Skip to main content

User Guide

This comprehensive guide covers all the essential features and functionality of Levitate IDE.

Interface Overview​

Levitate's interface is designed to be clean and intuitive while providing powerful capabilities:

Levitate Interface

Main Components​

  • Editor Area: Central workspace for code editing
  • Side Bar: Contains file explorer, source control, extensions, and search
  • Status Bar: Shows git branch, language server status, and other indicators
  • Terminal Panel: Integrated command-line interface
  • Activity Bar: Navigation for different side panel views
  • AI Assistant Panel: Chat interface for AI assistance

Editor Features​

Code Editing​

Levitate provides a powerful code editing experience with:

  • Syntax highlighting for over 30 programming languages
  • Smart indentation and formatting
  • Multiple cursor support
  • Code folding
  • Bracket pair matching
  • Auto-closing of quotes and brackets

Move efficiently through your codebase with:

  • Go to Definition (F12) - Jump to where a symbol is defined
  • Find All References (Shift+F12) - See all locations where a symbol is used
  • Go to Symbol (Ctrl+Shift+O / Cmd+Shift+O) - Navigate to specific symbols
  • Go to Line (Ctrl+G / Cmd+G) - Jump to a specific line number
  • Back/Forward (Alt+Left / Alt+Right) - Navigate through your location history

Selection and Editing​

  • Expand Selection (Shift+Alt+Right) - Intelligently expand current selection
  • Column Selection (Shift+Alt+drag or Ctrl+Shift+Alt+arrow) - Select text in columns
  • Multi-Cursor Editing (Alt+Click or Ctrl+Alt+Up/Down) - Edit multiple locations simultaneously
  • Rename Symbol (F2) - Rename all instances of a variable, function, or class

Intelligence Features​

Code Completion​

Levitate offers context-aware code completions:

  • Basic Completion (Ctrl+Space) - Show available methods, properties, variables
  • AI-Powered Completion (automatic) - Suggestions based on code context and patterns
  • Parameter Hints (automatic) - Shows function parameter information as you type

Diagnostics​

Levitate continuously analyzes your code to detect issues:

  • Syntax errors with squiggly underlines
  • Type checking for TypeScript, Python (via Pyright)
  • Linting problems with hover explanations
  • Quick fix suggestions for common issues

AI Assistance​

Access AI-powered help with your code:

  • Chat Assistant (Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A) - Ask questions about your code
  • Explain Code (right-click menu) - Get an explanation of selected code
  • Generate Comments (right-click menu) - Add documentation to your functions
  • Refactor Suggestions - Receive suggestions for improving your code

Terminal and Execution​

Integrated Terminal​

Access and use the command line without leaving Levitate:

  • Open Terminal (Ctrl+` / Cmd+`) - Open integrated terminal
  • Create Multiple Terminals - Switch between different terminal sessions
  • Split Terminal - View multiple terminals side by side
  • Terminal Search (Ctrl+F when terminal is focused)

Task Running​

Automate common tasks:

  • Run Task (Ctrl+Shift+B / Cmd+Shift+B) - Execute configured tasks
  • Run Active File (context menu or run button) - Execute the current file
  • Custom Task Configuration - Define project-specific tasks

File Management​

File Explorer​

Navigate and manage your project files:

  • Open/Close Explorer (Ctrl+Shift+E / Cmd+Shift+E)
  • Create New File/Folder (context menu)
  • Rename/Delete Files (context menu or F2)
  • Filter Files (search box at the top of file explorer)

Search and Replace​

Find what you need across your project:

  • Find in File (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F)
  • Replace in File (Ctrl+H / Cmd+H)
  • Find in Files (Ctrl+Shift+F / Cmd+Shift+F)
  • Replace in Files (Ctrl+Shift+H / Cmd+Shift+H)
  • Semantic Search (Ctrl+Shift+P then type "Search:")

Git Integration​

Source Control Panel​

Manage your Git repositories directly in the IDE:

  • Open Source Control (Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G)
  • Stage Changes (click + icon next to files)
  • Commit Changes (enter message and press Ctrl+Enter)
  • Push/Pull (buttons in the source control panel)

Git Features​

  • Branch Management - Create, checkout, and merge branches
  • File History - View and navigate through file revisions
  • Inline Blame - See who changed each line of code
  • Diff Viewer - Compare versions with side-by-side diff

Semantic Code Understanding​

Levitate's unique semantic understanding of your code enables:

Find code based on meaning, not just text:

  • Natural language queries (e.g., "function that handles authentication")
  • Context-aware results that understand code structure
  • Results ranked by relevance to your query

Contextual Navigation​

Navigate based on code relationships:

  • Find Related Code - Discover functionally related code
  • Dependency Graph - Visualize code dependencies
  • Call Hierarchy - See function callers and callees

Customization​

Settings​

Customize your Levitate experience:

  1. Open Settings (Ctrl+, / Cmd+,)
  2. Adjust editor preferences, keybindings, and other options
  3. Settings are automatically saved and applied

Themes​

Change the look and feel of Levitate:

  • Color Theme - Choose from built-in themes or install new ones
  • Icon Theme - Customize file and folder icons
  • Font Settings - Change font family, size, and ligatures

Workspace Configuration​

Configure project-specific settings:

  • Create .levitate folder in your project root
  • Add configuration files for custom tasks, language servers, etc.

Keyboard Shortcuts​

Levitate features a rich set of keyboard shortcuts to boost productivity. See the Keyboard Shortcuts page for a complete reference.

Extensions​

Extend Levitate's functionality with plugins:

  • Browse Extensions - Open Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
  • Install Extensions - Search and install from the marketplace
  • Manage Extensions - Enable, disable, or configure installed extensions

Troubleshooting​

If you encounter issues, see our Troubleshooting Guide for common solutions.