Video: How Do I: Use JavaScript IntelliSense in Visual Studio 2008?

In this video, Chris Pels provides an overview of the new IntelliSense features for JavaScript in Visual Studio 2008, and demonstrates the integration of XML comments for JavaScript.

The following text is a software generated transcript of the video. Click on a minute link to jump to a location within the video


Minute 0

I have this dispels this video would it take a look at some of the exciting new JavaScript IntelliSense features in Visual Studio 2008 right get started let s create a new website project here and we ll just call this website TV and we already have a default is Jack Celeste at a JavaScript file here as well and will just call this JavaScript file it kills and everyone in a reference to that JavaScript file over here in our page splits to that goal at a script for the language is equal to JavaScript to type a sequel to tax JavaScript and the source is equal to or are you

Minute 1

And kills JS file militancy located us in the JavaScript IntelliSense features a person you want to do is give this to the element and ID and let s call this page content and then I went ahead a script block inside the page your slips to that language equals JavaScript can type text JavaScript and will create a little function near notice for getting IntelliSense for creating our JavaScript function clueless startup and then we ll define a couple local variables here notice for getting IntelliSense again for creation of our variable in the first one will call

Minute 2

His container in this comes from the document element in the dead element by ID is pretty nice for getting the IntelliSense help us create this page content and endlessly another local variable coal Index that has a value of zero and let s just create another one called this is some text which is has some text in it now only go to reference these variables in code what we ll see is the second future of JavaScript IntelliSense which is type inference to take the container local variable that we have here we go to one of the methods noticed that the IntelliSense engine has inferred that this is a guy

Minute 3

On document element and is giving us the appropriate properties and methods that go with the dawn element likewise if we were to use the index variable that we created here we re getting a variety of properties and methods that pertain to a numeric valuable and likewise if we use the text variable we re getting a bunch of methods and properties that pertain to text now you can go even a little bit further than this and let s say we take our index variable and since we re not strongly typed here in jobs that we can do this and we changed that to be some text down here than we do to use that week at the textbased IntelliSense list is pretty neat though what it would have been

Minute 4

If we were to use index up here before we assigned the text to it and it is a quite an intelligent engineer so to speak because here is giving us the numeric methods and properties now let s go and add a method over in our utensils JS file here so I notice this is HS finally getting its same intelligence that we had over and default SPX to define our function and get username and let s have this take a variable called ID in a pivotal sample method here that would

Minute 5

And more complicated than that for this demonstration okay now let s tobacco or tar default a SPX page and go down here and let s say we want to create a local variable called name and we want to call that method over the JS file to automatically get IntelliSense on the methods and are JS file without having to do anything special including primer information that we need to pass to the method that recall so it s pretty neat if they want to take a look at the new XML comment capability has been at it for JavaScript lets the back over here too are JS file that you probably use the XML commenting capability in the seashore or knowing in Visual Basic and there s a similar feature that s been at it for JavaScript has a few differences but it works pretty much in the same way for example we can add XML

Minute 6

Pace comments to our code here that ll be picked up by the IntelliSense engine facility can show them to us when we re using the method over in the SPX based on the sure how that works and one difference here is that the comments are pleased immediately inside of the function rather than above the function name which is what she would do in Visual Basic or seashore and the reason for this is that there is a two string method in JavaScript that allows the JavaScript engine here behind the scenes to pick up the contents of the method and then parse the XML comments so that we do it is at a triple comment counter the same issue within seashore and then he used the similar XML elements for example we can type in a summary element here is

Minute 7

This insane method to did the person s name from an ID value close that off and we can add one for the parameter in the name of the parameter is ID and this is the person is ID value and we can also the head one for the return value and this is the persons name and we do need to save the JS file here before we get back over to default the SPX of the parser to pick up the information about

Minute 8

Over to default the SPX and must create a member variable here will name to it let s you see get username and notice what getting the help here in the tool tip this is a method coming from Nice summary element that we at it and likewise here when we go to type deeply ID parameter were getting the information provided in the prime element that we can take this even one step further to show you some additional capabilities and smell comment documentation for tobacco or the JS file here all we can do is we can go over to the prime definition here and we came at a type attribute this case will make this a number and were also can indicate that this is mentioned because JavaScript doesn t only has a number type it doesn t have an integer type takedown is yet another attribute

Minute 9

Which is in turn equal to save this link now go back over to our default is the eczema said third local variable here to username the IntelliSense and no written notice this time in addition to just the ideas and in the parameter would getting an indicator that showing us that this is a number so will make this 150 fifth number of other attributes that you can edit your XML based comments to get rich IntelliSense and his nice blog post here let me flip over to that by urchin LeRoy and only this will address up on the screen here for just a moment so you can copy it down and go look at it in a few view the video so we see IntelliSense from an external JavaScript file TAS

Minute 10

Ex page what about from one JavaScript file to another place for a second JavaScript file here in our website and this one lets call cordite JS and let s said a function in a year to call this function did a lab law and will take him down and address and the let s return in this case which is an arbitrary number for your lead said some JavaScript comments to win a summary tag here for an address ago and

Minute 11

At a parameter in the name of it will be address type the full string this is the address to find the Latin wall and Leslie will lead a return to say the Latin law of the address for pay will save these changes to core JS here now let s go back over to our utensils JavaScript file but we need to do in order to have the Cross JavaScript IntelliSense screwup here beginning of the file symbol paste in a reference element to the cordite JS file so

Minute 12

Say that here as well now listen down here and at a nether function to eat those who call this kit and user let long have an inbound address to this and now we take GE wheat had the get let long method from the court that JS file so I ll take that and notice we getting the IntelliSense for the address parameter as well and it will pass in this address value here in a little close off the method and actually will do here is returned that like that so this demonstrates how we re getting IntelliSense from one JavaScript file to the other I guess just

Minute 13

Closed loop here when you go back over your core JS and had a reference element appear to pass equal to the pills diet JS and will disable our files you have root go down into this lat long function and use get to see we have far did username and get user Lab law form are you tilted I JS so this is shown us that we can get the Cross JavaScript IntelliSense what about referencing standard files like the Microsoft Ajax library while we can do that here as well and it s just a slight variation on the reference element that we use for you JS sweat

Minute 14

Other reference element and here instead of adding a path attribute we re going to add a name attribute and the name attribute is used for any JavaScript files that are dynamically added by this good manager in this case the Microsoft Ajax library suicide that name in

Click here to go to original video page