JetBrains Rider 2023.3 Help

Context actions

Context actions are code transformations helpers available right in the editor. In contrast to quick-fixes, context actions do not aim to resolve a problem or improve your code, instead, they allow you to quickly introduce minor changes like changing access modifiers, generating code that checks for null, convert 'foreach' to 'for', etc.

JetBrains Rider provides hundreds of context actions in all supported languages. You can find the full list on the Editor | Context Actions page of JetBrains Rider settings Ctrl+Alt+S and in the list of context actions.

Apply context actions

As soon as a context action becomes available for the current caret position, JetBrains Rider displays the corresponding action indicator ThemedIcon.ContextAction.Screen.(Gray).png to the left of the caret. Sometimes however, JetBrains Rider provides several contextually available features for the current caret position. In this case, the action indicator corresponding to the action with the highest priority is shown, and all other actions only appear when you expand the action list by clicking on the action indicator or pressing Alt+Enter Context actions have the lowest priority, therefore, they often appear at the bottom of the action list.

Action list

In most cases, a context action is applied immediately. However, some actions require user interaction to choose how exactly they transform your code. In these cases, a Hot spot session is deployed in the editor, where you can select one of the suggested values or provide your own values in the active input positions.

For example, here is what happens when you apply the Iterate collection via 'foreach' context action:

Context actions. foreach 1

After creating the foreach statement, a hot spot session helps you complete editable parameters of the generated statement:

Context actions. foreach 2

To complete the hot spot session:

  • If JetBrains Rider suggests some values for the current parameter, use Up and Down arrow keys to navigate through the list of suggested values, or just type in a desired value.

  • Press Tab or Enter to accept the value and move to the input position of the next parameter. If this is the last parameter, the hot spot session completes and the caret moves to the end position defined for the session.

  • Press Shift+Tab to move the input focus to the input position of the previous parameter.

  • Press Esc to exit the hot spot session. In this case, all session parameters will be initialized with default values.

Configure context actions

Disable context actions

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S or choose File | Settings (Windows and Linux) or JetBrains Rider | Preferences (macOS) from the menu .

  2. Use the search field in the Settings/Preferences dialog to find specific context action.

    Alternatively, open the Editor | Context Actions page and look for the context actions that you want to disable.

  3. Clear the checkbox next to a context action to disable it.

  4. Click Save in the Settings dialog to apply the modifications and let JetBrains Rider choose where to save them, or save the modifications to a specific settings layer by choosing this layer from the Save selector. For more information, see layer-based settings.

Assign shortcuts to context actions

  1. In the editor, place the caret at the code that triggers the context action for which you want to assign a shortcut, and click the bulb icon or press Alt+Enter.

    A list of available suggestions opens.

  2. In the list, click next to the necessary context action and, from the menu that opens, select Assign shortcut….

    Assigning keyboard shortcut to intention action

  3. When the Keyboard Shortcut dialog opens, press the shortcut that you want to use for this action and click OK.

After that you won't need to open the list of suggestions to apply this context action in the editor; you will be able to do it right away by pressing the configured shortcut.

You can find all your custom context action shortcuts in settings: press Ctrl+Alt+S, click Keymap, and locate the Intentions category.

Apply context actions in wider scope

Some context actions can automatically find and change similar code items in a larger scope - in the current file, in the current project or in the whole solution. These context actions work the same as Fix in scope. For example, you can move all types from the current file to new matching files:

Applying context action in a wider scope

The full list of context actions that can be applied in wider scopes includes:

C#

  • Add another accessor

  • Add block braces to switch section statements

  • Add braces

  • Add deconstruct pattern component name

  • Add explicit name of anonymous property

  • Add name to argument

  • Add tuple component name

  • Add warning description comment to a '#pragma' directive

  • Change between 'set' and 'init' accessor

  • Convert anonymous type to tuple

  • Convert collection initializer into 'Add' method calls

  • Convert explicit to implicit implementation

  • Convert expression body member to statement body

  • Convert expression to 'StringBuilder'

