Advancing Mobile Code Editing: Johan and Simon's Work on Multi-Language Support with LSP Integration

Johan and Simon’s research is a significant step towards the development of an ergonomic and mobile code editor empowered by the Language Server Protocol (LSP) for multi-language support. While code editing is traditionally computer-based, the current technological landscape is witnessing a significant shift toward mobile technologies. Their work not only addresses this shift but also paves the way for a concrete and productive application designed for multi-language development in a single code editor on mobile devices.

They explored how the LSP could be used to provide common support for multiple languages on a unique mobile interface. To this end, they set up a cloud-oriented architecture to allow the use of language servers on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. They also designed an interface based on an adapted keyboard and a manipulation mode. The adapted keyboard provides the developer with language-based autocompletion (supplied by the LSP) and custom programming-oriented keyboard keys. Thanks to the manipulation mode, developers can manipulate code through gestures and execute a code action based on specific LSP functionalities. This practical approach has led to the development of a prototype that allows for effective code writing and manipulation in several programming languages on a mobile device.