Inlay Hints

Show inferred types and parameter names directly in your code.

Type Hints

What Are Type Hints?

Type hints display the inferred type for var declarations:

var customer = new Customer(); // var: Customer
var age = 42; // var: int
var items = GetItems(); // var: List<Item>

Enabling Type Hints

1. Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
2. Search for csharp-dev-tools.inlayHints.enableTypeHints
3. Enable the setting

Or use Command Palette: “Toggle C# Type Inlay Hints”

Benefits

• Understand types at a glance
• Keep convenience of var
• Reduce mental overhead
• Better code comprehension

Parameter Hints

What Are Parameter Hints?

Parameter hints show parameter names in method calls:

DoSomething(/* value: */ 42, /* name: */ "test", /* enabled: */ true)

Enabling Parameter Hints

1. Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
2. Search for csharp-dev-tools.inlayHints.enableParameterHints
3. Enable the setting

Benefits

• Understand method arguments
• Reduce need to check method signatures
• Improve code readability
• Especially helpful for boolean parameters

Customization

Color Configuration

Customize hint colors in settings.json:

{
  "csharpStuff.inlayHints.typeColor": {
    "dark": "#606060",
    "light": "#808080"
  }
}

Font Style

Hints use VS Code’s inlay hint styling by default. Customize via:

{
  "editor.inlayHints.fontSize": 11,
  "editor.inlayHints.fontFamily": "monospace"
}

Performance

Inlay hints are:

• Computed on demand
• Cached for performance
• Updated as you type
• Lightweight and fast

Best Practices

• Use type hints to understand complex LINQ queries
• Enable parameter hints for methods with many parameters
• Customize colors to match your theme
• Toggle off when not needed for cleaner view

Troubleshooting

Hints Not Appearing

• Ensure C# Language Server is running
• Check settings are enabled
• Restart VS Code if needed
• Verify file is part of project

Performance Issues

• Disable if experiencing slowdowns
• Check C# Language Server status
• Reduce hint frequency in settings