microsoft / microsoft/vscode-cpptools

c++ auto convert Dot to -> when dealing with std smart pointer types

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Feature Request Language Service Visual Studio
Dominant language
TypeScript
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Type: LanguageService

Steps to reproduce

  1. Type '.' after a "smart pointer" (std::unique_ptr/std::shared_ptr) variable and we see the members of the 'smart pointer' type.

Expected behavior

  1. Type '.' after a "smart pointer" (std::unique_ptr/std::shared_ptr) variable and show the members of the wrapped type instead of the smart pointer type. When the member is chosen, convert . to ->.

Additional context

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the C++ LanguageService completion handling for member access after std::unique_ptr and std::shared_ptr variables. Trace how the wrapped type's members are selected and how the chosen completion edits the source. Done means dot completion exposes wrapped-type members and changes the selected access operator to ->.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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