in the database file (Berkeley db) If you use catalog with the project, your class browser will be parts/classbrowser.

Code completion

Class store enables you to write a code completion for the language. At the moment (2003-06-25), code completion is available only to cpp so take a look at it for an example.

Problem reporter

If you have a language parser, you can implement problem reporter functionality for your language. The problem reporter catches errors reported by a parser and displays it in a problem reporter view. languages/java, languages/ada, languages/pascal and languages/cpp have problem reporters.

Templates

Application templates

Application wizard templates should be also written. Appwizard templates are simple to create - consult How to add application templates to the application wizard part (HowToAddApplicationTemplates.dox file) and look at languages/ruby/app_templates/rubyhello, languages/pascal/app_templates/pascalhello, or languages/ada/app_templates/adahello.

Application import templates

KDevelop has the ability to create a new project from existing projects or source code. It scans for project files ('*.kdevelop, *.kdevprj, *.studio, *.pro) and if and creates a new KDevelop project in the direcotry the user has chosen.

Source file templates

Another thing to do is to create file create templates. They are prototypes for a source files of your language. These prototypes are placed in parts/filecreate/file-templates dir or languages/YOURLANGUAGE/file_templates and have names equal to the extensions of language source files. The description of the prototypes is placed in parts/filecreate/template-info.xml.

Consult FileCreatePart (parts/filecreate/README.dox file) and How to add file templates to the file create part for further information.

Code abbreviation templates

KDevelop has a support for code abbreviations so you can add some predefined abbreviations to your language support. Take languages/cpp/cpptemplates as an example.

Source code formater

Implement a KDevSourceFormater class interface. To obtain source formater functionality (that is already available to c-based languages) you can extend astyle library (lib/astyle) that is used by KDevelop to format sources. Take a look at AStylePart for an example how to do it.

Documentation topics

Add them to languages/YOURLANGUAGE/doc. For an example see languages/python/doc/python.toc and languages/python/doc/python.index In the end you need to edit the languages/YOURLANGUAGE/doc/Makefile.am file to include the .toc and/or .index file.

Debugger

The last thing to have a complete language support in KDevelop is to write a Debugger . KDevelop already provides GDB support (languages/cpp/debugger) and JDB (java debugger) support (languages/java/debugger). Take a look at them to get inspiration.

Compiler plugins

There is an ability to create compiler plugin for KDevelop. Compiler plugin provides the compiler configuration dialog which implements command line compiler options. Compiler plugins must implement KDevCompilerOptions interface.

Other Info

In the end you should add the language you implemented to the doc/api/LangSupportStatus.dox file and document your language support part in the way described at How to document KDevelop parts (doc/api/HowToDocument.dox file). See also How to extend KDevelop via plugins (doc/api/HowToAddPlugins.dox file) for an information on how to create a generic KDevelop plugin and how to manage project and global configuration information.

Language Editor

To edit source files KDevelop uses any editor that supports the KTextEditor interface. The current supported editors and their features are listed in the Editors Support Status (doc/api/EditorsSupportStatus.dox file) page.

In case none of the editors does support advanced editing of sources written in your language (like code folding, syntax highlighting, line indentation) you can improve QEditor included in KDevelop (editors/qeditor). By creating QEditorIndenter and QSourceColorizer descendants you can provide the support for an automatic indentation and syntax highlighting that will be available for sure in KDevelop.

Build Tool

The language support is important, but it is unusable without a build tool that can manage projects written on this language. KDevelop currently provides several build tools. They are:

Also available: (They are deprecated build tools that will be replaced with the generic build tool).

Choose your build tool and if the existing build tools doesn't fit in, extend generic build tool via build system plugin. How to add a generic build tool plugins to the generic build tool part page (doc/api/HowToAddGenericBuildTools.dox file) helps you to do it.

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This file is part of the documentation for KDevelop Version 3.0.4.
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