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BoxLang TextMate Bundle

Welcome to BoxLang support for TextMate grammars.

A comprehensive TextMate bundle that provides rich language support for BoxLang development, including syntax highlighting, code execution, documentation lookup, intelligent code navigation, and extensive code snippets.

You can find the repository here: https://github.com/ortus-boxlang/boxlang.tmbundle

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🌟 Key Highlights:

  • 315+ Built-In Functions automatically updated from BoxLang API

  • 52+ Code Snippets for rapid development

  • 3 Beautiful Themes with BoxLang's signature green-cyan palette

  • Full HTML Integration in template files (.bxm)

  • Automated CI/CD Pipeline for always up-to-date releases

Features

🎨 Syntax Highlighting

  • BoxLang Script (.bx, .bxs) - Full syntax highlighting for BoxLang script files

  • BoxLang Templates (.bxm) - Template syntax with embedded script support and HTML integration

  • HTML Markup Support - Complete HTML syntax highlighting within template files with proper comment handling

  • Dynamic BIF Recognition - Automatically updated Built-In Functions from BoxLang API documentation

  • Modern Language Features - Support for lambda functions, arrow functions, and advanced syntax

🎭 Custom Themes

Beautiful themes designed with BoxLang's signature green-cyan gradient colors:

Theme Dark

Theme High Contrast

Theme Light

  • BoxLang Light - Clean, professional light theme with vibrant accents

  • BoxLang Dark - Modern dark theme perfect for extended coding sessions

  • BoxLang High Contrast - Accessibility-focused theme with enhanced readability

All themes feature:

  • Brand Consistency - Uses BoxLang's signature green-cyan color palette

  • Semantic Highlighting - Different colors for keywords, functions, strings, and components

  • BoxLang-Specific - Special highlighting for bx: components and built-in functions

  • Eye Comfort - Carefully chosen contrast ratios for reduced eye strain

🚀 Code Execution

  • Run Current File - Execute the current BoxLang file with a single command

  • Run with Arguments - Execute files with custom command-line arguments

  • Run Selected Code - Execute only the selected code snippet

  • BoxLang REPL - Launch an interactive BoxLang Read-Eval-Print Loop

⚡ Code Snippets (52 Available)

Comprehensive snippet collection for rapid development:

Core Language Constructs

  • class - Class definition with inheritance and interfaces

  • interface - Interface definition

  • function - Function declaration with modifiers

  • property - Property declaration with attributes

  • import - Import statement with module support

  • var - Variable declaration

  • new - Object instantiation

Control Flow

  • if / ife - If and if-else statements

  • for / forin - Traditional and for-in loops

  • while / do - While and do-while loops

  • switch / case / default - Switch statements

  • try / tryf - Try-catch and try-catch-finally blocks

  • break / continue - Loop control statements

Function Types

  • anon - Anonymous function: function(params) {}

  • closure - Closure with =>: (params) => {}

  • lambda - Lambda with ->: (params) -> {}

Access Modifiers

  • public / private / static / final / abstract / remote - Method and property modifiers

Data Structures & Collections

  • array / struct - Literal declarations

  • each / seach - Array and struct iteration

  • map / filter / reduce - Functional programming methods

BoxLang Components

  • bxhttp - HTTP request component

  • bxfile - File operation component

  • bxquery - Database query component

  • lock / thread / transaction - Concurrency components

Development & Testing

  • test - Test case template with Given-When-Then structure

  • doc - JavaDoc comment template

  • todo - TODO comment

  • main - Main method template

  • println / dump - Debugging utilities

📚 Documentation & Help

  • API Documentation - Quick access to BoxLang API documentation

  • Context-Sensitive Help - Get documentation for the word under cursor

  • Built-in Examples - Sample files demonstrating BoxLang features

  • Auto-Updated BIFs - Built-In Functions automatically extracted from latest API docs

🧭 Code Navigation

  • Symbol Lists - Navigate through classes, methods, and variables

  • Smart Folding - Intelligent code folding for better readability

  • Go to Symbol - Quick navigation to class definitions and method declarations

🤖 Automated Release Process

  • CI/CD Pipeline - Automated builds and releases via GitHub Actions

  • Version Management - Automatic version bumping and changelog generation

  • Multi-format Releases - Both .zip and .tar.gz formats available

  • S3 Distribution - Fast global distribution via AWS S3

  • Snapshot Builds - Development builds from development branch

Installation

Prerequisites

  • TextMate 2.0 or later (also compatible with VS Code, Sublime Text, and other TextMate-compatible editors)

  • BoxLang runtime is installed and available in your PATH

Install via Git

cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/TextMate/Bundles/
git clone https://github.com/ortus-boxlang/boxlang.tmbundle.git

Install Latest Release

Recommended: Download the latest stable release for the most up-to-date features and BIF definitions.

