| # Features |
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| This document describes the features supported by this extension. |
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| If you are using the Go language server, `gopls`, please the [gopls documentation](gopls.md) instead. (You can check if you are using `gopls` by opening your VS Code settings and checking if [`"go.useLanguageServer"`](settings.md#go.useLanguageServer) is `true`.) |
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| If you are using Go modules **without** the language server, some of the features listed below will not be available. |
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| ## Table of Contents |
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| * [IntelliSense](#intellisense) |
| * [Code completion](#code-completion) |
| * [Signature help](#signature-help) |
| * [Quick info on hover](#quick-info-on-hover) |
| * [Code Navigation](#code-navigation) |
| * [Go to definition](#go-to-definition) |
| * [Go to symbol](#go-to-symbol) |
| * [Find references](#find-references) |
| * [Find interface implementations](#find-interface-implementations) |
| * [Document outline](#document-outline) |
| * [Toggle between code and tests](#toggle-between-code-and-tests) |
| * [Code Editing](#code-editing) |
| * [Snippets](#snippets) |
| * [Format and organize imports](#format-and-organize-imports) |
| * [Add import](#add-import) |
| * [Rename symbol](#rename-symbol) |
| * [Refactor](#refactor) |
| * [Code Generation](#code-generation) |
| * [Add or remove struct tags](#add-or-remove-struct-tags) |
| * [Generate interface implementation](#generate-interface-implementation) |
| * [Generate unit tests](#generate-unit-tests) |
| * [Fill struct literals](#fill-struct-literals) |
| * [Diagnostics](#diagnostics) |
| * [Build errors](#build-errors) |
| * [Vet errors](#vet-errors) |
| * [Lint errors](#lint-errors) |
| * [Run and test in the editor](#run-and-test-in-the-editor) |
| * [Run your code](#run-your-code) |
| * [Test and benchmark](#test-and-benchmark) |
| * [Code coverage](#code-coverage) |
| * [Debug your code](#debugging) |
| * [Other](#other) |
| * [Go Playground](#go-playground) |
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| ## [IntelliSense](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/intellisense) |
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| ### Code completion |
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| Completion results appear for symbols as you type. You can trigger this manually with the Ctrl+Space shortcut. This feature is provided by the [`gocode`](tools.md#gocode) tool. |
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| Autocompletion is also supported for packages you have not yet imported into your program. This feature is provided by the [`gopkgs`](tools.md#gopkgs) tool. |
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| ### Signature help |
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| Information about the signature of a function pops up as you type in its parameters. This feature is provided by the [`gogetdoc`](tools.md#documentation) tool, but it can also be provided by a combination of [`godef`](tools.md#documentation) and [`godoc`](tools.md#documentation) (configured via the [`"go.docsTool"`](settings.md#go.docsTool) setting). |
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| ### Quick info on hover |
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| Documentation appears when you hover over a symbol. This feature is provided by the [`gogetdoc`](tools.md#documentation) tool, but it can also be provided by a combination of [`godef`](tools.md#documentation) and [`godoc`](tools.md#documentation) (configured via the [`"go.docsTool"`](settings.md#go.docsTool) setting). |
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| ## [Code Navigation](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/editingevolved) |
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| ### Go to definition |
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| Jump to or peek a symbol's declaration. This feature is provided by the [`gogetdoc`](tools.md#documentation) tool, but it can also be provided by a combination of [`godef`](tools.md#documentation) and [`godoc`](tools.md#documentation) (configured via the [`"go.docsTool"`](settings.md#go.docsTool) setting). |
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| ### Find references |
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| Find or go to the references of a symbol. This feature is provided the [`guru`](tools.md#guru) tool. |
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| This feature is not available if you are using Go modules **without** [`gopls`](gopls.md), the Go language server. |
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| ### Find interface implementations |
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| Find the concrete types that implement a given interface. This feature is provided by the [`guru`](tools.md#guru) tool. |
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| This feature is not available if you are using Go modules **without** [`gopls`](gopls.md), the Go language server. |
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| ### [Go to symbol](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/editingevolved#_go-to-symbol) |
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| Search for symbols in your file or workspace by opening the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and typing `@` for symbols in the current file or `#` for symbols in the entire workspace. |
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| This feature is provided by the [`go-outline`](tools.md#go-outline) and [`go-symbols`](tools.md#go-symbols) tools. |
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| ### Document outline |
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| See all the symbols in the current file in the VS Code's [Outline view](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface#_outline-view). |
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| This feature is provided by the [`go-outline`](tools.md#go-outline) tool. |
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| ### Toggle between code and tests |
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| Quickly toggle between a file and its corresponding test file by using the [`Go: Toggle Test File`](commands.md#go-toggle-test-file) command. |
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| ## Code Editing |
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| ### [Snippets](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/userdefinedsnippets) |
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| Predefined snippets for quick coding. These snippets will appear as completion suggestions when you type. Users can also define their own custom snippets (see [Snippets in Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/userdefinedsnippets#_create-your-own-snippets)). |
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| ### Format and organize imports |
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| Format code and organize imports, either manually or on save. The code is formatted by the [`gofmt`](tools.md#formatting) tool, which is the standard for Go code. Imports are added automatically to your file via the [`goimports`](tools.md#formatting) tool, which is also an industry standard. By default, this extension also uses the [`goreturns`](tools.md#formatting) tool, which automatically fills in default return values for functions. |
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| The behavior of the formatter can be configured via the [`"go.formatTool"`](settings.md#go.formatTool) tool setting. The [troubleshooting guide](troubleshooting.md#formatting) gives more details and explains how to [disable formatting](troubleshooting.md#disable-formatting) entirely. |
