JSON and YAML IntelliSense

The F5 Distributed Cloud Tools extension includes a schema validation engine that provides intelligent autocompletion, hover documentation, structural error detection, and conflict diagnostics for both JSON and YAML configuration files.

OpenAPI Schema Integration

The extension generates and pre-warms JSON schemas derived directly from F5 Distributed Cloud (XC) OpenAPI specifications. Schemas register under the xcsh-schema:// Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme and associate automatically with:

• Virtual documents opened through the xcsh:// file system provider
• Workspace manifest files (*.http_loadbalancer.json, *.origin_pool.json, *.xcsh.json, .xcsh/*.json)
• YAML files matching F5 Distributed Cloud schema headers via the YAML Language Server extension

Schema Enrichment Extensions

F5 Distributed Cloud schemas include custom metadata extensions to guide configuration authoring:

1. Minimum Configuration (x-f5xc-minimum-configuration)

Identifies the baseline fields required to instantiate a valid resource. When you create a resource template in Visual Studio Code, the extension scaffolds these required properties automatically:

{
  "metadata": {
    "name": "example-lb",
    "namespace": "default"
  },
  "spec": {
    "domains": ["app.example.com"],
    "https_auto_cert": {
      "http_redirect": true
    },
    "default_route_pools": []
  }
}

2. Contextual Field Requirements (x-f5xc-required-for)

Indicates when specific fields are required based on the operational context:

• create: true: The property must be present when initially creating the resource.
• update: true: The property must be present during update (PUT) operations.
• minimum_config: true: The property belongs to the minimal viable template.

3. Mutual Exclusivity and Conflicts (x-f5xc-conflicts-with)

Identifies mutually exclusive fields where setting one property invalidates another. For example, in load balancer configurations, you cannot define both active service policies and explicitly specify no service policies:

• active_service_policies conflicts with no_service_policies and service_policies_from_namespace.

4. Recommended oneOf Variants (x-f5xc-recommended-oneof-variant)

When a property accepts multiple variants (a oneOf schema union), this extension indicates the recommended default (for example, recommending https_auto_cert over manual https or plain http).

Real-Time Conflict Diagnostics

The extension includes a Conflict Diagnostic Provider that continuously analyzes open manifests for mutually exclusive fields.

When a conflict occurs:

1. Visual Studio Code underlines the conflicting properties with diagnostic squiggles.
2. The Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+M / Cmd+Shift+M) lists the exact conflicting fields and explains the exclusivity rule.
3. Hovering over the diagnostic displays the conflict explanation.

Quick Fix Code Actions

The extension registers a Code Action Provider that offers automated repairs for detected schema conflicts:

1. Place your cursor on the highlighted conflicting property.
2. Select the Quick Fix lightbulb icon (or press Ctrl+. / Cmd+.).
3. Select the recommended resolution (for example, Remove conflicting ‘no_service_policies’ property).
4. The extension automatically refactors the JSON/YAML structure to resolve the diagnostic.

Autocompletion and Hover Documentation

As you author configurations:

• Autocompletion: Press Ctrl+Space to view valid properties, allowable enum values, and nested schema snippets.
• Hover Documentation: Hover over any property key to view its description, expected data type, allowed constraints, and documentation links.