Create Effective Doxygen Style Comments in Visual Studio Code with Snippets

Learn how to easily prepend `Doxygen style` characters to multiple lines in Visual Studio Code using tailored snippets for improved coding productivity.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/63908099/ asked by the user 'Justplayit' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/5956736/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63909983/ provided by the user 'Mark' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/836330/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Simplifying Doxygen Style Comments in Visual Studio Code

If you're working with documentation-heavy programming languages or simply want to ensure your code is well-documented, you might be familiar with Doxygen style comments. These comments provide a structured way to document your code, making it easier for others (or yourself) to understand the purpose and functionality of various code sections. However, it can be tedious to add these comments line by line, especially when you have multiple lines of code that need documentation. Luckily, Visual Studio Code (VS Code) users can streamline this process using a snippet that will help prepend the Doxygen comment characters in one go.

The Challenge

The main challenge many programmers face is the ineffective addition of comments using the default functionality of their code editors. For instance, using ctrl+ / in C/C+ + only toggles single-line comments but does not cater to the Doxygen style comments that require a format like ///. Without a direct and quick method, adding doc-style comments can become time-consuming.

The Solution: Custom Keybinding for Doxygen Comments

Fortunately, you can set up a custom keybinding in VS Code that allows you to highlight multiple lines of text and prepend /// to each selected line. Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

Step 1: Open Keybindings

Open Visual Studio Code.

Navigate to the command palette by pressing Ctrl + Shift + P.

Type Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON) and select it. This will open the keybindings.json file where you can add custom keybindings.

Step 2: Add the Custom Keybinding

In the keybindings.json file, you will want to add the following snippet of code:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Breakdown of the Keybinding

"key": "alt+ w": This specifies the keyboard shortcut you will use to activate the snippet. You can change it to whatever suits you best; just ensure it doesn't conflict with existing shortcuts.

"command": "editor.action.insertSnippet": This tells VS Code to perform the action of inserting a snippet.

"args": { "snippet": "/// ${TM_SELECTED_TEXT}" }: This is where the magic happens. It defines the snippet being inserted: /// followed by whatever text you have selected.

"when": "editorHasMultipleSelections && textInputFocus": This condition ensures that the snippet will only be activated when you have multiple selections and the text editor is focused.

Step 3: Save and Test

After adding the code snippet above, save the keybindings.json file.

To use the newly created keybinding, highlight multiple lines of the text you want to comment and press Alt + W.

Watch as /// is prepended to the selected lines instantly!

Conclusion

By setting up this simple keybinding in Visual Studio Code, you can enhance your workflow and make the process of adding Doxygen style comments significantly easier. No longer will you struggle with inserting comment characters manually. With just a quick keystroke, your code becomes well-documented and organized, which enhances readability and maintainability.

Remember, effective documentation is as important as writing good code. So why not streamline the process? Take an extra moment to incorporate this handy customization into your coding routine today!