Editing Biml
BimlExpress for Visual Studio Code helps you write Biml and the BimlScript code nuggets inside it. .biml is the file extension of the Biml and Biml-VB languages.
IntelliSense
- Colorizing and IntelliSense for Biml XML and for embedded C# and VB code nuggets.
- Completion for elements, attributes, enum values and boolean values.
- Quick Info tooltips and signature help for Biml, C# and VB regions.
- Auto-close and auto-indent for tags, brackets and BimlScript blocks.
BimlExpress turns off word-based suggestions for the Biml language.
Live Diagnostics
As you type, BimlExpress flags malformed XML, Biml schema violations and BimlScript nugget syntax errors in the editor. Three settings control the diagnostics:
- Validation: Enabled (
bimlexpress.validation.enabled) shows the live validation as you type. It is on (true) by default. Turning it off clears the squiggles from every open Biml file. - Validation: Debounce Ms (
bimlexpress.validation.debounceMs) is the idle time in milliseconds after your last edit before the live validation of a Biml file refreshes. The default is400. Lower values respond sooner, and higher values keep the squiggles still while you type. - Validation: Expand On Save (
bimlexpress.validation.expandOnSave) shows the errors that appear only after expansion when you save a Biml file by hand. It is on (true) by default. When it is on, a manual save expands the BimlScript nuggets of the file and shows the XML and schema errors that appear only after expansion, beside the squiggles you see as you type. When it is off, the squiggles you see as you type stay and no nugget code runs on save.
Biml Preview
The Open Biml Preview command, also on the editor title bar of a Biml file, shows the flattened Biml your templates produce.
Live Biml Files
The Live Biml Files view in the BimlExpress container tracks the .biml files included in every Build and Validate run, so shared definitions are always available. The view offers profiles, grouping, sorting and filtering.
- On a file: Open, Open to the Side, Copy as Include Directive, Add to Live Set, Remove from Live Set, Build Only This File, Validate Only This File, Show Code Expansion, Show Generated Artifacts, Find Files That Include This One and Open Last Build Output.
- On a folder or a group: Check All Beneath, Uncheck All Beneath, Check All in Group and Uncheck All in Group.
- On the view title bar: Build Biml, Validate Biml, Filter Live Biml Files, Clear Filter, Refresh Live Biml Files, Check All Visible, Uncheck All, Invert Selection, Group By…, Sort By…, Reset Order, Filter Mode…, Save Profile…, Switch Profile…, Delete Profile…, Restore Recently Unchecked…, Configure… and Clear Live Set.
- In the Command Palette: Live Biml Files: Add Files to Live Set…, Live Biml Files: Remove Files from Live Set… and Live Biml Files: Show Live Set. Reveal in Live Biml Files is on the Explorer context menu of a Biml file and on the context menu of its editor tab.
When the view has focus, Alt+Enter opens the selected file to the side, and the slash key (/) filters the view.
Live Files: Sync (bimlexpress.liveFiles.sync) opts your Live set into Settings Sync, keyed by workspace identity, so the same Live set follows you across machines that open the same workspace. BimlExpress always keeps the local Live set of each workspace up to date, whatever the value of this setting.
off, the default, keeps the Live set in the workspace only, outside Settings Sync.workspace-namekeys the synced Live set by the name of your workspace.git-remotekeys the synced Live set by the git remote URL of the first workspace folder, and by the workspace name when no remote is found.
Importing SSIS Projects
The Import SSIS Assets command and the Import Packages view in the BimlExpress container import SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) projects. SSIS project import reverse-engineers existing .dtproj projects into Biml.