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Pass the function signature in the detail property of the completion item instead of the label #685
Description
Based on the gif in the README and the snapshots in microsoft/vscode#29126 (comment), it looks like this extension is appending the function signature to the function name in the label of the completion item.
This makes the reading of the items hard, especially when the docs are expanded to the side (Hit Ctrl+Space to show/hide the docs once the suggest widget is open)
The CompletionItem has a property called detail. Most extensions use this property to pass the signature. Below is a typsescript example:
I understand the temptation to include the signature as part of the label. It allows the user to choose the right item from the list at a glance. But this is only possible when the function name is small and docs are collapsed. Else, it just adds noise
Activity
fbricon commentedon Oct 23, 2018
would be less of an issue if microsoft/vscode#29757 was fixed.
Changing the signature format is probably going to be controversial. If we were to change anything, then I'd suggest you make it through a user preference. Feel free to provide a quality patch ;-)
IAmHopp commentedon Oct 25, 2018
Maybe less of an issue, but an issue still, since it'd require scrolling to see the rest of the text, while @ramya-rao-a's proposal does not.
However, I don't think this truly is the solution. It makes perfect sense to include the method signature in the title property. The reason this is only useful when the method name is small [and sometimes not even then -- return type is also important and that's not entirely readable in the first result on the second screenshot] is because the widget is weirdly small. Personally, instead of working around it by adding scrollbars or segregating information that belongs together, eventually vscode should just address the fact that the widget as it is today is made to only display a strangely minimal amount of information horizontally -- and it would be beneficial for that to change.
ramya-rao-a commentedon Oct 31, 2018
I believe thats where the doc section comes in i.e the part on the right side below which has the complete information whereas the left side has minimal information.
IAmHopp commentedon Oct 31, 2018
Right, but I don't get why it only has minimal information in the first place. I don't get the upside. There is a clear, transparent reason why so many people in microsoft/vscode#29757 went through all the trouble of editing the workbench CSS (!) just to make it bigger. It could... Just be bigger. It actually solves the whole problem instead of working around it.
I get that if the title only shows minimal information, putting everything else in the detail page guarantees there's no information missing, but what also achieves that is adjusting the size of the widget so that it comfortably displays the information it's supposed to. What I meant above by segregating information is: if I'm trying to autocomplete a method? I want the method signature. It's how we identify methods. By their signature. It doesn't help putting part of the signature in the title and part of it in the detail. That just means I have to keep looking left and right as I move down the list. How is that better than just having a widget that can show the whole signature in the title? How is that easier?
It's not about shoving everything down in the title, by the way. The detail can still be very useful for complementary information, such as method documentation, maybe package information, whether it's overridden or not, there are plenty of options. But the signature, in my opinion, should be part of the title. And that widget should be allowed to be bigger.
ramya-rao-a commentedon Oct 31, 2018
We are not saying that we will never get around to changing the UI of the widget. If we were saying that, then microsoft/vscode#29757 would not be an open item, it would have been closed long ago.
Increasing the size will not solve the whole problem. There will always be method names or signatures that will be bigger. Which is why the guideline is to have just the method name in the title, and signatures in the detail part.
Horizontal scrollbars or re-sizable widget could solve whole problem. But none of our widgets have these features at the moment and therefore are not trivial.
I logged this issue only to bring about consistency with other language extensions and to ease the current problem until microsoft/vscode#29757 is solved. @fbricon is most welcome to close this if it is too controversial for Java users.
fbricon commentedon Oct 31, 2018
As I said before, I'm open to displaying less information in the signature, provided this is driven by user preference.
arash-bizcover commentedon Jul 24, 2021
microsoft/vscode#14165
robstryker commentedon Oct 30, 2026
Since no quality patch was provided, I'll close this issue.