Frothy pre-alpha
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Editor

VS Code and browser editor support for running forms and files, inspecting live words, and interrupting the board.

You do not need a special editor to use Frothy. Any editor plus frothy send file.fr works.

The VS Code extension is a convenience layer over frothy session. It sends source, asks the device for inspection data, and leaves the live image on the board.

Install VS Code Support

In VS Code, open Extensions, search for Frothy, and install the extension published by NikolaiKozak. It updates through VS Code.

For extension development, build and install the current VSIX directly:

make vsix
code --install-extension editors/vscode/frothy-0.4.0.vsix

The extension handles .fr and .frothy files and requires the frothy CLI on your PATH (or at frothy.binaryPath).

Useful Commands

  • Frothy: Connect
  • Frothy: Disconnect
  • Frothy: Run Form
  • Frothy: Run File
  • Frothy: Rerun
  • Frothy: Open Example
  • Frothy: Browse Words
  • Frothy: Inspect Word
  • Frothy: Show Status
  • Frothy: Memory
  • Frothy: Save Overlay
  • Frothy: Restore Overlay
  • Frothy: Interrupt
  • Frothy: Show Output

Shortcuts

Cmd/Ctrl+Enter          Run Form
Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Enter    Run File
Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+R          Rerun
Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+.          Interrupt while running

Save to Device uses Frothy: Save Overlay to persist the device’s current definitions. Frothy: Restore Overlay reloads that saved state.

Settings

frothy.binaryPath is an optional absolute path to the frothy binary.

frothy.port is an optional preferred serial port.

frothy.baud is the serial baud rate.

frothy.autoConnect controls automatic connection.

Browser Editor

The browser editor uses WebSerial and runs Frothy straight from the page. Use Chrome or Edge on desktop.

  • Examples — the picker in the header loads any of the bundled examples into the buffer. The same set is available in VS Code via Frothy: Open Example.
  • Connect / Run — Connect opens the WebSerial picker and visibly confirms the live profile. Once connected, the button opens a menu with Browse Words and Disconnect. Run Line sends the selection, or the code at the cursor: a line inside a block runs on its own, and the line that opens the block or closes it runs the whole block. A block inside a block repeats the rule. Hovering the gutter shows a play marker and highlights the exact code that button would send. Run File runs the open file with its local include directives spliced in, stopping at the first device error; running main.fr clears the board’s user definitions first, while any other file runs into the live session.
  • Indent — Tab and Shift-Tab indent inside the source editor instead of moving focus away.
  • Browse Words — asks the connected device for its current vocabulary, grouped into board-defined and built-in words; choosing one shows its source in place. Device words also join autocomplete.
  • Pin — the pushpin in the editor’s top corner (or right-clicking a line’s gutter) saves one line or block as a one-click rerun button, for the edit-a-definition, rerun-the-driver loop. It pins what the play button runs.
  • Interrupt — sends a Ctrl-C to stop a running program (a forever loop), without disconnecting.
  • Split — toggles the MCU output between sitting below the editor and beside it; the choice is remembered.
  • Autosaved locally — edits are saved in this browser automatically. If storage fails, the editor says so and keeps Download available.
  • Upload / Download — the file navigator’s upload button adds a .fr file to the project; Download packages the project back up.
  • Errors — Run File stops at the first device error, and diagnostic detail stays grouped with the error. When the device points at a token, the editor underlines that token in your code and puts the device’s own sentence on hover; the mark clears on your next edit or run. A form the editor cannot finish reading is never sent: it names the line whose bracket is still open and marks that bracket.

Recovery

If the board doesn’t answer when you Connect, it is usually running a saved program (for example a forever boot routine): the editor offers Interrupt and connect, which sends a Ctrl-C and then connects normally. If Connect fails outright, close other applications using the serial port, press the board’s EN button (or unplug and reconnect it), and try again. If a program runs away, use Interrupt or press Ctrl-C in a terminal session. If saved state is bad after reboot, use the CLI recovery commands from the CLI reference .