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A properly configured IDE makes Canton development significantly faster. This page covers setup for writing Daml contracts, building backend services, and working with the full application stack.

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Daml Studio (VS Code)

Daml Studio is the primary IDE for writing Daml smart contracts. It is a VS Code extension that provides language support purpose-built for Daml.

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Installation

  1. Install VS Code version 1.87 or later
  2. Install DPM if you have not already
  3. From your project directory, run:
dpm studio
This launches VS Code with the Daml extension configured for your project. Alternatively, search for “Daml” in the VS Code extensions marketplace and install it manually.

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Features

Type checking runs continuously as you edit. Errors and warnings appear inline, and the Problems panel shows a summary. Type checking catches most issues before you ever run a test. Script results let you execute Daml Scripts directly from the editor. Click the “Script results” lens that appears above any script definition. The results panel shows the ledger state as a table: active contracts, archived contracts, and the transaction trace. This is the fastest way to verify that your contract logic behaves as expected. Go-to-definition works for templates, choices, type definitions, and imported modules. Use Ctrl+Click (or Cmd+Click on macOS) on any identifier. Code completion suggests template fields, choice parameters, standard library functions, and imported names as you type.

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Troubleshooting Daml Studio

If type checking is not working:
  • Verify that dpm build succeeds from the command line. If the build fails, the IDE cannot type-check.
  • Check that your daml.yaml file lists the correct SDK version and source directory.
  • Restart the Daml language server: open the VS Code command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run “Daml: Restart Language Server”.

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Java and Scala Backend Development

If your backend is in Java or Scala (common for Canton applications using the Java bindings), IntelliJ IDEA provides the best experience.

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IntelliJ Setup

  1. Install IntelliJ IDEA (Community or Ultimate edition)
  2. Open your project. If using Maven or Gradle, IntelliJ auto-detects the build system.
  3. After running dpm codegen-java, mark the generated code directory as a source root so IntelliJ indexes the generated classes.
IntelliJ provides type-safe navigation into the generated Daml Java bindings, which makes it straightforward to trace from your backend code into the contract definitions.

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TypeScript Backend Development

For TypeScript backends (as in cn-quickstart), VS Code is the natural choice. After running dpm codegen-js, the generated TypeScript types integrate with VS Code’s built-in TypeScript language service for autocompletion and type checking. Beyond Daml Studio, these extensions are useful for Canton full-stack development:
  • Daml — Daml language support (required)
  • YAML (Red Hat) — Syntax support for daml.yaml, docker-compose.yml, and configuration files
  • Docker (Microsoft) — Manage Docker containers, useful for LocalNet
  • Kubernetes (Microsoft) — Helpful if deploying to Kubernetes
  • ESLint — Linting for TypeScript/JavaScript frontend and backend code
  • Prettier — Code formatting for TypeScript, JSON, and YAML
  • GitLens — Enhanced Git integration

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Project-Level Configuration

For team consistency, consider adding a .vscode/extensions.json to your repository recommending the Daml extension: 
{
  "recommendations": [
    "DigitalAssetHoldingsLLC.daml"
  ]
}
You can also add a .vscode/settings.json with project-specific settings like file associations and editor formatting rules.

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Next Steps