FileMaker Syntax Highlighting for VS Code

A syntax highlighter for FileMaker custom functions and expressions inside Visual Studio Code. Designed to highlight custom functions, user-defined variables, Let blocks, and nested expressions like Case() and If()

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Features

Highlights:

• Let ( [ x = 5 ; ... ] ; ... ) declarations
• Variables myValue
• Built-in FileMaker functions (e.g., Substitute, Evaluate, GetAsText)
• User-defined function calls (e.g., myCustomerFunction)
• Nested expressions inside Case() and If() blocks
• Strings, numbers, operators, and comments (line // and block /* ... */)

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Installation

Option 1: From .vsix file

1. Download the latest .vsix release from the Releases tab
2. Unzip
3. In a VS Code terminal, run:

   code --install-extension path/to/filemaker-syntax-0.1.0.vsix

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3. Open any .fm, .fmfunc, .fmfn, .calc or .filemaker file and select FileMaker as the language (bottom-right corner)

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Option 2: From Source

git clone https://github.com/craftyfm/filemaker-vscode-extension.git
cd vscode-filemaker-syntax
npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package
code --install-extension ./filemaker-syntax-0.1.0.vsix

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Language Support

The extension targets the following file types:

• .fmfunc
• .filemaker
• .fm
• .fmfn
• .calc

You can manually set the language to FileMaker in VS Code if auto-detection does not occur.

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Theme Compatibility

This extension is compatible with all VS Code themes. For best results, we recommend:

• Dark+
• Monokai
• One Dark Pro

To customize token colors, add editor.tokenColorCustomizations in your settings.json.

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Sample Scopes

Element	Scope
Let variables	variable.parameter.let.filemaker
myVar / $$global	variable.other.filemaker
Unscoped vars	variable.other.unscoped.filemaker
Function calls	entity.name.function.filemaker
Built-in functions	support.function.filemaker
Case results	variable.result.case.filemaker
Strings	string.quoted.double.filemaker
Block comments	comment.block.filemaker

Use Developer: Inspect Editor Tokens and Scopes to inspect live.

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Development

To work on the extension:

1. Clone the repo
2. Run in development mode:

code .
F5 → Extension Development Host

Open test files like sample.fm to preview highlighting in real time.

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License

MIT License Copyright © 2025 Stuart Russell

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Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! Please include test cases and follow the structure of the existing grammar. Feel free to submit improvements to the scope coverage or styling. Start an issue or discussion.

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Links

• FileMaker Official Docs
• TextMate Grammar Reference
• VS Code Extension API

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Built for FileMaker developers who want better tools.