  1. Visit the releases page

  2. Download the latest release (available in .zip and .tar.gz formats)

  3. Extract the bundle to ~/Library/Application Support/TextMate/Bundles/

  4. Restart TextMate or reload bundles with Bundles → Bundle Editor → Reload Bundles

Install Development Snapshots

For the latest features and fixes (may be unstable):

  1. Check the S3 bucket for snapshot builds

  2. Download the latest snapshot build

  3. Follow the same extraction steps as above

Verify Installation

After installation, verify the bundle is working:

  1. Create a new file with .bx extension

  2. Type class and press Tab - you should see a class template

  3. The syntax should be highlighted in BoxLang colors

  4. ⌘R should be available to run BoxLang files

Usage

File Types Supported

  • .bx - BoxLang script files

  • .bxs - BoxLang script files

  • .bxm - BoxLang template files

Key Commands

Execution Commands

  • ⌘R - Run current file

  • ⌘⇧R - Run with arguments

  • ⌃⌘R - Run selected code

  • ⌃H - Show documentation for current word

  • ⌃⌥⌘H - Open BoxLang API documentation

Code Snippets (Tab Triggers)

  • class + Tab - Class definition

  • function + Tab - Function declaration

  • anon + Tab - Anonymous function

  • closure + Tab - Closure with =>

  • lambda + Tab - Lambda with ->

  • if + Tab - If statement

  • for + Tab - For loop

  • try + Tab - Try-catch block

  • each + Tab - Array iteration

  • bxhttp + Tab - HTTP component

  • test + Tab - Test case template

  • And 44 more snippets for rapid development!

Themes

The bundle includes three custom themes optimized for BoxLang development:

Applying Themes

  1. Open TextMate Preferences (⌘,)

  2. Go to the Themes tab

  3. Select from the available BoxLang themes:

    • BoxLang Light - For bright, comfortable daytime coding

    • BoxLang Dark - For reduced eye strain and night coding

    • BoxLang High Contrast - For maximum accessibility and readability

Theme Features

  • Consistent Branding - All themes use BoxLang's signature color palette

  • Syntax-Aware - Distinct colors for keywords, functions, strings, and comments

  • Component Highlighting - Special treatment for bx: components and attributes

  • BIF Recognition - Built-in functions styled for easy identification

  • Template Support - Optimized for both script and template file types

File Templates

The bundle includes several file templates to help you quickly create new BoxLang files. Access them via File → New From Template → BoxLang:

  • BoxLang Class (.bx) - Basic class template with constructor

  • BoxLang Component (.bx) - Component template with initialization

  • BoxLang Service (.bx) - Service layer template with singleton annotation

  • BoxLang Interface (.bx) - Interface template with sample method signature

  • BoxLang Test (.bx) - TestBox-compatible test template

  • BoxLang Script (.bxs) - Executable script template with shebang

  • BoxLang Template (.bxm) - HTML template with embedded BoxLang script

All templates include:

  • Proper file headers with author and date placeholders

  • Basic structure and common patterns

  • Cursor positioning for immediate coding ($0 placeholder)

Code Examples

The bundle includes sample files in the Samples/ directory:

  • Class.bxm - Class definition example

  • UserService.bx - Service layer example

  • Scheduler.bx - Task scheduling example

  • generatePrimes.bxs - Algorithm example

  • Input.bx - User input handling

Configuration

BoxLang Runtime

Ensure BoxLang is installed and the boxlang command is available in your PATH. You can verify installation by running:

boxlang --version

Custom Commands

You can customize the execution commands by editing the .tmCommand files in the Commands/ directory.

