Features¶
Here is what clangd can do for you. Screenshots below show VSCode; the available features and UI depend on the editor.
Errors and warnings¶
clangd runs the clang compiler on your code as you type, and shows errors and warnings in-place. Some errors are suppressed: diagnostics that require expanding templates in headers are disabled for performance reasons.
Screenshot
Fixes in errors and warnings¶
The compiler can suggest fixes for many common problems automatically, and clangd can update the code for you.
Animated demo
Code completion¶
You’ll see suggestions as you type based on what methods, variables, etc are available in this context.
Screenshot
Abbreviating words may help you find the right result faster. If you type in
camelCase
but the function you’re looking for is snake_case
, that’s OK.
Insertion of namespace qualifiers and includes¶
(New in v8)
clangd will sometimes suggest results from other files and namespaces. In this
case the correct qualifier and #include
directive will be inserted.
Animated demo
Signature help¶
Some editors will show you the parameters of the function you’re calling, as you fill them in.
Animated demo
Cross-references¶
The following features let you navigate your codebase.
If there is no project-wide index, cross-references work across the files you have opened.
Find definition/declaration¶
Jump to the definition or declaration of a symbol under the cursor.
Animated demo
Find references¶
Show all references to a symbol under the cursor.
Animated demo
Some editors will automatically highlight local references to the selected symbol as you move around a file.
Formatting¶
clangd embeds clang-format, which can reformat your code: fixing indentation, breaking lines, and reflowing comments.
Animated demo
clangd respects your project’s .clang-format
file which controls styling
options.
Format-as-you-type is experimental and doesn’t work well yet.
Complete list of features¶
Here is a list of features that could be useful for editors, together with the implementation status in clangd, and specification in the Language Server Protocol.
It is not clear whether or not some of the features mentioned below should be a part of the Language Server Protocol; those features might be eventually developed outside clangd or become clangd extensions to LSP.
C/C++ Editor feature | LSP | Clangd |
---|---|---|
Formatting | Yes | Yes |
Completion | Yes | Yes |
Diagnostics | Yes | Yes |
Fix-its | Yes | Yes |
Go to Definition | Yes | Yes |
Signature Help | Yes | Yes |
Document Highlights | Yes | Yes |
Rename | Yes | Yes |
Source hover | Yes | Yes |
Find References | Yes | Yes |
Document Symbols | Yes | Yes |
Workspace Symbols | Yes | Yes |
Code Lens | Yes | No |
Code folding | Yes | No |
Extract Local Variable | Yes | No |
Extract Function/Method | Yes | No |
Quick Assist | Yes | No |
Hide Method | Yes | No |
Implement Method | Yes | No |
Gen. Getters/Setters | Yes | No |
Syntax and Semantic Coloring | No | No |
Call hierarchy | No | No |
Type hierarchy | No | No |
Organize Includes | No | No |