Compatibility with air / Positron

[lorenzwalthert]

The Positron IDE seems to have removed support for {styler}, so if you want to use the IDEs formatting capabilities, you can't use {styler} (anymore). This raises the question (again) for compatibility between the two formatters. #1291 shows that once formatted with air, styler will hardly chance anything due to its non-invasiveness but initial diff is large. Hence, that means using format on save or other IDE features from positron is not conflicting in particular with the pre-commit hook for {styler}.

[lorenzwalthert]

If we wanted to use {styler} in Positron, we'd probably have to create a VS Code extension for this sole purpose. I think the existing R vs code extension conflicts with positron and can't be used.

[lorenzwalthert]

Sounds like a good project for AI assisted / agentic coding: Narrow scope with good documentation, small scope, easy-ish harness. I won't work on it though 😀. Here's GitHub Copilot output:

Creating a VS Code extension that exposes an R package call (like styler) for formatting is moderately complex, but absolutely achievable. Let me break down the key considerations:

Complexity Overview

Difficulty Level: Medium — it's not trivial but well-documented territory. The main challenges are:

1. R environment detection — Finding the user's R installation
2. Process execution — Running R scripts/code reliably
3. Error handling — Capturing and displaying R errors gracefully
4. Cross-platform compatibility — Windows/Mac/Linux differences

Minimal Implementation Path

The simplest approach would be a document formatter provider that:

// 1. Call R via bash: `R --slave -e "styler::style_file('path/to/file')"`
// 2. Read the formatted file
// 3. Apply changes to the editor

What You'd Need

Core Extension Files

• extension.ts — Main extension logic
• package.json — Configuration, contributes formatters
• A utility to spawn child processes and run R commands

Key Decisions

Aspect	Options
Invocation	On-save, command palette, format selection
R Detection	Prompt for R path, auto-detect common locations, use which R
Error Display	Show in VS Code diagnostics, output channel, notification
Temp Files	Work with originals or temp files?

Rough Effort Estimate

• Basic version (formats current file): 4-6 hours
• Polished version (settings, error handling, multi-platform): 1-2 days
• Production-ready (tests, edge cases, marketplace): 2-3 days

Quick Start Resources

The VS Code extension API is excellent. Look at:

• VS Code Language Server Extension Guide
• Document Formatter Provider (easiest path)
• Examples: prettier-vscode, r-lsp

Would you like me to help you scaffold a basic extension, or do you have specific questions about any of these aspects?

[lorenzwalthert]

I could not resist the temptation to see if Kiro could help me build something like this in a few hours, and it seems yes. Experimental, and live at https://open-vsx.org/extension/lorenzwalthert/styler.