Context key expressions

Context key expressions are a way to express values dynamically in the fields of a Sourcegraph extension's manifest.

With string interpolation, you can insert these expressions directly into string fields.

Context keys are like variables that you can use inside of these interpolated expressions. Context keys give you access to values that are available to your extension dynamically, such as resource for the currently viewed resource, or config for the configuration settings.

Template interpolation

Context key expressions can be interpolated inside of strings. In manifest fields that support interpolated expressions, you can interpolate an expression by surrounding it with ${ and } tags.

This syntax for interpolation is based on JavaScript's template interpolation syntax.

Supported fields in the manifest

These fields in the manifest support context key expressions.

In contributed actions

String fields that accept interpolated expressions, in contributed actions:

• title
• category
• description
• iconURL
• actionItem.label
• actionItem.description
• actionItem.iconURL
• actionItem.iconDescription
• commandArguments: each string item in the array accepts interpolated expressions.

Fields that expect a context key expression:

• actionItem.pressed: renders the action in a pressed state when this expression evaluates to true.

In menu contributions

Fields that expect a context key expression, in menu contributions

• when: enables the menu contribution when this expression evaluates to true.

Available context keys

Context keys are the variables that you can use inside of expressions.

• config: a namespace containing all the settings that are available. For example, config.sourcegraphBaseUrl contains the sourcegraphBaseUrl value from Sourcegraph settings.
• resource: the current resource being viewed, such as a file.
  • resource.uri
  • resource.basename
  • resource.dirname
  • resource.extname
  • resource.language
  • resource.type
• component: true if a component is open, such as a panel, directory view, or file view.
• component.selections: an object representing the current selections.
• panel: the panel component, if a panel is open.
  • panel.activeView.id
  • panel.activeView.hasLocations

Available operators

The available operators mimic the behavior of the same operators in JavaScript:

• Boolean: && || (with the same truthy/falsy semantics as JavaScript)
• Comparison: == != === !== < > <= >= (with the strict/loose equality rules of JavaScript)
• Arithmetic: + - * / ^ %
• Unary: ! + -

Available functions

get(object, key)

Returns the value of a property named key on object or return undefined if either the object or the property doesn't exist.

json(object)

Returns the object converted to a JSON string using JSON.stringify.

Limitations

The expression syntax is simple and isn't intended to be a full programming language, so there are some limitations.

• Lack of operator precedence. Because of the simplicity of the parser, operators do not have any precedence and are simply evaluated left-to-right. Use parentheses to specify precedence.
• Lack of a ternary operator. Instead of a ternary operator, you can use combinations of && and || operators to achieve a similar result.