G-code Explorer

(formerly "G-code & grblHAL Reference" — same plugin id, updates continue seamlessly) — ncSender Plugin

Inline G-code, M-code and grblHAL $-setting documentation inside ncSender, inspired by OctoPrint's Marlin G-code Documentation plugin. Look commands up straight from the Console, get any line of G-code explained word by word (the G-code tab), cross-check every setting against your actual controller, and browse the official ncSender manual — all without leaving the sender.

Written for the grblHAL dialect, with first-class coverage of the Sienci SLB / SLB-EXT (including Main_grblHAL firmware 20260525 numbering and legacy 5.0.x notes). See Controller applicability below for other boards.

Features

Terminal shortcuts (nothing is ever sent to the controller — the plugin intercepts and neutralizes the input):

You type in the Console	You get
?G38.2, ?$110, ?dwell, ?tool change	Documentation lookup, top hit auto-expanded
??G1 X10 Y5 F500	The line explained word by word, parameters annotated in context
??	The full reference, unfiltered

A bare ? (grblHAL's real-time status query) is never intercepted, and job/macro-sourced lines are never touched.

Reference browser — 360+ entries with search, per-category color-keyed filters, syntax, parameter tables, examples and tips. Covers the grblHAL core dialect (motion, coordinate systems, probing, canned cycles, G65 built-in macros), common plugin M-codes, grblHAL $ system commands, and 251 numbered settings through $772 with SLB-EXT factory defaults.

Live controller cross-check — the plugin reads ncSender's cached $ES/$$ enumeration (/api/firmware) and flags settings that don't exist on your firmware build, while showing the live current value of the ones that do.

Explorer tab — an interactive 2D map of the loaded toolpath. Snap to G-code lines graphically and jog the machine to them with safe-Z handling, trace a rubber-band outline of the cut area, and unwrap 4th-axis jobs to see rotary toolpaths flat. Also opens directly via Tools → G-code Navigator.

Explain a line — paste a whole program and every line gets a word-by-word breakdown. Handles $J= jog bodies, $110=5000 setting writes, G10 L2/L20 combos, G01→G1 normalization, and both comment styles.

Manual tab — the official ncSender manual embedded right in the dialog.

Settings tab — terminal-lookup options plus full source attribution and controller-applicability notes.

Installation

From the ncSender plugin registry (once listed): in ncSender go to Settings → Plugins → Install Plugin and pick G-code & grblHAL Reference.

From a release ZIP: download the latest com.cncdocs.gcode-reference_vX.Y.Z.zip from the releases page, then in ncSender: Settings → Plugins → Install Plugin → upload the ZIP.

Controller applicability

• Sienci SLB / SLB-EXT (grblHAL) — fully covered; defaults labeled, Sienci-specific settings included, Main_grblHAL renumbering noted (e.g. laser XY offset $741/$742 → $770/$771, laser signal invert $743 → $716).
• Other grblHAL boards — core G/M-codes and settings apply; Sienci-specific entries are simply flagged "not on this controller" by the live check.
• FluidNC — basic G-code entries mostly apply, but numbered $ settings don't exist there (YAML config + $/ tree commands); the live check reports settings unavailable.
• Classic Grbl 1.1 — $0–$132 and core codes align; the rest is grblHAL-only.

Documentation sources

Compiled from the Sienci Labs SLB firmware documentation, the grblHAL core source (canonical setting registry), and the grblHAL community docs. Concept inspired by the OctoPrint Marlin G-code Documentation plugin.

Development

commands.js (the pro-v2 embedded-engine logic) and config.html are generated — edit the sources and rebuild:

• gcode-database.js — the documentation database (entry params drive the line explainer, keywords drive search)
• build/dialog-core.html — the shared UI (all four tabs)
• build/commands-logic.js — terminal interception logic
• build/config-template.html — thin wrapper choosing the default tab per context

node build/build.mjs

index.js adapts the same commands.js logic to the Node-based ncSender platforms (v1/pro-v1).

Releasing

./.scripts/release.sh

Bumps the patch version in manifest.json, generates release notes, commits, tags, and pushes — the GitHub Actions pipeline then rebuilds the generated files, packages <plugin-id>_<tag>.zip, and publishes the release.

Credits

Built by Stefan with Claude (Anthropic). Plugin structure, CI pipeline and packaging patterned on siganberg's official ncSender plugins. Thanks to Francis (siganberg) for ncSender and the plugin API.

License

MIT — see LICENSE. Documentation sources retain their own licenses.