Attention

IronPLC can only run very simple programs. The steps described are accurate but many language features are not yet supported.

Troubleshooting

This guide helps you resolve common issues with the IronPLC extension.

No Syntax Highlighting

Symptom: Files appear as plain text without colors.

Solutions:

1. Check file extension: Ensure your file has a supported extension. See Overview for the full list of supported languages and extensions.

2. Check language mode: Look at the bottom-right corner of VS Code. It should show “IEC 61131-3”, “Structured Text”, “TwinCAT POU”, or “PLCopen XML”. Click it to change the language mode if needed.

3. Reload the window: Run “Developer: Reload Window” from the Command Palette.

No Diagnostics Appearing

Symptom: The extension does not show any errors or warnings, even for invalid code.

Solutions:

1. Check the compiler is running: Look at the Output panel (View ‣ Output) and select “IronPLC” from the dropdown. You should see startup messages.

2. Check for E0001: If the compiler was not found, diagnostics will not work. See E0001.

3. Enable debug logging: Set ironplc.logLevel to DEBUG and check the Output panel for error messages.

Extension Not Activating

Symptom: The extension appears installed but nothing happens when opening ST files.

Solutions:

1. Check extension status: Open the Extensions view and find IronPLC. Ensure it shows as enabled, not disabled.

2. Check for conflicts: Disable other IEC 61131-3 or PLC extensions that might conflict.

3. View extension logs: Open Help ‣ Toggle Developer Tools, go to the Console tab, and look for messages containing “ironplc”.

4. Reinstall the extension: Uninstall the extension, reload VS Code, then reinstall it.

Collecting Debug Information

When reporting issues, please collect the following information:

1. Version information:

   • VS Code version (Help ‣ About)

   • IronPLC extension version (Extensions view)

   • Compiler version (run ironplcc --version)

   • Operating system and version

2. Enable detailed logging:

   {
     "ironplc.logLevel": "TRACE",
     "ironplc.logFile": "/tmp/ironplc-debug.log"
   }
   

3. Reproduce the issue with logging enabled.

4. Collect logs:

   • The log file specified above

   • Output panel content (View ‣ Output ‣ IronPLC)

   • Developer Tools console (Help ‣ Toggle Developer Tools)

5. Create an issue on GitHub with:

   • Steps to reproduce the problem

   • Expected vs. actual behavior

   • Version information

   • Relevant log excerpts

Performance Issues

Symptom: The editor is slow or unresponsive when editing ST files.

Solutions:

1. Check file size: Very large files may cause slowdowns. Consider splitting large programs into multiple files.

2. Reduce log level: If you have verbose logging enabled, set ironplc.logLevel back to ERROR.

3. Disable file logging: Remove any ironplc.logFile setting.

4. Check for loops: The compiler may take longer on code with complex nested structures. Simplify where possible.

Resetting the Extension

If all else fails, try a clean reset:

1. Uninstall the IronPLC extension

2. Delete the extension’s global storage:

   • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions\ironplc.*

   • macOS/Linux: ~/.vscode/extensions/ironplc.*

3. Reload VS Code

4. Reinstall the extension from the marketplace