Compiler.nvim

Neovim compiler for building and running your code without having to configure anything.

Table of contents

• Why
• Supported languages
• Required system dependencies
• How to install
• Commands
• Basic usage
• Creating a solution (optional)
• Build automation utilities (optional)
• Quick start
• FAQ

Why

Those familiar with Visual Studio IDE will remember how convenient it was to just press a button and having your program compiled and running. I wanted to bring that same user experience to Neovim.

Supported languages

Language	More info
asm x86-64
c
c++
c#	+info
dart	+info
elixir	+info
fortran
f#	+info
gleam	+info
flutter	+info
go
java	+info
javascript	+info
kotlin	+info
lua
make
perl
python	+info
r
ruby
rust
shell	+info
swift
typescript	+info
visual basic dotnet	+info
zig	+info

Required system dependencies

Some languages require you manually install their compilers in your machine, so compiler.nvim is able to call them. Please check here, as the packages will be different depending your operative system.

How to install

lazy.nvim package manager

{ -- This plugin
  "Zeioth/compiler.nvim",
  cmd = {"CompilerOpen", "CompilerToggleResults", "CompilerRedo"},
  dependencies = { "stevearc/overseer.nvim", "nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim" },
  opts = {},
},
{ -- The task runner we use
  "stevearc/overseer.nvim",
  commit = "6271cab7ccc4ca840faa93f54440ffae3a3918bd",
  cmd = { "CompilerOpen", "CompilerToggleResults", "CompilerRedo" },
  opts = {
    task_list = {
      direction = "bottom",
      min_height = 25,
      max_height = 25,
      default_detail = 1
    },
  },
},

Recommended mappings

-- Open compiler
vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<F6>', "<cmd>CompilerOpen<cr>", { noremap = true, silent = true })

-- Redo last selected option
vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<S-F6>',
     "<cmd>CompilerStop<cr>" -- (Optional, to dispose all tasks before redo)
  .. "<cmd>CompilerRedo<cr>",
 { noremap = true, silent = true })

-- Toggle compiler results
vim.api.nvim_set_keymap('n', '<S-F7>', "<cmd>CompilerToggleResults<cr>", { noremap = true, silent = true })

Commands

Command	Description
:CompilerOpen	Shows the adecuated compiler for your buffer's filetype.
:CompilerToggleResults	Open or close the compiler results.
:CompilerRedo	Redo the last selected option.
:CompilerStop	Dispose all tasks.

How to use (Basic usage)

This is what happen when you select build & run, build, or run in the compiler:

compiler.nvim will look for the conventional entry point file for the current language you are using. To achieve this, it searches in your current working directory for the next files

Language	Default entry point	Default output
asm x86-64	./main.asm	./bin/program
c	./main.c	./bin/program
c++	./main.cpp	./bin/program
c#	./Program.cs	./bin/Program.exe
dart	./lib/main.dart	./bin/main
elixir	./mix.exs	./_build/
fortran	./fpm	./build/
f#	see here	./bin/
gleam	./build.toml	./build
flutter	./pubspec.yaml	./build/
go	./main.go	./bin/program
java	./Main.java	./bin/Main.class
javascript	./src/index.js
kotlin	./Main.kt	./bin/MainKt.class
lua	./main.lua
make	./Makefile
perl	./main.pl
python	./main.py	./bin/program
r	./main.r
ruby	./main.rb
rust	./main.rs	./bin/program
shell	./main.sh
swift	./main.swift	./bin/program
typescript	./src/index.ts
visual basic .net	see here	./bin/
zig	./build.zig	./zig-out/bin/build

This is how the compilation results look after selecting Build & run program in c For more info see wiki - when to use every option

Creating a solution (optional)

If you want to have more control, you can create a .solution.toml file in your working directory by using this template where every [entry] represents a program to compile

[HelloWorld]
entry_point = "/path/to/my/entry_point_file/main.c"
output = "/path/where/the/program/will/be/written/hello_world"
arguments = ""

[SOLUTION]
executable = "/program/to/execute/after/the/solution/has/compiled/my_program"

For more examples see wiki.

Build automation utilities (optional)

If any of these files exist in your current working directory, they will be automatically detected and displayed on Compiler.nvim:

Build automation utility	File	More info
Make	./Makefile	+info
CMake	./CMakeLists.txt	+info
Gradle	./build.gradle	+info
Maven	./pom.xml	+info
NodeJS NPM	./package.json	+info
Meson	./meson.build	+info

Quick start

Create ~/c-example/main.c and paste this code. Then do :cd ~/c-example/ to change the working directory to the project.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    printf("Hello, World!\n");
    return 0;
}

Open the compiler and select Build and run. You will see the compilation results.

FAQ

• I get errors when compiling: You have to :cd /your/project/root_dir before calling Compiler.nvim.
• How can I auto :cd my projects? Use this fork of the plugin project.nvim.
• I don't have time to read: If you prefer you can try NormalNvim which comes with the compiler pre-installed. Just open some code and hit F6!
• Do compiler.nvim support tests? Testing is not the responsability of a compiler. For that please install the plugin Neotest or similar.
• How can I add a language that is not supported yet? Fork the project, and go to the directory /compiler/languages. Copy c.lua and rename it to any language you would like to add, for example ruby.lua. Now modify the file the way you want. It is important you name the file as the filetype of the language you are implementing. Then please, submit a PR to this repo so everyone can benefit from it.
• How can I change the way the compiler works? Same as the previous one.
• How can I add an automation build utility that is not supported yet? Fork the project, and go to the directory /compiler/bau. Copy make.lua and rename it to the build automation utility you want to add, for example maven.lua. Now modify the file the way you want. Note that you will also have to modify /utilities-bau.lua and change the function get_bau_opts() so it can parse the utility you want to add. Then please, submit a PR to this repo so everyone can benefit from it.
• Is this plugin just a compiler, or can I run scripts too? Yes you can. But if your script receive arguments, we recommend you to use the terminal instead, because creating a .solution.toml file just to be able to pass arguments to your simple shell script is probably a overkill, and not the right tool.
• I'm a windows user, do I need to do something special? You have to enable WSL, and run nvim inside. Otherwise it would be impossible for you to install the required dependencies.
• How can I disable notifications when compiling? Check here.

How can I compile videogames?

The workflow of game development is essentially very different from just compiling and running a program. It involve loading editing and running scenes. While there is no way for us to support it directly, here I offer you some tricks:

Godot engine

To Build and run a godot scene, use the command godot /my/scene.tscn on the terminal. This works really well: It's fast and simple.

Unity

The recommended way is to have 2 monitors, one with nvim and your code, and another one with your unity scenes to run the game. Unity has some terminal commands, but working with them is quite a painful experience.

🌟 Support the project

If you want to help me, please star this repository to increase the visibility of the project.

Thanks to all contributors

Roadmap

• Study adding support for justfiles/taskfiles.
• We are gonna be adding common LISP support.
• We are gonna be adding COBOL support.
• Better Windows compatibility when not using WSL: The commands rm -rf and mkdir -p only exist on unix. To support Windows without WSL we should run the equivalent powershell command when Windows is detected.
• Aditionally, we will also have to compile for asm win64 architecture, if the detected OS is windows.
• Aditionally, we will also have to add an option to compile for Build for windows (flutter).