IntelliSense for Visual Basic code files

Applies to: yesVisual Studio noVisual Studio for Mac

Note

This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here

The Visual Basic source code editor offers the following IntelliSense features:

Syntax tips

Syntax tips display the syntax of the statement that you are typing. This is useful for statements such as Declare.

Automatic completion

  • Completion on various keywords

    For example, if you type goto and a space, IntelliSense displays a list of the defined labels in a drop-down menu. Other supported keywords include Exit, Implements, Option, and Declare.

  • Completion on Enum and Boolean

    When a statement will refer to a member of an enumeration, IntelliSense displays a list of the members of the Enum. When a statement will refer to a Boolean, IntelliSense displays a true-false drop-down menu.

Completion can be turned off by default by deselecting Auto list members from the General property page in the Visual Basic folder.

You can manually invoke completion by invoking List Members, Complete Word, or Alt+Right Arrow. For more information, see Use IntelliSense.

IntelliSense in Zone

IntelliSense in Zone assists Visual Basic developers who need to deploy applications through ClickOnce and are constrained to partial trust settings. This feature:

  • Enables you to choose the permissions the application will run with.

  • Display APIs in the chosen Zone as available in List Members, and display APIs that require additional permissions as unavailable.

For more information, see Code access security for ClickOnce applications.

Filtered completion lists

In Visual Basic, IntelliSense completion lists have two tab controls located near the bottom of the lists. The Common tab, which is selected by default, displays items that are most often used to complete the statement that you are writing. The All tab displays all items that are available for automatic completion, including those that are also on the Common tab.

See also