https://github.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl
User Defined Language (UDL) for Notepad++ to enable syntax highlighting for Azure Bicep files (.bicep).
https://github.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl
azure azure-bicep azure-resource-manager bicep bicep-azure bicep-lang bicep-language code-highlight infrastructure-as-code notepad-plus-plus notepadplusplus syntax-highlighting udl user-defined-language
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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User Defined Language (UDL) for Notepad++ to enable syntax highlighting for Azure Bicep files (.bicep).
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl
- Owner: richardsondev
- License: mit
- Created: 2024-12-17T06:41:48.000Z (6 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-02-24T03:30:11.000Z (3 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-04-04T12:38:28.530Z (2 months ago)
- Topics: azure, azure-bicep, azure-resource-manager, bicep, bicep-azure, bicep-lang, bicep-language, code-highlight, infrastructure-as-code, notepad-plus-plus, notepadplusplus, syntax-highlighting, udl, user-defined-language
- Language: Bicep
- Homepage:
- Size: 458 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# Azure Bicep User Defined Language for Notepad++
This repository provides a User Defined Language (UDL) definition for Notepad++ to enable syntax highlighting for Azure Bicep files (.bicep).
## Bicep Language
Bicep is a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for deploying and managing Azure resources. It provides declarative syntax and simplifies the authoring experience compared to raw ARM templates.
More information is available here: [What is Bicep?](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/bicep/overview?tabs=bicep)
## Background
While VS Code with the [official Bicep extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-azuretools.vscode-bicep) offers the best Bicep development experience, this UDL allows you to have basic syntax highlighting in Notepad++ if you prefer a lightweight editor.
## Installation and Usage
1. **Download the UDL file for your theme:** You can either clone this repository or directly save the XML file directly.
* Light theme: [`Bicep-UDL.xml`](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl/main/src/Bicep-UDL.xml)
* Dark theme: [`Bicep-UDL_dark.xml`](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl/main/src/Bicep-UDL_dark.xml) (thanks to [@IAmCorbin](https://github.com/IAmCorbin))
1. **Open Notepad++:** Launch the application.
1. **Open User Defined Language Dialog:** Go to *Language* \> *Define your language...*.
1. **Import the UDL:** Click the *Import...* button in the "User Defined Language" dialog.
1. **Select the XML file:** Choose the downloaded XML file.
1. **Close the Dialog:** Close the "User Defined Language" dialog.
1. **Open a Bicep file:** Open a `.bicep` file. The syntax highlighting should now be applied.
## Screenshots
| Light Theme | Dark Theme |
|-------------|------------|
| [
](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl/main/images/example.png) | [
](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl/main/images/example_dark.png) |
| [Bicep-UDL.xml](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl/main/src/Bicep-UDL.xml) | [Bicep-UDL_dark.xml](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/richardsondev/azure-bicep-udl/main/src/Bicep-UDL_dark.xml) |
## Features
This UDL provides highlighting for:
* **Keywords:** param, var, output, in, targetScope, resource, module, output, existing, import, as, type, with, using, extends, func, assert, extension
* **Literals:** true, false, null, any
* **Logical Operators:** and, or, not
* **Built-in Functions:** for, if, concat, format, replace, split, uniqueString, resourceId, reference, json, int, bool, string, array, object, union, intersection, length, substring, range, toLower, base64
* **Directives:** # prefixed directives such as `#disable-next-line`, `adminusername-should-not-be-literal`, `artifacts-parameters`, `decompiler-cleanup`, `explicit-values-for-loc-params`, and many more
* **Additional Keywords:** resourceGroup, subscription, tenant, deployment, managementGroup, environment
* **Operators:** `=`, `+`, `-`, `*`, `/`, `%`, `&`, `|`, `^`, `!`, `~`, `<`, `>`, `<=`, `>=`, `==`, `!=`, `??`, `:`, `?`
* **Numbers:** Integer and decimal numbers, supporting suffixes `f, F, d, D` and scientific notation (`e, E`)
* **Strings:** Single and double-quoted strings with escape sequence support
* **Comments:** Single-line (`//`) and multi-line (`/* ... */`) comments
* **Brackets and Parentheses:** `{}`, `[]`, `()`
## Work in Progress and Limitations
**This UDL is a work in progress.** Notepad++'s UDL system has limitations compared to the more advanced textmate grammars or Language Server Protocol (LSP) used in VS Code. Therefore, this UDL has the following limitations:
* **Complex String Interpolation:** The more complex string interpolation (`${...}`) and verbatim strings (`'''`) are not fully supported. Basic string highlighting is provided, but nested expressions within strings might not be highlighted correctly.
* **Advanced Regex:** The original Bicep grammar uses complex regular expressions that are difficult or impossible to fully replicate in Notepad++ UDLs.
* **No Semantic Analysis:** This UDL only provides syntax highlighting based on lexical analysis. It does not provide semantic features like code completion, validation, or go-to-definition.
## Contributing
**Contributions are welcome!** If you find any issues or have improvements, please feel free to open a pull request or submit an issue.
## License
This project is licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE).