Vscode-cpptools: Add the ability to generate definitions from declarations and vice versa

[benjaminjack]

I spend a lot of time typing out lists of arguments (or copying and pasting them) when I'm defining functions that have already been declared in a header file. It would be nice if cpptools could automatically generate a skeleton definition of a function that has already been declared, or at least provide a shortcut to auto-fill the argument list.

[BrianSipple]

I was going to suggest something very similar. I'd also be interested in a feature to create a header- and source-file pair with a single task invocation. This would be similar to XCode, for example, which generates both a .h and .cpp file when the user selects an option to create a new class file.

[sean-mcmanus]

@bobbrow I believe this is the most used feature in VS that we are missing (used more often than Find All References).

As mentioned in https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode-cpptools/issues/3056, we should also support the "opposite" case of adding the declaration to the header from an existing definition.

[bobbrow]

Yeah, I have seen this feedback a few times in our survey responses. It is on my radar.

[daranday]

Would love to have this feature!

[davidbitton]

Upvote!

[exocode]

Is this something you are looking for?:

It is able to preserve existing methods and inclusions

https://github.com/reignofwebber/vscode-c-cpp-definition-generator

[davidbitton]

@exocode yep! your work?

[yannickbt64]

Can't wait to have this implemented. Such a basic feature, yet very useful.

[ArcticLampyrid]

Can't wait to use it.
Do we have any plan to implement it?

[sean-mcmanus]

@1354092549 Yes, but we don't have it on our schedule yet.

[rafaelchen]

it would be really useful feature :)

[PoetaKodu]

I would love that!

[exocode]

@davidbitton sorry, no.. some other genius did that for all of us :-)

[dbsxdbsx]

Just upVote it, and it woud be better to have it with funcitonality like "changing signature".

[Flamefire]

Very related: Move implementation to source file (possibly creating it) which not only generates the signature but also moves the implementation from header to source.

[asynchronoust]

this feature will be very useful

but, when this feature will be implemented?

[sean-mcmanus]

@asynchronoust It's scheduled for post-v1, which would be some time (not early) next year (no guarantees though).

[victorvianna]

It would also be nice to have similar auto-generation for the initializer list in a class constructor.

[stonedreamforest]

+1

[amir9480]

I also created an extension for generating implementations last week.
With namespace, nested class/namespace, classes with templates and methods with templates support.

amir9480/vscode-cpp-helper

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=amiralizadeh9480.cpp-helper

[ArcticLampyrid]

@amir9480 Great work.

[dbsxdbsx]

@amir9480,nice work, and it would be better to add creating declaration. Anyway, good job!

[santhisenan]

Much needed feature! It will save a lot of time and effort. Waiting for it🤞

[BoldHonor]

@amir9480 thankyou so much

[Rullec]

Waiting for it!

[bobbrow]

We began investigating this, but it won't likely be completed in time for the 0.30.0 milestone.

[cjwijtmans]

I would like the opposite feature. Auto generate a .hpp file on save(and update it every time saved). Would save a lot of time. Just use the same file path except use the .hpp extension. However this could be configured of course but it would be a sane default.

[maxint]

Recommend another extensions: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=amiralizadeh9480.cpp-helper