Features Guide

The SentriFlow VS Code extension provides a rich set of features for validating and managing network configuration files. This guide covers all UI features and workflows.

Real-Time Validation

Inline Diagnostics

Issues are highlighted directly in the editor as you type:

• Red wavy underline - Error (high severity)
• Yellow wavy underline - Warning (medium severity)
• Blue wavy underline - Info (low severity)

Hover over highlighted code to see:

• Issue description
• Rule ID
• Remediation steps
• Link to documentation

Problems Panel

View all issues in the Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+M / Cmd+Shift+M):

PROBLEMS
├─ router.conf (3 issues)
│  ├─ [error] NET-AUTH-001: SSH timeout not configured (line 45)
│  ├─ [warning] NET-LOG-003: Logging buffer too small (line 12)
│  └─ [info] NET-DOC-001: Interface missing description (line 23)
└─ switch.conf (1 issue)
   └─ [warning] NET-TRUNK-002: Native VLAN is 1 (line 67)

Click any issue to jump to its location in the editor.

Quick Fixes

Using Quick Fixes

Example Quick Fixes

NET-AUTH-001: SSH timeout not configured

line vty 0 4
 transport input ssh
 login local
+ exec-timeout 15 0

NET-TRUNK-002: Native VLAN is 1

interface GigabitEthernet0/1
 switchport mode trunk
+ switchport trunk native vlan 999

Sidebar Panel

The SentriFlow sidebar provides a hierarchical view of all issues across your workspace.

Opening the Sidebar

Click the SentriFlow icon in the Activity Bar (left side), or:

• Press Ctrl+Shift+E then select SentriFlow view
• Use Command Palette: “SentriFlow: Show Sidebar”

Sidebar Features

Issue Tree

Issues organized by:

• Severity (default) - Errors, Warnings, Info
• Category - Authentication, Logging, etc.
• File - By configuration file
• Rule - By rule ID

Right-click the sidebar header to change grouping.

Issue Actions

Right-click any issue for actions:

• Go to Issue - Jump to location
• Apply Quick Fix - Fix if available
• Disable Rule - Disable this rule
• Copy Rule ID - Copy to clipboard
• View Rule Documentation - Open docs

Statistics Bar

Shows issue count summary:

2 errors | 5 warnings | 3 info

Click to filter by severity.

Tree View Controls

Status Bar

The status bar shows SentriFlow status for the current file:

[SentriFlow: cisco-ios] 2 errors, 3 warnings

Click to:

• Change vendor
• View validation summary
• Open settings

Status Bar Icons

Code Lens

Code Lens annotations appear above configuration sections:

1 issue: NET-TRUNK-002
interface GigabitEthernet0/1
  switchport mode trunk
  switchport trunk native vlan 1

Click the Code Lens to:

• View issue details
• Apply quick fix
• Disable rule

Enabling/Disabling Code Lens

{
  "sentriflow.codeLens.enabled": true,
  "sentriflow.codeLens.showIssueCount": true
}

Commands

Access commands via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

Validation Commands

Configuration Commands

Navigation Commands

Rule Commands

Keyboard Shortcuts

Default keyboard shortcuts (customizable):

Customizing Shortcuts

Open Keyboard Shortcuts (Ctrl+K Ctrl+S) and search for “SentriFlow”.

{
  "key": "ctrl+shift+s",
  "command": "sentriflow.validateFile"
}

Output Panel

View detailed logs in the Output panel:

1. Open Output panel: View > Output
2. Select “SentriFlow” from dropdown

Log Levels

Configure log verbosity:

{
  "sentriflow.logLevel": "debug"
}

Levels: error, warn, info, debug

Multi-Root Workspaces

SentriFlow supports multi-root workspaces with per-folder configuration:

{
  "folders": [
    { "path": "datacenter-configs" },
    { "path": "branch-configs" }
  ],
  "settings": {
    "sentriflow.defaultVendor": "cisco-ios"
  }
}

Each folder can have its own .vscode/settings.json with SentriFlow overrides.

Performance Tips

Large Files

For large configuration files (>1MB):

{
  "sentriflow.incrementalValidation": true,
  "sentriflow.validationDelay": 1000,
  "sentriflow.maxProblems": 100
}

Many Files

For workspaces with many files:

{
  "sentriflow.parallelValidation": true,
  "sentriflow.excludePatterns": [
    "**/archive/**",
    "**/backup/**"
  ]
}

Memory Usage

If experiencing high memory usage:

{
  "sentriflow.maxFileSize": 1000000,
  "sentriflow.disableForLargeFiles": true
}

Troubleshooting

Issues Not Showing

1. Check file association: Status bar should show vendor
2. Verify minimum severity setting
3. Check if file is excluded by patterns
4. Run “SentriFlow: Validate File” manually

Slow Validation

1. Enable incremental validation
2. Increase validation delay
3. Exclude large directories
4. Check Output panel for errors

Extension Not Starting

1. Check VS Code version (1.85+)
2. Verify Node.js is installed
3. Check Output panel for errors
4. Try reloading window

Next Steps

• Settings Reference - All configuration options
• Installation - Setup guide
• Quick Start - First validation tutorial