You configure the behavior of Content Assist in the COBOL editor from
Window > Preferences > Micro Focus > COBOL > Editor > Content Assist. See
Editing assistance in the COBOL editor for more details.
Proposals
By default, Content Assist automatically shows list of proposals when you start typing in the Procedure Division of a program.
If
Enable auto activation is disabled, to show proposals, you need to press
Ctrl+Space.
Proposal lists include COBOL statements, identifiers and, for COPY statements, any copybooks that are part of the project.
You can optionally configure for the following to be included in the proposal lists:
- Include system copybooks in copybook proposals
- Check this for the proposal lists for COPY statements to also include copybooks that are external to the workspace but are
included in the project using the COBCPY environment variable.
- Include reserved words
- Check this to see COBOL reserved words in the proposals list. Enabled by default.
- Include code templates
- Check this to see COBOL code templates in the proposals list. Enabled by default.
- Include extension methods
- Check this to see any available extension methods in the proposal lists.
- Include XML special registers
- Enables the display of the XML special registers as identifiers in the IntelliSense lists.
- Enable legacy fuzzy matching
- Disabled by default. With this checked, you receive proposals of words that not only start with the letters you type but that
might be spelled differently but are similar to what you are typing. This can help receive relevant proposals in cases when
words are misspelled.
If this is unchecked, you only receive proposals that start with the letters you have typed.
Insertion
You can specify whether Content Assist adds items from the proposal lists that you select in insert or in overwrite mode.
To switch between the two modes in the editor, press and hold
Ctrl while you are typing.
- Completion inserts
- Click this to enter proposals in the code in insert mode. When this option is selected, you can force overwrite mode while
you type by pressing and holding
Ctrl.
- Completion overwrites
- Click this to enter proposals in the code in overwrite mode. When this option is selected, you can force insert mode while
you type by pressing and holding
Ctrl.
- Insert single proposals automatically
- Check this to automatically insert a proposal in the code, if it is the only item in the list.
- Completion overwrite foreground
- Font color to use to highlight the text to overwrite. Only applies when
Completion overwrites is enabled.
- Completion overwrite background
- Background color to use to highlight the text to overwrite. Only applies when
Completion overwrites is enabled.
- Case of reserved words
- Specifies the case of reserved words that will be inserted in the code:
- By dialect - Default. Content Assist inserted reserved words using the case required by the COBOL dialect of the project or
the program.
- Upper case - Content Assist inserts reserved words in upper case.
- Lower case - Content Assist inserts reserved words in lower case.
- As typed - Content Assist inserts reserved words in the case of the last character typed; for example: disp=lower case, DISP=upper
case, and disP=upper case.
- Case of identifiers
- Specifies the case of identifiers that will be inserted in the code:
- As declared - the case of the inserted identifiers is as in their declaration.
- Upper case - Content Assist inserts identifiers in upper case.
- Lower case - Content Assist inserts identifiers in lower case.
- As typed - Content Assist inserts identifiers in the case of the last character typed; for example: disp=lower case, DISP=upper
case, and disP=upper case.
Auto Activation
- Enable auto activation
- Checked by default. Enables Content Assist to automatically display a list of proposals for statements and identifiers when
you start typing. The list updates as you type.
If this option is disabled, to see Content Assist proposals, you need to press
Ctrl+Space.
- Auto activation delay (ms)
- Specify the time delay (in milliseconds) between typing a character and receiving Content Assist proposals.