v2.0.0-rc1 - Automatic docstring updates

Today, we are incredibly excited to share our first release candidate for Autodoc, which takes the work out of maintaining updated docstrings. As of today, you no longer need to press Cmd + D if you don't want to - we can just do it for you. Autodoc works by measuring changes to your code on every keystroke, and looking for meaningful code changes. If it finds any, it will either highlighting a function that has an outdated docstring, or automatically writing a new one for you.

We built a system so fast that you won't even notice it working until it predicts a necessary change to your docstrings. On top of all of that, it's also highly configurable. Want us to update all your docstrings for you, on nearly every change? You got it. Prefer fewer changes, manually reviewed? You got it.

To make the most of auto-doc, you need to understand a couple new settings we've added to this end. You can find these by going to Settings -> Trelent -> Autodoc. We've also added tags, which you can find a reference for below the settings

Autodoc Change Threshold

This is the threshold Autodoc uses for detecting out-dated functions. There are three presets, which control how passive or aggressive we'll be about finding code changes.

Passive: Acts on large code changes, typically ~5 updates per hour when working in a single function.
Neutral: Acts on moderate code changes, typically ~10 updates per hour when working with a single function.
Aggressive: Acts on most multi-line code changes, typically ~20 per hour when working with a single function.

Autodoc Mode

This is the mode Autodoc will use to determine whether it should automatically update a docstring, highlight a function, or ignore changes completely. Here is the behaviour of each setting:

Mode	Updates all docstrings	Updates tagged docstrings	Highlights all functions	Highlights tagged functions	Ignores tagged functions
Highlight Per-Function	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Highlight Globally	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Maintain Docstrings	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

Trelent tags

You can add tags next to function definitions to tell Trelent to highlight, automatically update, or ignore changes to that particular function. These tags take the form @trelent-auto, @trelent-highlight and @trelent-ignore. Here are examples in Python, and Typescript.

def my_func(): # @trelent-auto
   print("This function will have its docstring kept up to date")

def some_func(): # @trelent-highlight
   print("This will be highlighted when the docstring is out of date.")

def another_func(): # @trelent-ignore
   print("This function will be ignored.")

const my_func = () => { // @trelent-auto
   console.log("This function will have its docstring kept up to date");
};
const some_func = () => { // @trelent-highlight
   console.log("This will be highlighted when the docstring is out of date.")
};

const another_func = () => { // @trelent-ignore
   console.log("This function will be ignored.")
};

Installation

1. Uninstall Trelent from VS Code
2. Download the release VSIX File below, and save it somewhere memorable
3. Open the folder containing this file in VS Code
4. In the VS Code explorer, find the VSIX file, right click it, and click on "Install extension VSIX"
5. All done!

v1.8.5 - Nested Python functions and misc. bugs

Our last release created some issues when parsing nested Python functions, and certain C# methods. This small release fixes this (and our big screw-up with 1.8.4 - don't install that version).

v1.8.3 - Better function parsing

This one is a pretty big one below the surface. We fixed a ton of parsing errors in the extension, and, in so doing, effectively rebuilt our parsing system. What this means for you is fewer errors when trying to document functions, and better placement for the generated docstrings. This has also laid the groundwork for much wider language support in the very near future, and first on our list is TypeScript, support for which should come out within the next two weeks.

The real reason this update is notable, though, is because this is the first of many contributions by our friend @Coolroo who is now working full-time alongside me at Trelent. He is responsible for nearly all the changes in this version, so massive kudos to him! Going forward, we're going to have far more resources to work with, and I really hope everyone is just as excited as we are for the months ahead!

v1.3.0 - C# and Java support + ease of use improvements!

Version 1.3.0 is our biggest release yet! Out of the box, we are now supporting C# and Java, with more languages coming super soon!

Usability has been dramatically increased. Instead of highlighting an entire function, just click anywhere in your function and press Alt+D to write a docstring. You can also right-click in the function, and select the "Write Docstring | Trelent" option at the bottom of the menu.

We also added a button to sign up for exta features - in the coming weeks we will be adding extras for people who sign up.

v1.2.0 - JavaScript Support

Version 1.2.0 comes with improvements to function parsing, and the much-demanded JavaScript & TypeScript support!

Full Changelog: v1.0.6...v1.2.0

v1.0.6

Version 1.0.6

This version dramatically improved the quality of docstrings server-side. Client-side, we slightly modified the way docstrings are retrieved from the server.

v1.0.5

Version 1.0.5

Version 1.0 made Trelent free for everyone to try, and increases ease of use. Just select your function(s) and hit Alt + d to generate and insert docstrings in reST format.