Finding your way
Symbol search
Finding your way · 1 min read
Find a function, class, or variable by name anywhere in the project, without knowing which file it is in.
When you would want it
You almost always remember what a thing is called and almost never remember where it lives.
Where to find it
- All Features → Symbol search
- Go to a symbol
- Turn on or off
- Settings
- Keyboard → Ctrl/Cmd+T
What you get out of it
- Names are how you remember code - this search matches how memory works.
- Cross-file search by symbol beats knowing a directory tree.
How to use it, step by step
- Press Ctrl+T.
- Type the name of the function, class or variable - you do not need to know what holds it.
- Results show the kind of thing and the file it lives in; arrow through them.
- Enter lands you exactly on the definition, regardless of where it lives.
Why this beats the usual way
File-based navigation asks you to remember two things - the name and its container. Symbol search asks for only the one you actually remember.
Shortcut
Ctrl/Cmd+T
Find it in Universal Search
Symbol search · Finding your way