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IntelliCode whole-line autocompletions predict the next chunk of your code based on your current code so far, and presents it as a gray text inline prediction. Think gray text autocompletion that you see when typing emails but for code.
This feature supports C# in Visual Studio 2022 and later.
To turn text predictions off, disable the IntelliCode extension. Select Extensions > Manage Extensions from the menu, find and select the IntelliCode extension, and then select Disable.
How it works
IntelliCode uses a large scale transformer model, trained on around half a million public, open-source repos from GitHub. This model makes predictions on what you type next based on a rich knowledge of what you have coded so far, including:
- Variable names and positions
- Libraries you're using
- Functions in nearby code
- The IntelliSense list
The model runs on your local machine, which allows the feature to be available in offline and air-gapped environments. The feature supports C#.
Two modes
IntelliCode provides completions in two ways - one, when the user is typing and two, when the user has an item selected in the IntelliSense list.
Mode 1: Whole-line autocompletions when typing
When the user is typing, we show whole-line autocompletions, which you can accept by "Tab to accept." To dismiss the prediction, you can use the Escape (Esc) or Delete (Del) keyboard shortcuts.
Mode 2: Whole-line autocompletions when IntelliSense item is selected
When the user has an item from the IntelliSense list selected, IntelliCode uses what the user has typed + what the user has selected as the context for providing predictions. In this case, you see "Tab Tab to accept" prediction. The first Tab accepts the selected item from the IntelliSense list and the second Tab accepts the whole-line completion. To dismiss the prediction, you can use the Escape (Esc) or Delete (Del) keyboard shortcuts.
Accept or dismiss whole-line autocompletions
By default, the Tab key is used to accept whole-line autocompletions. You can change the default accept key to the right arrow > from the Tools > Options menu.
Open the Tools > Options pane, and expand the All Settings > Text Editor > Code Completions > Preferences section. Use the dropdown list and set the Accept code completions using keyboard shortcuts option to On Right Arrow.
Open the Tools > Options dialog, and expand the IntelliCode > Advanced section. Select the Apply whole line completions on right arrow checkbox, and then select OK.
Open the Tools > Options dialog, and expand the IntelliCode > Advanced section. Select the Apply completions for whole lines on right arrow checkbox, and then select OK.
To dismiss whole-line autocompletions, use the Escape (Esc) or Delete (Del) keyboard shortcuts.
Privacy
Control whole-line autocompletions
You can control the whole-line autocompletions feature using the small purple light bulb shown at the bottom right of the editor, next to the zoom control.
In the Tools > Options pane, the All Settings > Text Editor > Code Completions > General section provides the Code Completion Invocation option. This setting lets you set whole-line autocompletions to Automatic on Edit and Manual or Manual.
The All Settings > Text Editor > Code Completions > Preferences section provides more options, including:
Show code completions on new lines: View whole-line autocompletions when you enter a new line by using the Enter (or Return) key.
Show code completions while in debug mode: View whole-line autocompletions while you're debugging your code.
Show code completions only after a pause in typing: Display whole-line autocompletions only when you pause typing. You might prefer this option if you find the whole-line autocompletions distracting in the default mode.
Hide the hint bar that appears alongside code completions and Next Edit Suggestions: Minimize distractions when debugging.
Accept code completions using keyboard shortcuts: Set this option to the right arrow > key for accepting whole-line autocompletions, as described earlier in this article.
In the Tools > Options dialog, the IntelliCode > General section provides the Automatically generate code completions in the Editor option. This setting lets you turn whole-line autocompletions on or off.
The IntelliCode > Advanced section provides more options in the Whole-line Completions group, including:
Apply whole line completions on right arrow: Use the right arrow > key to accept whole-line autocompletions, as described earlier in this article.
Disable suggestions while debugging: Minimize distractions when debugging.
Show inline completions on new lines: View whole-line autocompletions when you enter a new line by using the Enter (or Return) key.
Wait for pauses in typing before showing whole line completions: Display whole-line autocompletions only when you pause typing. You might prefer this option if you find the whole-line autocompletions distracting in the default mode.
The first setting, Show completions for lines of code allows you to turn whole-line autocompletions on or off.
The second setting, Wait for pauses in typing before showing line completions, when enabled, makes whole-line autocompletions only show up if the user has paused typing. You might prefer this option if you find the whole-line autocompletions distracting in the default mode.
The third setting, Show completions on new lines can be turned on or off depending on whether you want to see whole-line autocompletions when you enter a new line, that is, by pressing Return or Enter.
Provide feedback
Select the Feedback icon on the top right of Visual Studio to file a feedback ticket. Optionally, you can upload your IntelliCode log files to the feedback ticket in order to provide us with more context. Make sure you review the contents of the log files and address any privacy concerns you might have. Any data you share with Microsoft isn't used for any purpose other than providing you with support assistance. You can find the logs at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\VSFeedbackIntelliCodeLogs.
