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Backend Communication

The DevFlow extension manages and communicates with a Python backend server to provide AI-powered features.

Backend Process Management

  • The extension can automatically set up, start, and stop the backend server.
  • Uses a Python virtual environment and installs dependencies on first run.
  • Backend can also be started/stopped manually from the sidebar or command palette.

Communication Flow

  • The extension communicates with the backend via HTTP (default: http://localhost:8000/api).
  • User actions in the sidebar (search, index, etc.) send requests to the backend.
  • The backend processes the request (search, embeddings, AI, etc.) and returns results.
  • Results are displayed in the sidebar UI.

Health Checks & Error Handling

  • The extension checks backend health before sending requests.
  • If the backend is not running or unhealthy, the user is notified in the UI.
  • Logs and errors are shown in the "Logs" tab for troubleshooting.

Webview Messaging

  • The sidebar UI (webview) communicates with the extension host using VS Code's messaging API.
  • Messages are sent for user actions, and responses are handled to update the UI.

Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant SidebarUI
    participant Extension
    participant Backend
    User->>SidebarUI: Clicks "Search"/"Index"/etc.
    SidebarUI->>Extension: postMessage(action)
    Extension->>Backend: HTTP request
    Backend-->>Extension: Response (results, error)
    Extension->>SidebarUI: postMessage(response)
    SidebarUI->>User: Updates UI