Code Editor¶

The XPyCode code editor is powered by Microsoft's Monaco Editor—the same editor that powers Visual Studio Code. It provides a professional coding experience with advanced features for Python development.

Overview¶

The editor is embedded directly in the IDE using PySide6's WebEngine, providing:

Full Monaco Editor feature set
Seamless integration with Python Language Server
Real-time syntax checking and diagnostics
Code completion and signature help
Hover documentation
Multi-cursor editing

Core Features¶

Syntax Highlighting¶

Python syntax is highlighted automatically:

Keywords - def, class, if, for, etc.
Strings - Different colors for single/double quoted
Numbers - Integers and floats
Comments - Dimmed text for readability
Functions - Method and function names
Decorators - @property, @staticmethod, etc.

The color scheme adapts to your selected editor theme.

IntelliSense / Code Completion¶

Press Ctrl+Space or start typing to trigger autocomplete:

Completion suggestions include:

Variables - From current scope
Functions - Defined in your module or imported
Methods - On objects (e.g., list.append())
Modules - When typing import statements
Keywords - Python language keywords
Snippets - Code templates (e.g., def, class, if)

Smart Completions

The Language Server analyzes your code context and ranks suggestions by relevance. Press Tab or Enter to accept.

Signature Help¶

When typing function calls, signature help appears automatically:

calculate_interest(█

Shows: calculate_interest(principal: float, rate: float, years: int) -> float

Signature Help — Parameter hints for function calls

Displays parameter names and types
Shows docstring description
Highlights current parameter as you type

Hover Documentation¶

Hover over any symbol to see:

Type information
Docstrings
Function signatures
Module documentation

Hover Info — Hover documentation showing function details

Two hover modes available in Settings:

Compact - Brief summary only
Detailed - Full docstring with examples

Real-Time Diagnostics¶

Errors and warnings appear as you type:

Red underlines - Syntax errors, undefined names
Yellow underlines - Warnings, unused variables
Blue underlines - Info-level messages

Diagnostics — Real-time error detection with red underlines

Hover over underlined code to see the error message:

result = undefined_function()  # Red: 'undefined_function' is not defined

Editing Features¶

Multi-Cursor Editing¶

Edit multiple locations simultaneously:

Hold Alt and click to add cursors
Or use Ctrl+Alt+Down / Ctrl+Alt+Up to add cursors above/below
Type to edit all locations at once
Press Esc to return to single cursor

Perfect for: - Renaming variables in multiple places - Adding similar lines - Bulk editing

Column (Box) Selection¶

Select a rectangular block of text:

Hold Shift+Alt and drag with mouse
Or use ++shift+alt+arrow-keys++

Useful for: - Editing aligned data - Adding prefixes/suffixes to multiple lines - Deleting columns of text

Find and Replace¶

Find (Ctrl+F):

Search in current file
Case-sensitive/insensitive options
Whole word matching
Regular expression support

Replace (Ctrl+H):

Replace single occurrence
Replace all occurrences
Preview before replacing
Regex capture group support

Go to Line¶

Press Ctrl+G and type a line number to jump directly:

:42  → Jump to line 42

Code Folding¶

Collapse code blocks to focus on what matters:

Click the arrow in the gutter next to a function or class
Or use ++ctrl+shift+bracketleft++ to fold
++ctrl+shift+bracketright++ to unfold

Fold these constructs: - Function definitions - Class definitions - Multi-line strings/comments - Import groups

Fold Arrow Visibility

The fold arrow may not always be visible. Click on the space between the line number and the code at function, class, or other foldable definitions to reveal it.

Commenting¶

Toggle line comments:

Ctrl+/ - Comment/uncomment current line or selection
Works with multi-line selections

# Commented line
def my_function():  # This will be commented
    pass            # This too

Indentation¶

Adjust indentation level:

Tab - Indent line or selection
Shift+Tab - Unindent line or selection

Spaces vs Tabs

Configure in Settings → Editor → Insert Spaces. Default is 4 spaces (PEP 8 compliant).

