macOS Xcode autocomplete

RoyG · Nov 17, 2013

This is what I get:

A BOUNDless expansion of the NSRect bounds.

This is what I Expect:

To access the NSRect values 'origin' and 'size'.

So what is going on here? A bug in Xcode, or me being plain stupid?

In the boundless expansion of 'bounds', there is no 'origin' or 'size' to spot.

ArtOfWarfare · Nov 17, 2013

It looks like you're using the identifier bounds multiple times in that scope to refer to different things... That may be confusing Xcode's autocomplete.

RoyG · Nov 17, 2013

ArtOfWarfare said:
It looks like you're using the identifier bounds multiple times in that scope to refer to different things... That may be confusing Xcode's autocomplete.

Oh no, that is not what happens. I have declared 'NSRect bounds' only once in the whole project, and that is within the scope you are seeing in that picture.

It seems actually to be a bug in Xcode. It seems Xcode gets confused when I skipped one of the placeholders to fill in values for a method. I filled in dummy values for those fields, and then I got the result I expected.

Under no circumstances should bounds refer to itself in this way, I could type 'bounds.bounds.bounds.bounds.bounds...' ad infinitum, and Xcode would not suggest anything else for me.

gnasher729 · Nov 18, 2013

RoyG said:
Under no circumstances should bounds refer to itself in this way, I could type 'bounds.bounds.bounds.bounds.bounds...' ad infinitum, and Xcode would not suggest anything else for me.

Can you hear me play the world's saddest song on the world's smallest violin?

ArtOfWarfare · Nov 18, 2013

RoyG said:
Oh no, that is not what happens. I have declared 'NSRect bounds' only once in the whole project, and that is within the scope you are seeing in that picture.

It seems actually to be a bug in Xcode. It seems Xcode gets confused when I skipped one of the placeholders to fill in values for a method. I filled in dummy values for those fields, and then I got the result I expected.

Under no circumstances should bounds refer to itself in this way, I could type 'bounds.bounds.bounds.bounds.bounds...' ad infinitum, and Xcode would not suggest anything else for me.

Huh - file a bug at bugreporter.apple.com

iSee · Nov 18, 2013

I've seen xcode's autocomplete get confused by syntax errors, especially ones immediately prior to were you are typing, as is the case here. I'm not quite sure I'd call it a bug, though. Autocomplete could handle this case better, so it's a good feature request.

chown33 · Nov 18, 2013

Try changing the local variable name to something that's not a method or property, like 'bob'.

If this solves the problem, then submit both your fail-case (bounds) and success-case (bob) in a bug-report to Apple. And be sure to tell them exactly which Xcode version it happens in.

ArtOfWarfare · Nov 18, 2013

RoyG said:
Oh no, that is not what happens. I have declared 'NSRect bounds' only once in the whole project, and that is within the scope you are seeing in that picture.

It's also the name of a method and property of self within the current scope. I'm not saying the autocomplete is valid, just pointing out where the confusion may lie.

iMacFarlane · Nov 18, 2013

RoyG said:
It seems Xcode gets confused when I skipped one of the placeholders to fill in values for a method.

So, don't skip the placeholders then? Autocomplete is a godsend, but not infallible. Skipping the placeholders obviously breaks the autocomplete's parser logic, so ixnay on the ipskay.

RoyG · Nov 18, 2013

ArtOfWarfare said:
It's also the name of a method and property of self within the current scope. I'm not saying the autocomplete is valid, just pointing out where the confusion may lie.

At first I was going to contest what you were saying there, but I decided to have another look, and you are right! It really slipped my mind. You are absolutely right.

That does indeed tell a bit about how autocomplete works, because it should tell me about 'origin' and 'location' too, but those are completely gone until I fill in a dummy value for the placeholder value immediately before the value that is the problem.

I have noticed before that autocomplete likes that you fill in values in order, so maybe I better make that habit.

----------

iMacFarlane said:
So, don't skip the placeholders then? Autocomplete is a godsend, but not infallible. Skipping the placeholders obviously breaks the autocomplete's parser logic, so ixnay on the ipskay.

Yes, skipping placeholders is definitely something that autocomplete doesn't like, and the only solution is to do as you say.

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