Working in VS Code

RobotCode adds Robot Framework support to VS Code: it helps you write and navigate code, shows the documentation of keywords and libraries, finds and runs your tests and reports problems while you type. This page shows where these things appear in the window and lists the commands RobotCode adds. The pages of this guide explain each task in detail; to install RobotCode and set up a project first, see Get Started with VS Code.

The VS Code window with a Robot Framework test file in the editor, the Explorer with the Keywords view, the RobotCode output below the editor and the Robot Framework language status in the status bar.

The editor. RobotCode completes keywords, variables and imports, shows the documentation of keywords on hover, highlights the code by its meaning and marks problems while you type. The icons beside the tests run or debug them. See Writing Code and Finding Information.
The Keywords view in the Explorer lists the libraries and resource files whose keywords the file in the active editor can call, with their keywords. See Finding Information.
The Test Explorer opens with the Testing icon of the activity bar. It lists the suites, tests and tasks of the workspace and runs or debugs them. See Test Explorer.
The language status. The braces next to "Robot Framework" in the status bar show RobotCode's status items when you hover over them, see below.
The output channels of RobotCode in the Output panel, see Output and logs.
The Command Palette opens with Ctrl+Shift+P (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) or a click on the search field in the title bar and then on Show and Run Commands. Type RobotCode to see RobotCode's commands.

The language status

When a Robot Framework file is active, the status bar shows { } next to the language name "Robot Framework". Hover over it to see RobotCode's status items for the workspace folder of the file:

Item	Shows	Action
RobotCode Version	The version of the RobotCode extension.	Show Tool Menu opens the RobotCode menu.
Robot Framework Version	The Robot Framework version of the Python environment, or "not installed"; a version older than 5.0 is marked "not supported".	—
Python Version	The version and name of the Python environment RobotCode uses, or "no interpreter selected".	Select Environment opens the environment picker of the Python extension.
Robocop Version	The Robocop version of the Python environment, or "not installed".	Enable or Disable switches Robocop's diagnostics on or off.
Configuration Profiles	The `robot.toml` profiles in use, or "None".	Select chooses other profiles.

If the Robot Framework and Python items are marked as errors, the workspace folder has no usable Python environment, or RobotCode could not read the versions from it; the items name the problem, see The Python environment and Troubleshooting.

Output and logs

RobotCode writes to two channels of the Output panel (View: Toggle Output, then choose the channel on the right of the panel's toolbar):

RobotCode logs what the extension does, for example the robotcode commands it runs to discover tests.
RobotCode Language Server for folder … is the log of the language server of each workspace folder.

Troubleshooting explains how to make these logs more detailed.

Menus and shortcuts

Many actions are in a menu too, not only behind a keyboard shortcut. A right-click in the editor opens its context menu: it goes to definitions and references, renames, formats and refactors, and in a suite file it offers RobotCode's Run Current File and Debug Current File and VS Code's commands to run or debug the test at the cursor or all tests of the file. Its last entry opens the Command Palette.

The context menu of the editor after a right-click on the keyword call Create Order in orders.robot, with Go to Definition, Go to References, Peek, Find All References, Rename Symbol, Format Document, Refactor..., Source Action..., Run Current File, Debug Current File, Run Test at Cursor, Debug Test at Cursor, Run Tests in Current File, Debug Tests in Current File and Command Palette..., most of them with their keyboard shortcut.

The pages of this guide name an action's keyboard shortcut and, where VS Code offers one, its menu entry or button.

Commands

All of RobotCode's commands start with RobotCode: in the Command Palette. RobotCode: Show Tool Menu, or a click on the RobotCode version in the language status, opens a menu with the most important of them.

Command	What it does
RobotCode: Run Current File	Runs the tests and tasks of the file in the active editor.
RobotCode: Debug Current File	Debugs the tests and tasks of the file in the active editor.
RobotCode: Select Configuration Profiles	Chooses the `robot.toml` profiles that test discovery, runs and the language server use.
RobotCode: Select Python Environment	Opens the environment picker of the Python extension for a workspace folder, see The Python environment.
RobotCode: Start Terminal REPL	Starts the interactive Robot Framework REPL in a terminal, see REPL.
RobotCode: Show Documentation Viewer	Brings the viewer that the actions use to the front, or opens one, see Documentation Viewer.
RobotCode: New Documentation Viewer	Opens a new viewer on `BuiltIn`, ready for the target you type, see Documentation Viewer.
RobotCode: Copy Documentation Viewer into New Window	Opens a viewer in a new window, with the target of the active or last-used viewer.
RobotCode: Reset Documentation Bookmarks	Removes the bookmarks and bookmarks the standard libraries again, see Bookmarks.
RobotCode: New Robot Framework File	Creates a suite file, a resource file or an `__init__.robot` file.
RobotCode: Enable RoboCop	Switches Robocop's diagnostics on, see Diagnostics and Linting.
RobotCode: Disable RoboCop	Switches Robocop's diagnostics off.
RobotCode: Restart Language Servers	Restarts the language servers.
RobotCode: Clear Cache and Restart Language Servers	Deletes the analysis cache and restarts the language servers.
RobotCode: Show Tool Menu	Opens the RobotCode menu.
RobotCode: Show What's New	Shows the release notes of the newest RobotCode version.
RobotCode: Copy Environment Info	Copies the versions of a workspace folder for a report, see Troubleshooting.
RobotCode: Report Issue...	Opens VS Code's issue reporter for RobotCode.
RobotCode: Add Chat Plugins Marketplace	Adds the marketplace of RobotCode's plugin for AI agents to the `chat.plugins.marketplaces` setting, see Working with AI Agents.
RobotCode: Remove Chat Plugins Marketplace	Removes the marketplace from that setting.

Pages of this guide

Writing Robot Framework Code in VS CodeCompletion, signature help, hover, inlay hints, quick fixes, rename and formatting while you write Robot Framework code in VS Code.

Finding Information in VS CodeGo to definitions, find references, use the outline and the workspace symbols, and look up keywords in the Keywords view.

The Documentation ViewerRead the documentation of libraries, resource files and keywords in VS Code, in an editor tab with an outline, links, search, bookmarks and history.

The Test ExplorerHow RobotCode fills the Test Explorer with your suites, tests and tasks, how to filter, run and debug them, and how results and errors appear.

Running and Debugging in VS CodeRun and debug tests from the editor, set breakpoints, use the Debug Console and inline values, configure launch.json and open the log after a run.

Configuring RobotCode in VS CodeWhere a setting belongs in VS Code: robot.toml, user or workspace settings, or folder settings; plus the Python environment, profiles and multi-root workspaces.

Diagnostics and Linting in VS CodeWhere RobotCode reports problems in VS Code, how to use Robocop, change or hide diagnostics, find unused keywords and variables, and clear the cache.

The REPL in VS CodeStart the interactive Robot Framework REPL of RobotCode in the terminal of VS Code.

Troubleshooting RobotCode in VS CodeFind RobotCode's output and logs in VS Code, check and copy the versions in use, restart the language servers, clear the cache and report an issue.