VS Code integration

Results of the xcode format are lines of the form path:line:column: warning: message, which VS Code can read with a problem matcher. No extension is needed: a task runs outskirts scan and each result shows up in the Problems tab, with a squiggle in the editor and a click to jump to the declaration.

Before setting up a task, get outskirts working in a terminal, as the task runs the same command. Install it as described in Getting started, e.g. with brew install tiny-earth-moon/tap/outskirts, and run a first scan there.

The task#

Create .vscode/tasks.json at the root of your workspace, next to your .xcodeproj or Package.swift:

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "outskirts: scan",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "outskirts",
      "args": ["scan", "--format", "xcode", "--color", "never"],
      "options": { "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}" },
      "problemMatcher": {
        "owner": "outskirts",
        "source": "outskirts",
        "fileLocation": ["autoDetect", "${workspaceFolder}"],
        "pattern": {
          "regexp": "^(.+):(\\d+):(\\d+): (\\w+): (.*)$",
          "file": 1,
          "line": 2,
          "column": 3,
          "severity": 4,
          "message": 5
        }
      },
      "presentation": { "reveal": "silent", "clear": true }
    }
  ]
}

• --format xcode prints one result per line. --color never keeps escape codes out of the lines the matcher reads; colors are only used when the output is a terminal, but the task makes it explicit.
• The other lines outskirts prints, such as the progress messages and the summary, do not match the pattern and are ignored.
• fileLocation is autoDetect because the xcode format prints absolute paths, or paths relative to the project root with --relative-results (see Output formats); both resolve against the workspace folder.
• If VS Code cannot find outskirts because it does not start from a shell, use the absolute path in command, e.g. /opt/homebrew/bin/outskirts.

Run it#

Open the Command Palette and choose Tasks: Run Task, then outskirts: scan. The scan builds your project and lists the results in the Problems tab (View, Problems), grouped by file. Each result is a warning, and a new run replaces the results of the previous one.

Note

A scan builds the project to get its index store, so it takes as long as a build. Run it when you want to look for unused code, not on every save: a task like this one is not bound to file saves, and should stay that way.

Xcode project or Swift package#

Keep what your project needs in .outskirts.yml at the workspace root, which outskirts reads like in a terminal, so that the task stays the same for every project. See Configuration and Getting started.

• Swift package: nothing more is needed; outskirts scan detects Package.swift.
• Xcode project: set the project and schemes in the configuration file, or add them to args, e.g. "--project", "MyApp.xcodeproj", "--schemes", "MyApp". If the build needs a destination, pass it after --, as in Xcode integration. outskirts scan --setup writes these choices for you.
• Every option is in the options reference.

To report from a build you already made, add --skip-build to args: the scan then takes seconds and shows the results of that build, see Finding the index store.