Cobra Language Binding for MonoDevelop

This is an addin for MonoDevelop that allows you to write, run, and debug programs written in the Cobra programming language.

http://cobra-language.com/

It currently supports the following features:

Syntax Highlighting
Underlining Syntax Errors
Folding Regions
Multi-file Projects
Compilation and Execution
Debugging

Compiling and Installing

This addin is primarily developed on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS using MonoDevelop 3.0 from this PPA:

https://launchpad.net/~keks9n/+archive/monodevelop-latest

However, it will work on OS X using Mono or on Windows using either the .NET Framework or Mono. An installation program is provided for convenience. Just execute...

cobra install.cobra

...to compile and execute the installation program.

On Windows 7 64-bit with a 32-bit installation of MonoDevelop, you'll need to make sure you've installed Cobra using the '-x86' installer option first.
See below for more details.

Requirements

.NET Framework 4 or Mono 2.10
MonoDevelop 3.0
Cobra 0.9.2

Additional Requirements for Windows 7 64-bit

Just skip this whole section if you are not running 64-bit Windows.

This addin references the MonoDevelop.Core.dll assembly. The Cobra compiler gets the public types provided by an assembly using Assembly.GetExportedTypes via reflection. If any of the dependencies of the loaded assembly are compiled for 32-bit only then an exception will be thrown. This prevents compilation of the addin. In this case, the Cobra compiler reports that the assembly MonoDevelop.Projects.Formats.MSBuild could not be found. This is not specific to the Cobra compiler as the same reflection mechanism will throw the same exception in C#.

At this time, the workaround is to target the x86 platform when installing Cobra. If you have already installed Cobra, you'll need to reinstall it.

Make sure to run these commands from the Visual Studio or Windows SDK Command Prompt with the correct privileges (i.e. 'Run as Administrator').

First, remove Cobra.Core from the GAC:

gacutil /u Cobra.Core

Next, set your system to use the 32-bit CLR by executing this command:

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727\Ldr64.exe setwow

Then, run the Cobra installer again this time including the '-x86' option:

cd\<path\to\cobra\workspace>\Source
bin\install-from-workspace.bat -x86

Finally, restore your system to defaulting to the 64-bit CLR via:

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727\Ldr64.exe set64

You can verify success by executing:

gacutil /l Cobra.Core

Check the reported processorArchitecure. It should read 'x86' and not 'MSIL'. Now, as long you make sure to target your Cobra programs to the x86 platform (the default option in MonoDevelop) when compiling, running, and debugging, you shouldn't have any issues. If you have .NET 4.5 installed, you need to make sure you set .NET as the active runtime when debugging as not all of 4.5 mscorlib has been implemented in Mono yet.

NOTE: Some alternate workarounds may include compiling MonoDevelop from source or maybe installing Cobra targetting the 'anycpu32bitpreferred' platform on .NET 4.5 instead. These alternatives have not been tried or tested yet.

Installation

At this time, the easiest way to install the addin is to use the provided installation program. Close MonoDevelop if it's open and then on Ubuntu, Windows 32-bit, or Mac execute:

cobra install.cobra

Then, start MonoDevelop and create a new solution. You should see a 'Cobra' section with various Cobra project templates.

On Windows 64-bit, make sure to target the x86 platform:

cobra -clr-platform:x86 install.cobra

If you just want to compile the addin and not install it, you can execute:

cobra install.cobra -run-args compile

Alternatively, on Ubuntu, you can use xbuild and a bash script instead:

cd Gui
xbuild
cd ../CobraBinding
./scripts/build

Contributing

Any and all help is appreciated. See below for tips on getting started.

You can launch MonoDevelop from the command line with --no-redirect which will allow you to see all 'print' and 'trace' statements.

On Linux:

monodevelop --no-redirect

On Mac:

cd /Applications/MonoDevelop.app/Contents/MacOS/
./MonoDevelop --no-redirect

Low-hanging Fruit

Try one of these tasks...

Try the addin and report issues
Improve the installer and/or package the addin (man mdtool)
Create icons for project and file templates
Create additional project or file templates
Create syntax highlighting color schemes that match those on the Cobra website
Add support for MSBuild Items

Larger Todo Tasks

These will require a bit more effort...

Implement the Code Completion extension
Implement a Code Formatter for smarter indentation
Implement an Ambience class for tool tips and document outline support

Cobra Forums Discussion

This is a link to a post on the Cobra Forums discussing how the addin has been implemented so far and what work remains with an emphasis on adding support for automatic code-completion.

http://cobra-language.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1047