VS Code MODFLOW 6 Syntax

January 18, 2026 · View on GitHub

GitHub package.json version GitHub License

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Note

This project is currently in beta. Features and functionality may change, and there may be bugs. Feedback and contributions to help improve the project are welcome.

This VS Code extension provides rich language features for MODFLOW 6. It aims to enhance the user experience when working with MF6 input and output text files by leveraging specifications directly from MF6 DFN files.

Features

Note: data files used below are from the FloPy GitHub repository

Syntax highlighting

MF6 input files and output list files

demo-syntax-highlighting

Hover

for block structure, keyword description and recarray items

hover

Go-to-definition

via Ctrl + click or Go To Definition keybinding (default: F12)

go-to-defn

Document symbols

for integration with VS Code features such as go-to-symbol, outline view, breadcrumbs, sticky scroll, minimap, etc.

symbol-defn

Others:

Block folding
Snippet (MF6 block)
Comment-toggling
Auto-closing quotes
Surrounding quotes

Commands

MF6 Syntax: Go to parent file
- opens the parent file of the current MF6 file, if it exists
- for example:
  - if freyberg.dis file is active, it opens freyberg.nam
  - if freyberg.nam file is active, it opens mfsim.nam
  - if mfsim.nam file is active, no-op since it is the top-level file
MF6 Syntax: Set language to MF6
- useful if extension is not activated automatically (based on file extension)

Settings

mf6Syntax.maxFileSizeMB: Maximum file size (in MB) that can be opened through the go-to-definition feature or go-to-parent command (default: 50MB).
mf6Syntax.mf6Version: Specifies the MF6 version used for programmatic language features such as hover and symbol definitions.