TUFLOW Path Validator

Lightweight VS Code extension that validates file paths referenced in TUFLOW control files and surfaces missing references as diagnostics in the Problems panel.

Features

• Validates input-file paths in recognised TUFLOW commands and reports missing files in the Problems view. Output locations, runtime conditions, variable declarations and unknown commands are not treated as input-file references.
• Resolves relative paths from the current file, except paths in nested TRD files which resolve from their source TCF directory; honors |-separated lists and ignores GeoPackage selectors after >>.
• Skips tokens and macros that remain unresolved (any <<...>> sequence) while still analyzing other paths.
• Recursively checks referenced control files and summarizes issues discovered in nested dependencies.
• Warns when scenario/event tokens <<~s1~>>-<<~s9~>> or <<~e1~>>-<<~e9~>> appear in a value but are missing from the filename.
• When a versioned TCF/TGC/TBC/ECF is the latest in its folder, referenced files with numeric versions (e.g., v07, 011, Model12) are checked for newer alternatives or ambiguous updates.
• Validates Set Variable Version tokens against the current filename and surfaces whether the token matches (info) or is missing (warning).
• Validates If Event == / If Scenario ==, Define Event, and Start 1D/2D Domain blocks with matching End statements (case-insensitive).
• Configurable minimum diagnostic severity (default: hint) and focus on path validation rather than a full TUFLOW grammar.
• Quick Fixes help add ignore comments for a specific line or the entire file when issues should be suppressed, and offer to update versioned references when a Set Variable Version header is present in a .tcf.

Supported control files

• .tcf
• .tgc
• .tbc
• .trd
• .tef
• .ecf
• .qcf
• .tesf
• .tscf
• .trfc
• .toc

Installation

Marketplace

1. Open Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X).
2. Search for "TUFLOW Path Validator".
3. Click Install.

Manual

1. Download the .vsix from a release.
2. Go to Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX.

Usage

Open any supported control file and diagnostics appear automatically as you edit. Example:

Read GIS Z Shape == gis/terrain.gpkg >> contours
Read GIS BC == missing/bc_01.shp | bc/valid_02.shp

Activation note: the extension activates only when a workspace contains at least one supported control file.

Ignoring issues

Use comments to suppress diagnostics when needed.

• Ignore a specific line: append ! tpv-ignore.

  Read GIS Z Shape == missing_file.shp ! tpv-ignore
  

• Ignore an entire file: add ! tpv-ignore-file anywhere in the file (commonly at the top).

  ! tpv-ignore-file
  Read GIS Z Shape == missing_file.shp
  

Quick Fixes

Click a diagnostic to see Quick Fixes that automatically insert ! tpv-ignore or ! tpv-ignore-file comments so you do not need to edit the file manually.

• Update to latest version (TUFLOW): When a newer file in the same recognised series exists, the Quick Fix replaces the referenced filename with the verified target, preserving the directory. No update is offered if the target cannot be verified.

Settings

• tuflowValidator.diagnosticLevel: error, warning, info, hint (default), or none.
• tuflowValidator.enableLatestVersionChecks: Enable latest-version checks for versioned filenames (default: true).
• tuflowValidator.enableIfStatementChecks: Validate If Event == / If Scenario ==, Define Event, and Start 1D/2D Domain blocks with matching End statements (default: true).
• tuflowValidator.enableIfStatementFormatting: Format If/Else/End If indentation with tab-based nesting (default: false).

If statement formatting

When enabled, Format Document aligns If Event == / If Scenario ==, Define Event, and Start 1D/2D Domain blocks so that:

• Lines inside a block are indented by one tab per nesting level.
• Else, Else If, and End If align with the matching If. Recognized forms are If Event ==, If Scenario ==, Else If Event ==, Else If Scenario ==, End If, Define Event, End Define, Start 1D Domain, End 1D Domain, Start 2D Domain, and End 2D Domain.

Latest TCF behavior

Latest-version checks run only for the "latest" TCFs in the folder of the currently open TCF. The extension does not scan the full workspace for TCFs. A TCF is considered latest when it is either:

1. The highest-numbered file in a versioned series (files containing a number contribute to a versioned series).
2. An unversioned file (no number) that stands on its own.

Multiple latest TCFs can coexist in a folder when different series or unversioned files are present.

Example:

file.tcf       # latest (no version token)
file_01.tcf
file02.tcf     # latest (highest in its series)
king05.tcf
king08.tcf     # latest (highest in its series)

Limitations and non-goals

• Macros and variables like <<OutputRoot>> or <<~s1~>> are ignored if they cannot be resolved.
• This extension does not implement a full TUFLOW grammar; it focuses on file-path validation.
• Unrecognised commands are not assumed to consume files. Input-path validation is intentionally conservative to avoid false errors.
• It does not validate dataset contents, layer names, or runtime options.

Development

npm run compile
npm run test:container
npm run package:vsix