Free Bidi VS Code Extension Overview The Free Bidi extension for Visual Studio Code simplifies working with COBOL files containing RTL language text. It automatically converts files from a configurable RTL encoding (default: ISO-8859-8) to UTF-8, adding Left-to-Right Override (LRO, \u202D) markers before RTL language text to ensure proper display. The converted files are stored in a .freebidi directory and opened in VS Code with UTF-8 encoding. When typing new RTL language characters in these converted files, the extension automatically inserts LRO markers to maintain consistent text direction. Features

Automatic Conversion: Converts COBOLIT files (.cob, .inc, .cpy, .pco) with RTL language text from a configurable RTL encoding (default: ISO-8859-8) to UTF-8 with LRO markers. Smart Tab Management: When opening a source file that has an existing .freebidi version, automatically closes the original file tab and opens only the freebidi version. Line Number Preservation: When opening a file with a specific line number (e.g., src/file.cob:100), the freebidi version opens at the same line position. Temporary Files: Saves converted files in a .freebidi directory, which are automatically deleted when their tabs are closed. Real-Time RTL language Support: Automatically inserts LRO markers (\u202D) before new RTL language characters typed in .freebidi files. Encoding Enforcement: Ensures .freebidi files are opened with UTF-8 encoding, regardless of VS Code?s files.encoding or files.autoGuessEncoding settings. Non-Recursive: Prevents recursive file opening for .freebidi files. Save Back: Updates the original file using the configured RTL encoding (default: ISO-8859-8) when saving changes to the .freebidi file, removing LRO markers.

Installation

Install the Extension:

Open VS Code. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X on macOS). Search for Free Bidi by NLTCInc. Click Install.

Set Up Dependencies:

Ensure Node.js is installed for development (optional). Run npm install in the extension directory (~/free-bidi) to install dependencies like iconv-lite.

Configure VS Code Settings:

Open VS Code settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+, on macOS). Add the following to settings.json for the best experience:{ "editor.renderControlCharacters": false, "editor.unicodeHighlight.invisibleCharacters": false, "freeBidi.rtlEncoding": "ISO-8859-8" }

The settings "editor.renderControlCharacters": false and "editor.unicodeHighlight.invisibleCharacters": false prevent visual glyphs for LRO markers and other invisible Unicode characters, ensuring a clean editing experience.

Git Recommendation

If your project uses Git, add the temporary .freebidi/ directory to .gitignore so converted working files are not tracked:

.freebidi/

Usage

Open a COBOL File:

Open a COBOLIT file (.cob, .inc, .cpy, or .pco) containing RTL language text (e.g., /Users/orennissan/Desktop/test.cob). Set the language mode to COBOLIT (Ctrl+Shift+P ? ?Change Language Mode? ? COBOLIT).

Automatic Conversion:

The extension uses freeBidi.rtlEncoding from settings.json (default: ISO-8859-8) and creates a UTF-8 version with LRO markers in the .freebidi directory (e.g., /Users/orennissan/Desktop/.freebidi/test.cob). The converted file opens automatically in VS Code with UTF-8 encoding.

Edit RTL language Text:

When typing RTL language characters in the .freebidi file, the extension automatically inserts \u202D before each RTL language sequence to maintain text direction.

Save Changes:

Saving the .freebidi file updates the original file, removing LRO markers and encoding it back using freeBidi.rtlEncoding (default: ISO-8859-8).

Close File:

Closing the .freebidi file deletes it to keep your workspace clean.

Manual Conversion

Run the command Free Bidi Editor: Convert File (Ctrl+Shift+P ? type ?Free Bidi?) to manually convert the active COBOLIT file (.cob, .inc, .cpy, or .pco).

Troubleshooting

File Not Converting:

Ensure the file has the COBOLIT language ID. Check the Output panel (free-bidi) for error messages. Verify the file contains RTL language characters.

Encoding Issues:

Confirm the .freebidi file opens with UTF-8 (check the status bar). Run the following to inspect the file:xxd -l 3 /Users/orennissan/Desktop/.freebidi/test.cob

Expect: 00000000: efbb bf ... (UTF-8 BOM).

LRO Not Inserted:

Ensure you're editing the .freebidi file, not the original .cob file. Check the Output panel for Inserted LRO before RTL language text....

Extension Not Activating:

Check the Output panel for Free Bidi extension activated on platform: .... Disable conflicting extensions like redhat.java (see settings above). Clear workspace storage:rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/workspaceStorage/9eee23559e7c9649f178964da0909a5c

Debugging:

Open the extension in VS Code (~/free-bidi). Set breakpoints in src/extension.ts. Run ?Run Extension? in the Debug view (F5). Share Debug Console and Output panel logs if issues persist.

Development

Clone the Repository: git clone https://github.com/Nautilus009/free-bidi.git ~/free-bidi

Install Dependencies: cd ~/free-bidi npm install

Compile: npm run compile

Test: npm test

Publish: npx vsce login NLTCInc npx vsce publish

Contact For issues, feature requests, or contributions, visit the GitHub repository or file an issue.