Bundle Development & Maintenance

Automated Release Pipeline

The BoxLang TextMate bundle features a sophisticated CI/CD pipeline that ensures always up-to-date releases:

  • Automated BIF Extraction - Built-In Functions are automatically extracted from the latest BoxLang API documentation

  • Version Management - Versions are read from box.json and automatically applied to bundle metadata

  • Multi-Branch Releases - Snapshot builds from development branch, stable releases from main

  • Multiple Distribution Channels - Released to both GitHub Releases and AWS S3 for global availability

  • Quality Assurance - All releases include automated testing and validation

Bundle Structure

boxlang.tmbundle/
├── Commands/           # Execution and utility commands
├── Preferences/        # Editor behavior and folding rules
├── Samples/           # Example BoxLang files
├── Snippets/          # 52+ code snippets for rapid development
├── Support/           # Utilities and extracted BIF lists
├── Syntaxes/          # Language grammar definitions
├── Templates/         # File templates for new documents
└── info.plist        # Bundle metadata and configuration

Staying Current

The bundle automatically stays current with BoxLang development:

  • BIF Synchronization - Built-In Functions are extracted fresh from API docs with each release

  • Grammar Updates - Language grammar updated to match BoxLang language evolution

  • Feature Additions - New language features and capabilities added as BoxLang grows

  • Community Feedback - Regular updates based on developer community needs

Language Features

Syntax Elements Supported

  • Classes and Interfaces - Full OOP support with inheritance and implementations

  • Methods and Functions - Named functions, anonymous functions, lambda expressions, arrow functions

  • Variables and Scoped Variables - var, final, static declarations with proper scoping

  • Annotations and Metadata - @annotation support with parameter passing

  • Components and Templates - bx: prefixed components with attribute support

  • String Interpolation - #variable# expressions within strings

  • Comments - Single-line (//), multi-line (/* */), and documentation (/** */) comments

  • Keywords and Operators - Complete BoxLang keyword set and operator precedence

  • Numbers and Literals - Integer, float, string, boolean, and null literals

  • Collection Literals - Array [] and struct {} literal syntax

  • Control Structures - if/else, for/while/do-while, switch/case, try/catch/finally

Advanced Language Features

  • Functional Programming - map, filter, reduce, each operations on collections

  • Concurrency - lock, thread, transaction components

  • Type System - Dynamic typing with optional type hints

  • Module System - import statements with aliasing and module references

  • Component Architecture - Reusable components with attribute binding

Template Features

  • HTML Integration - Seamless mixing of HTML and BoxLang code

  • Embedded Script Blocks - <bx:script> tags for server-side logic

  • Component Islands - ``` delimited component blocks

  • Tag-based Syntax - XML-style component syntax with attributes

  • Expression Interpolation - #expression# evaluation within templates

Built-In Functions (BIFs)

  • 315+ Built-In Functions - Automatically extracted from BoxLang API documentation

  • Auto-Updated - BIF list refreshed with each release from official API docs

  • Categorized Functions - Array, String, Math, Date, Decision, Conversion, Struct, Query, System, Cache, Encryption, XML, and Zip functions

  • Intelligent Completion - All BIFs available for syntax highlighting and completion

Troubleshooting

BoxLang Command Not Found

If you receive a "BoxLang command not found" error:

  1. Verify BoxLang is installed: which boxlang

  2. Add BoxLang to your PATH in your shell profile

  3. Restart TextMate after updating your PATH

Syntax Highlighting Issues

  1. Ensure the file extension is recognized (.bx, .bxs, .bxm)

  2. Manually set the language: View → Language → BoxLang

  3. Reload bundles: Bundles → Bundle Editor → Reload Bundles

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines on:

  • Reporting bugs

  • Suggesting features

  • Submitting pull requests

  • Code style guidelines

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for a detailed history of changes and updates.

License

Apache License, Version 2.0.

Open-Source & Professional Support

This project is a professional open source project and is available as FREE and open source to use. Ortus Solutions, Corp provides commercial support, training and commercial subscriptions which include the following:

  • Professional Support and Priority Queuing

  • Remote Assistance and Troubleshooting

  • New Feature Requests and Custom Development

  • Custom SLAs

  • Application Modernization and Migration Services

  • Performance Audits

  • Enterprise Modules and Integrations

  • Much More

Visit us at BoxLang.io Plans for more information.

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