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Common Tasks

← Back to Documentation Home

Everyday workflows made easy. Find your task and follow the steps.

Table of Contents

Navigation

How do I find where a procedure is declared?

  1. Click on the procedure name (anywhere it's used)
  2. Press F12
  3. You jump to the MAP declaration or PROCEDURE line

What it does: Takes you to where the procedure is defined.

How do I see the actual implementation of a procedure?

  1. Click on a MAP declaration or procedure call
  2. Press Ctrl+F12
  3. Jump to the PROCEDURE implementation

What it does: Shows you the actual code, not just the declaration.

How do I see what a function does without leaving my code?

  1. Hover your mouse over any function name
  2. Read the documentation popup
  3. Press Escape to close

What it does: Shows you function documentation, parameters, and usage.

How do I find where a variable is declared?

  1. Click on the variable name
  2. Press F12
  3. Jump to its declaration (DATA section or parameter list)

Works for:

  • Local variables
  • Global variables
  • Parameters
  • Group fields

How do I navigate to an included file?

  1. Click on the filename in an INCLUDE('filename.inc') statement
  2. Press F12
  3. The file opens

Bonus: If you include a specific SECTION, it jumps directly to that section!

Example: INCLUDE('file.inc', 'MySection') → Jumps to MySection CODE

How do I find where a MODULE is implemented?

  1. Click on the MODULE name in a CLASS declaration: 
    MyClass CLASS,MODULE('MyClass.clw')
  2. Press F12
  3. The .clw file opens

Code Editing

How do I quickly insert code structures?

Use snippets!

  1. Type the snippet trigger (e.g., IF)
  2. Press Tab
  3. The structure is inserted with placeholders
  4. Tab again to jump to the next placeholder

Common snippets:

  • IF → IF/THEN/END
  • IFE → IF/THEN/ELSE/END
  • LOOP → LOOP/END
  • MAP → MAP/END
  • CASE → CASE/OF/END

See all snippets →

How do I declare a variable quickly?

Use variable snippets:

  1. Type V + variable type (e.g., VS for String)
  2. Press Tab
  3. Fill in the variable name

Variable types:

  • VS → String
  • VL → Long
  • VR → Real
  • VD → Decimal
  • VDT → Date
  • RVS → &String (reference)

See all variable shortcuts →

How do I add a method implementation?

For an existing method declaration in a CLASS:

  1. Place your cursor on the method name in the CLASS
  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+I (or Command Palette → "Add Method Implementation")
  3. The implementation is generated in the MODULE file
  4. You're taken to the new method implementation

What it generates:

MyClass.MyMethod PROCEDURE
CODE
  ! Your code here

How do I paste text as a Clarion string?

Convert multi-line text to Clarion string format:

  1. Copy some text to your clipboard
  2. In VS Code, press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+V (or Command Palette → "Paste as Clarion String")
  3. The text is pasted with proper escaping and line continuation

Example:

Input (clipboard):
This is line 1
This is line 2

Output (pasted):
'This is line 1' & |
'This is line 2'

Perfect for SQL queries, error messages, and multi-line strings!

How do I create a new class?

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open Command Palette
  2. Type "Create New Class"
  3. Enter the class name
  4. Choose a folder
  5. Both .inc and .clw files are created with proper structure

Solution Management

How do I open a solution?

Method 1: Open Folder

  1. File → Open Folder (Ctrl+K Ctrl+O)
  2. Select folder containing your .sln file
  3. Open Clarion Tools sidebar
  4. Click the ▶ solution name shown under "X Solution(s) Found"

Method 2: Browse from Solution View

  1. Open Clarion Tools sidebar
  2. Click "📂 Browse for Solution..."
  3. Select your .sln file

Method 3: Recent Solutions

  1. Open Clarion Tools sidebar
  2. Click any solution in Recent Solutions list

How do I switch between solutions?

  1. File → Open Folder
  2. Select a different solution folder

OR

  1. Click a recent solution in the Clarion Tools sidebar

Note: VS Code can only have one folder open at a time.

How do I change the build configuration?

Change between Debug and Release:

  1. Click the status bar at the bottom (shows current config like "Debug|Win32")
  2. Select new configuration from the dropdown

OR

  1. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Clarion: Set Configuration"
  2. Select configuration

Building & Compiling

How do I build/generate an application?

Method 1: From Solution View

  1. In Clarion Tools sidebar, find your application
  2. Right-click on the .app file
  3. Click "Generate Application"

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut

  1. Make sure an .app file is open or selected
  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+B

Method 3: Command Palette

  1. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Clarion: Generate Application"

Build output appears in the integrated terminal.

How do I see build errors?

  1. After a build, check the terminal at the bottom
  2. Errors show in red with line numbers
  3. Click on an error to jump to that line

Troubleshooting

F12 isn't working

Possible causes:

  1. Solution not opened correctly

    • Make sure you opened the folder containing the .sln file
    • Check Clarion Tools sidebar shows your solution

  2. File is outside the solution

    • F12 only works within the solution and its includes

  3. Symbol not found

    • Check spelling and scope (local vs global variables)

IntelliSense isn't showing up

Possible causes:

  1. Extension not activated

    • Check the bottom status bar for Clarion version
    • If not showing, try opening a .clw file

  2. File type not recognized

    • Make sure file has .clw, .inc, or .equ extension

  3. Try restarting

    • Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window"

Build fails with "ClarionCl.exe not found"

Fix:

  1. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Clarion: Set Clarion Path"
  2. Browse to your Clarion BIN folder
  3. Try building again

Need More Help?