Komodo Extensions

Komodo extensions (also known as add-ons) are used to extend the functionality of the IDE. Komodo is based upon the Mozilla framework, so it has the same extension capabilities as Firefox does, which means the Mozilla extension documentation also applies to Komodo as well. These Mozilla resources are a great place to begin understanding the fundamentals of extensions.

Add-on Dialog

Use the Tools > Add-ons menu to open the Add-ons management dialog. The Extensions tab will show you the currently installed add-ons, most of which are included through the default Komodo installation. Use the Get Add-ons tab to browse the recommended Add-ons or use the filter field search for a particular extension. Choose an extension and click on the download or Install links. You can also read the add-on tutorial covering the add-on dialog features.

Creating an Extension

Extensions usually come in two flavours:

Note that the type of add-on you wish to create will affect how you go about the creating process.

Feature Extensions

The best way to start creating a new Komodo feature is by utilizing the Komodo macro system, which you can use to quickly and easily create new functionality for Komodo, such as adding user interfaces, responding to keypresses, opening files, or performing text manipulation in the Komodo editor.

You can see great examples of Komodo macros on the ActiveState Code site. By the way, you can write macros in either JavaScript or Python - so you get to choose which language works best for you.

If you wish - you may then turn your macro into a Komodo add-on (so it's easily installable and will automatically update when you make changes to it). To get started, use the Project -> New -> New Project from Template and select the Create Komodo Extension project. When using a Komodo extension project, you'll find there is a "Build and Install" macro added to your Komodo toolbox, which you can use to create and install the extension xpi file.

Language Extensions

Language extensions are used to extend Komodo's knowledge of programming languages (like Java, Matlab, Mel). This can control things like Language Detection, Code Coloring, Editor Indentation, Syntax Checking, Code Intelligence (completions and calltips) and Debugging.

The easiest way to create a new Komodo language is to use the Project -> New Project from Template and select the Create Komodo Language project. Fill out the add-on details, then you can customize the language details (like the comment styles, keywords and code intelligence) and create the project. You'll find there is a "Build and Install" macro added to your Komodo toolbox, which you can use to create and install the extension xpi file.

Once you've got the basics of the language down, you can further tweak the generated files to your liking and then re-build and re-install the add-on to test it out. Below is a description for the generated files and folders of the add-on:

User Defined Languages (UDL)

Komodo's system for defining multi-language syntax lexing (coloring) is called UDL (User Defined Languages). UDL files are written in a language called Luddite, which then gets compiled into a Scintilla lexer package for use inside Komodo. All udl files are stored inside the "udl" folder of your extension.

Syntax Checking

The Komodo documentation for linters is quite extensive, and there is also a good article on adding syntax checking to a Komodo extension on the ActiveState blog.

Code Intelligence

Code Intelligence is enabled in a Komodo language extension by adding a pylib/codeintel_langname.py file to your extension. It works by first triggering a completion event and then responding to an evalutation request.

Extension Development Tools and Useful Links