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| #### Add import |
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| Manually add a new import to your file through the [`Go: Add Import`](commands.md#go-add-import) command. Available packages are offered from your `GOPATH` and module cache. |
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| ### [Rename symbol](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/refactoring#_rename-symbol) |
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| Rename all occurrences of a symbol in your workspace. This feature is provided by the [`gorename`](tools.md#gorename) tool. |
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| **Note**: For undo after rename to work on Windows, you need to have `diff` tool on your `PATH`. |
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| This feature is not available if you are using Go modules **without** [`gopls`](gopls.md), the Go language server. |
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| ### Refactor |
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| Extract a piece of code to a local variable or to its own function using the [`Go: Extract to variable`](commands.md#go-extract-to-variable) and [`Go: Extract to function`](commands.md#go-extract-to-function) commands. These features are provided by the [`godoctor`](tools.md#godoctor) tool. These features do not work with Go modules, but they will be supported by [`gopls`] in the future (see [golang/go#37170](https://github.com/golang/go/issues/37170)). |
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| ## Code Generation |
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| ### Add or remove struct tags |
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| Use the [`Go: Add Tags to Struct Fields`](commands.md#go-add-tags-to-struct-fields) command to automatically generate or remove [tags](https://pkg.go.dev/reflect?tab=doc#StructTag) for your struct. This feature is provided by the [`gomodifytags`](tools.md#gomodifytags) tool. |
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| ### Generate interface implementation |
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| Use the [`Go: Generate Interface Stubs`](commands.md#go-generate-interface-stubs) command to automatically generate method stubs for a given interface. This feature is provided by the [`impl`](tools.md#impl) tool. |
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| ### Generate unit tests |
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| Easily generate unit tests for your project by running one of the [`Go: Generate Unit Tests for ...`](commands.md#go-generate-unit-tests-for-file) commands. This can be done at a function, file, or package level. This feature is provided by the [`gotests`](tools.md#gotests) tool. |
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| ### Fill struct literals |
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| Use the [`Go: Fill struct`](commands.md#fill-struct) command to automatically fill a struct literal with its default values. This command is provided by the [`fillstruct`](tools.md#fillstruct). |
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| ## Diagnostics |
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| Learn more about [diagnostic errors](tools.md#diagnostics). |
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| ### Build errors |
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| Build errors can be shown as you type or on save. Configure this behavior through the [`"go.buildOnSave"`](settings.md#go.buildOnSave) setting. |
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| By default, code is compiled using the `go` command (`go build`), but build errors as you type are provided by the [`gotype-live`](tools.md#diagnostics) tool. |
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| ### Vet errors |
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| Vet errors can be shown on save. The vet-on-save behavior can also be configured through the [`"go.vetOnSave"`](settings.md#go.vetOnSave) setting. |
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| The vet tool used is the one provided by the `go` command: [`go vet`](https://golang.org/cmd/vet/). |
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| ### Lint errors |
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| Much like vet errors, lint errors can also be shown on save. This behavior is configurable through the [`"go.lintOnSave"`](settings.md#go.lintOnSave) setting. |
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| The default lint tool is the one provided by the `go` command: `go lint`. However, custom lint tools can be easily used instead by configuring the [`"go.lintTool"`](settings.md#go.lintTool) setting. [`staticcheck`], [`golangci-lint`], and [`revive`] are supported. |
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| For a complete overview of linter options, see the [documentation for diagnostic tools](tools.md#diagnostics). |
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| ## Run and test in the editor |
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| ### Run your code |
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| To run your code without debugging, use the keyboard shortcut `Ctrl+F5` or run the command `Debug: Start without Debugging`. To debug, see [Debugging](#debugging) below. |
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| This command requires you to have a [launch configuration](debugging.md#launch-configuration) in a `launch.json` file. To open or create your `launch.json`, run the `Debug: Open launch.json` command. Use the default `Go: Launch file` configuration. |
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| Behind the scenes, the `Debug: Start without Debugging` command calls `go run`. `go run` usually requires the path to the file to run, so your `launch.json` should contain `"program": "${file}"`. |
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| ### Test and benchmark |
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| [Code lenses](https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2017/02/12/code-lens-roundup) allow users to easily run tests and benchmarks for a given function, file, package, or workspace. Alternatively, the same functionality is available through a set of commands: [`Go: Test Function At Cursor`](commands.md#go-test-function-at-cursor), [`Go: Test File`](commands.md#go-test-file), [`Go: Test Package`](commands.md#go-test-package), and [`Go: Test All Packages in Workspace`](commands.md#go-test-all-packages-in-workspace). |
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| ### Code Coverage |
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| Show code coverage in the editor, either after running a test or on-demand. This can be done via the commands: [`Go: Apply Cover Profile`](commands.md#go-apply-cover-profile) and [`Go: Toggle Test Coverage in Current Package`](commands.go-toggle-test-coverage-in-current-package). |
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| ## [Debugging](debugging.md) |
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| This extension offers debugging of Go programs. See the [debugging documentation](debugging.md) for more information. |
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| ## Other |
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| ### Go Playground |
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| Export your current file to the [Go Playground](https://play.golang.org) via the [`Go: Run On Go Playground`](settings.md#go-run-on-go-playground) command. This is useful for quickly creating a piece of sample code. |
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| [`gopls`]: gopls.md |
| [`staticcheck`]: https://staticcheck.io/ |
| [`golangci-lint`]: https://golangci-lint.run/ |
| [`revive`]: https://github.com/mgechev/revive |
