Tips and Tricks

This section contains advanced information that will help you get the most out of SysIDE Editor by using functionality provided by the editor you are using - Visual Studio Code, Cursor or VSCodium.

Learn about:

Code Snippets

Code snippets let you create reusable templates for frequently used model patterns. They are especially useful when creating multiple similar elements with different attributes.

Here is a practical example:

part def Vehicle {
  attribute Make;
  attribute Model;
  attribute Horsepower;
}

To create a snippet for vehicle instances:

  1. Create a .vscode folder in your project (even if you are using an alternative like Cursor)

  2. Add a example_snippets.code-snippets file with this template:

{
    "Vehicle instance": {
      "scope": "sysml",
      "prefix": "new_vehicle",
      "body": [
        "part $1 : Vehicle {",
        "    :>> Make = \"$2\";",
        "    :>> Model = \"$3\";",
        "    :>> Horsepower = \"$4\";",
        "}"
      ],
      "description": "Create a new vehicle instance"
    }
}

Explanation of the fields:

  • scope: Language where the snippet works (sysml)

  • prefix: Text to type to trigger the snippet (new_vehicle)

  • body: Template with $n placeholders for customization

  • description: Help text shown in autocomplete

To use the snippet:

  1. Type new_vehicle in any .sysml file

  2. Press Tab to insert the template

  3. Use Tab to jump between fields ($1 to $4)

Snippets can be also shared with your team by committing the .code-snippets file to your repository.

Learn more about code snippets in the VS Code documentation.

Note

Depending on the editor you are using, the Tab key might be used for a different autocomplete feature. You can customize the keybindings by opening command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P for Windows/Linux, Command+Shift+P for MacOS) and typing “Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts”.

Multi-cursor Editing

VS Code (and compatible editors) can speed up model editing by letting you edit multiple lines at once using its multi-cursor functionality.

This is especially useful in scenarios like the following: suppose you have a list of parts created without a part def defined, for example:

part Part1;
part Part22;
part Part333;

Later, you decide to assign all these parts to a new type, such as part def GenericPart. You could:

  • Type : GenericPart after Part1, select and copy it, then paste it after each part.

  • Or, use multiple cursors to insert : GenericPart at all the required locations simultaneously.

The second approach is much faster and can be done in several ways:

  • Hold Alt (Option`) and click at each location where you want to add a cursor.

  • Use the keyboard shortcut Alt+Ctrl+↑/↓ for Windows/Linux, Option+Cmd+↑/↓ for MacOS to add cursors above or below the current line.

  • Select a piece of text (like part or ;), then press Ctrl+D for Windows/Linux, Cmd+D for MacOS to select and place a cursor at the next occurrence of that text. Repeat to select more instances.

Multi-cursor editing can save significant time when making the same change in multiple places.