  • Convert expression to 'StringBuilder' calls

  • Convert implicit to explicit interface implementation

  • Convert integer literal to binary form

  • Convert integer literal to the hexadecimal form

  • Convert integral literal to decimal form

  • Convert member value check expression to recursive pattern

  • Convert multiline string to separate 'AppendLine' calls

  • Convert not-null check into object pattern check

  • Convert object initializer into assignment statements

  • Convert object initializer into constructor invocation

  • Convert string interpolation to 'string.Format' call

  • Convert 'switch' expression to conditional ?: expression(s)

  • Convert 'switch' expression to 'if' statements

  • Convert 'switch' expression to 'switch' statement

  • Convert 'switch' statement to 'if' statements

  • Convert 'switch' statement to 'switch' expression

  • Convert to collection initializer

  • Convert to separate 'Append' and 'AppendLine' invocations

  • Convert to 'using' statement

  • Convert verbatim to raw string interpolation

  • Convert verbatim to raw string literal

  • Convert 'with' expression to temporary variable mutations

  • Create explicit array creation from 'params' parameter arguments

  • Create explicit constructor declaration for primary constructor

  • Create explicit field declaration for parameter of primary constructor

  • Create explicit property declaration for positional parameter

  • Delete comment

  • Fully qualify reference to type, static member, or namespace

  • Include member access into object pattern

  • Inline temporary variable

  • Inline using alias

  • Inline variable into condition expression

  • Insert digit separators in integer literal

  • Insert digit separators in real literal

  • Insert generic method invocation type arguments

  • Insert lambda expression parameters signature

  • Insert lambda expression return type specification

  • Insert type specification after default literal

  • Invoke extension method as ordinary static method

  • Join attributes into single section

  • Join local variable declaration and assignment

  • Merge sequential checks into null-propagating expression

  • Merge sequential null/pattern checks into single pattern check

  • Migrate to #nullable enable

  • Move assignment in constructor to initializer

  • Move type to another file to match its name

  • Qualify static members imported via 'using static' directive

  • Remove #region, #endregion directives

    (see Add and remove #region blocks)

  • Remove argument name

  • Remove deconstruct pattern component name

  • Remove digit separators from numeric literal

  • Remove redundant parenthesis

    (see Code Syntax Style: Optional Parentheses)

  • Remove tuple component name

  • Replace '?:' conditional operator with null-propagating expression

  • Replace array initializer with expression

  • Replace auto-implemented property accessor with explicitly implemented accessor

  • Replace auto-property with property and backing field

  • Replace auto-property with property and 'field' keyword

  • Replace explicit type specification with 'var'

  • Replace 'field' keyword with explicit field declaration

  • Replace null-propagating expression with '?:' conditional operator

  • Replace separate deconstruction declarations with single declaration

  • Replace 'var' with explicit type declaration

  • Replace with access expression

  • Specify created type

  • Specify enum member values

  • Split 'and' patterns into multiple 'is' expressions or guard expression

  • Split attributes into separate sections

  • Split into nested patterns

  • Split null-propagating expression into sequential checks

  • Split 'or' patterns into multiple 'is' expressions or 'switch' cases

  • Split recursive pattern into several consecutive checks

  • Split 'var' pattern into separate variable declaration

  • To block-scoped namespace

  • To file-scoped namespace

  • To named property patterns

  • Use 'ConfigureAwait(false)' call

  • Use explicit discard declaration

  • Use implicit discard declaration

  • Use 'nameof' expression to capture name of entity

  • Use object/collection initializer instead of assignments/.Add() method calls

  • Use positional deconstruction pattern

  • Use separate declarations in deconstruction declaration/patterns

  • Use string interpolation

  • Use target-typed new

  • Use 'var (...)' syntax for deconstructing declarations with multiple variables

TypeScript

  • Move type to another file to match its name

Unity

  • Convert to named assembly definition reference

VB.NET

  • Use string interpolation

List of context actions

Use the links below to see the full list of context actions available for specific languages:

Last modified: 21 March 2024
Color assistanceLanguage-independent context actions