Smart Brackets¶

Auto-closing brackets, quotes, and parentheses:

Type ( → Gets (█) (cursor in middle)
Type " → Gets "█"
Type [ → Gets [█]

Delete both brackets at once with Backspace if nothing is between them.

Auto-Indent¶

Automatic indentation after:

Function definitions
Class definitions
Control structures (if, for, while)
try/except blocks

def my_function():
    █  # Cursor automatically indented

Formatting¶

Line Numbers¶

Always visible in the left gutter. Click a line number to:

Single click - Place cursor on that line
F9 on that line - Toggle breakpoint

Minimap¶

A code overview on the right side shows:

Entire file structure
Current viewport position
Error/warning locations

Enable/disable in Settings → Editor → Show Minimap.

Word Wrap¶

Wrap long lines to avoid horizontal scrolling:

Enable in Settings → Editor → Word Wrap
Or toggle from editor context menu

Useful for: - Docstrings - Long comments - Reading code without scrolling

Font Size¶

Adjust font size:

Settings → Editor → Font Size (permanent)
Ctrl++ / Ctrl+- - Zoom in/out (temporary)
Ctrl+0 - Reset zoom

Whitespace Visibility¶

Show spaces and tabs:

Toggle from editor context menu: View Whitespace
Useful for debugging indentation issues

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Essential editor shortcuts:

Action	Shortcut	Description
Find	`Ctrl`+`F`	Search in file
Replace	`Ctrl`+`H`	Find and replace
Go to Line	`Ctrl`+`G`	Jump to line number
Indent	`Tab`	Indent selection
Unindent	`Shift`+`Tab`	Unindent selection
Duplicate Line	`Shift`+`Alt`+`Down`	Copy line down
Move Line	++alt+up/down++	Move line up/down
Delete Line	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`K`	Delete entire line
Multi-cursor	++alt+click++	Add cursor
Select All Occurrences	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`L`	Multi-select word
Trigger Suggest	`Ctrl`+`Space`	Show completions

Editor Settings¶

Configure the editor through File → Settings → Editor:

Tab Size¶

Number of spaces per indentation level:

Default: 4 (PEP 8 standard)
Range: 2-8

Insert Spaces¶

Use spaces instead of tab characters:

Default: Enabled (recommended for Python)
When disabled: Uses actual tab characters

Word Wrap¶

Wrap long lines:

Default: Disabled
Enable for better readability without horizontal scrolling

Minimap¶

Code overview sidebar:

Default: Enabled
Disable to maximize editing space

Editor Themes — Different editor themes: VS Dark, VS Light, High Contrast

Integration Features¶

Breakpoint Support¶

Click in the gutter or press F9 to toggle breakpoints:

Red dot - Active breakpoint
Code pauses here during debugging
Breakpoints are module-specific

Current Execution Line¶

During debugging, the current line is highlighted:

Yellow background - Current execution position
Automatically scrolls into view
Updates as you step through code

Excel Integration¶

The editor knows about the xpycode module:

import xpycode

def thisIsATest():
    # IntelliSense works for xpycode.workbook
    wb = xpycode.workbook  # Autocomplete available
    ws = wb.worksheets.getActiveWorksheet()  # Office.js methods

The Language Server includes type stubs for the xpycode module, providing accurate completions and type checking.

Troubleshooting¶

Completions Not Working or Incorrect Syntax Highlighting¶

Ensure code is syntactically valid
Try restarting the Kernel
Restart the IDE (use File → Exit and reopen via the Add-In)

Slow Typing Response¶

Disable minimap if file is very large
Close unused tabs
Reduce font size (renders faster)
Check if diagnostics are overwhelming the system

Next Steps¶

Project Explorer

Learn to organize and navigate your Python modules.

Project Explorer
Debugging

Master debugging with breakpoints and variable inspection.

Debugging Guide
Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete reference of all keyboard shortcuts.

Shortcuts Reference

Learn by Doing

The best way to master the editor is through practice. Try different features as you write Python code!