AI assistance when you write code

  • Article

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.

Screenshot of Whole Line Completion by IntelliCode in Visual Studio.

For Visual Studio Code, several options are available:

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 Esc or Delete keys.

Screenshot displaying Tab to accept whole-line autocompletion.

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 Esc or Delete keys.

Screenshot displaying Tab Tab to accept selected completion item and whole line completion.

Accept or Dismiss whole-line autocompletions

By default, the Tab key is used to accept whole-line autocompletions. To change the default accept key, go to Tools -> Options -> IntelliCode -> Completions for whole lines of code. Enable the setting named Apply completions for whole lines on right arrow.

Screenshot of Settings menu to change setting to make right arrow as accept character.

Doing so changes the accept key from Tab to the right arrow ->

Screenshot of Settings menu to change right arrow to accept whole-line autocompletion.

To dismiss whole-line autocompletions, the ESC or Delete keys can be used.

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Controlling 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.

Screenshot of Setting for Turning IntelliCode Whole-Line Autocompletions On/Off.

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.

Providing Feedback

Click on 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 additional context. Make sure you review the contents of the log files and address any privacy concerns you may have. This data, when shared with us, will not be used for any purpose other than providing support assistance to you. You can find the logs at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\VSFeedbackIntelliCodeLogs

Screenshot of submitting feedback for IntelliCode.

The second setting, Wait for pauses in typing before showing line completions, when enabled, makes whole line completions only show up if the user has paused typing. The user may prefer this choice if they find the whole line completions distracting in the default mode.

The third setting, Show completions on new lines can be turned on or off depending on whether the user wants to see whole line completions when they have entered a new line such as by pressing Return or Enter.

Next steps

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