MPLS VSCode Client

March 23, 2025 ยท View on GitHub

License: MIT

A VSCode extension for the Markdown Preview Language Server (MPLS).

Features

  • Connects to the Markdown Preview Language Server (mpls)
  • Enables emoji support (via --enable-emoji flag)
  • Enables footnotes support (via --enable-footnotes flag)
  • Open Preview Command: Adds a command to open the Markdown preview
  • Smart Server Management: Automatically shuts down the server when no Markdown files are open, and restarts it when needed
  • Focus Tracking: Notifies the language server when you switch between Markdown files

Prerequisites

Installation

  1. Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/mhersson/mpls-vscode-client.git
cd mpls-vscode-client

  2. Install dependencies and build

    npm install
npm run compile

  3. Create and install the VSIX package

    npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package
code --install-extension mpls-vscode-client-0.1.0.vsix

    or copy the directory to your VS Code extensions folder

    • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions
    • macOS/Linux: ~/.vscode/extensions

  4. Restart VS Code

Usage

  1. Open any Markdown file in VSCode
  2. The MPLS server will start automatically
  3. To open the preview, use one of these methods:
    • Click the preview button in the editor title area
    • Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run "MPLS: Open Preview"

The server will automatically shut down when all Markdown files are closed and restart when needed.

Configuration

You can customize the extension behavior in VS Code settings:

// Path to the MPLS executable (if not in PATH)
"mpls.executablePath": "/path/to/your/mpls",

// Command arguments passed to mpls at startup
"mpls.optionalArguments": ["--no-auto", "--enable-emoji", "--enable-footnotes"]

// Whether to shut down the server when all Markdown files are closed
"mpls.shutdownWhenAllClosed": true

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

  1. Check the Output panel in VSCode (View > Output) and select "MPLS - Markdown Preview Language Server" from the dropdown
  2. Verify that your mpls executable is in your PATH or correctly configured in settings