Prettier Plugin Aiken

A Prettier plugin for the Aiken smart contract language.

Overview

This plugin integrates Aiken's built-in formatter (aiken fmt) with Prettier, allowing you to format Aiken smart contract code using Prettier's workflow and editor integrations.

Features

• 🎯 Format .ak files using Aiken's official formatter
• 🔧 Seamless integration with Prettier
• ⚡ Works with popular editors (VS Code, Vim, etc.)
• 🔄 Supports Prettier's CLI and API

Installation

Prerequisites

Make sure you have Aiken installed on your system:

# Install Aiken (if not already installed)
curl -sSfL https://install.aiken-lang.org | bash

Install the Plugin

# Using npm
npm install --save-dev prettier prettier-plugin-aiken

# Using pnpm
pnpm add -D prettier prettier-plugin-aiken

# Using yarn
yarn add --dev prettier prettier-plugin-aiken

Usage

CLI

Format a single file:

npx prettier --write validator.ak

Format all Aiken files in your project:

npx prettier --write "**/*.ak"

Configuration

Add to your package.json:

{
  "prettier": {
    "plugins": ["prettier-plugin-aiken"]
  }
}

Or create a .prettierrc.js:

module.exports = {
  plugins: ["prettier-plugin-aiken"]
};

VS Code Integration

1. Install the Prettier extension
2. Add this plugin to your project dependencies
3. Configure Prettier as your default formatter for .ak files

Add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "[aiken]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
  }
}

How it Works

This plugin acts as a bridge between Prettier and Aiken's built-in formatter:

1. Prettier detects .ak files using this plugin
2. The plugin passes the file content to aiken fmt --stdin
3. Returns the formatted code back to Prettier

Requirements

• Node.js >= 14
• Aiken CLI tool installed and available in PATH
• Prettier (peer dependency)

Example

Before formatting:

validator my_validator{
pub fn spend(datum: Data,redeemer: Data,context: ScriptContext) -> Bool {
let Spend(output_reference) = context.purpose
True
}
}

After formatting:

validator my_validator {
  pub fn spend(datum: Data, redeemer: Data, context: ScriptContext) -> Bool {
    let Spend(output_reference) = context.purpose
    True
  }
}

Configuration

Setting up Aiken Binary Path

The plugin will automatically try to find your Aiken binary in the following order:

1. Environment Variable: AIKEN_BIN (recommended for custom installations)
2. PATH: Using which aiken command
3. Default Location: ~/.aiken/bin/aiken (standard installation path)

Using Environment Variable

If you have Aiken installed in a custom location, set the AIKEN_BIN environment variable:

# In your shell profile (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.)
export AIKEN_BIN="/path/to/your/aiken/binary"

# Or set it per project in .env file
AIKEN_BIN="/usr/local/bin/aiken"

For VS Code Users

Add the environment variable to your VS Code settings:

{
  "terminal.integrated.env.osx": {
    "AIKEN_BIN": "/path/to/your/aiken/binary"
  },
  "terminal.integrated.env.linux": {
    "AIKEN_BIN": "/path/to/your/aiken/binary"
  },
  "terminal.integrated.env.windows": {
    "AIKEN_BIN": "C:\\path\\to\\your\\aiken\\binary.exe"
  }
}

Troubleshooting

"aiken command not found"

Make sure Aiken is installed and available in your PATH:

aiken --version

If not installed, follow the Aiken installation instructions.

Custom Aiken Installation

If you installed Aiken in a custom location, make sure to set the AIKEN_BIN environment variable as described in the Configuration section above.

Plugin not working in VS Code

1. Ensure the plugin is installed in your project (not globally)
2. Restart VS Code after installing the plugin
3. Check that Prettier is configured as the default formatter for .ak files

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Development

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Make your changes
4. Test with a sample Aiken project

License

MIT License

Related Projects

• Aiken - A modern smart contract platform for Cardano
• Prettier - An opinionated code formatter

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release history.