visual-cpp-code-snippets.md

title	description	ms.date	ms.topic	author	ms.author	manager	dev_langs
Visual C++ code snippets	Learn how to use code snippets to add commonly used code to your C++ code files.	04/05/2024	reference	tylermsft	twhitney	markl	CPP

Visual C++ code snippets

In Visual Studio, you can use code snippets to add commonly used code to your C++ code files. Code snippets can make writing program code quicker, easier, and more reliable.

Complete list of C++ code snippets

Code snippets work much the same way in C++ and C#, but the set of default code snippets is different. To see the list of available C++ code snippets, select Tools > Code Snippets Manager from the Visual Studio menu bar, or press Ctrl+K, B, and then select Visual C++ from the Language dropdown menu.

Expand the Visual C++ folder to see the names of all the C++ code snippets in alphabetical order. Select a snippet to see information about the snippet. For more information about code snippets, see Code snippets.

Expansion snippets and surround-with snippets

You can insert expansion code snippets at particular locations in your code, or surround selected code with surround-with code snippets.

Insert a code snippet

To insert a C++ code snippet:

1. Open a C++ .cpp or .h file and put your insertion point somewhere in the file.

2. Take one of the following actions:

   • Right-click and select Insert Snippet from the context menu.
   • On the Visual Studio menu bar, select Edit > IntelliSense > Insert Snippet.
   • Press Ctrl+K, X.

3. Double-click #if in the dropdown list, or type #if and press Enter or Tab. The following code is added at the insertion point:

   #if0 #endif// 0

4. Replace the 0 with the correct condition.

Surround selected code with a code snippet

To surround selected code with a code snippet:

1. Open a C++ .cpp or .h file and select some code. In the following example, the line #include "pch.h" is selected.

2. Take one of the following actions:

   • Right-click and select Surround With from the context menu.
   • On the Visual Studio menu bar, select Edit > IntelliSense > Surround With.
   • Press Ctrl+K, S.

3. Double-click #if in the dropdown list, or type #if and press Enter or Tab. The code surrounds the selected line.

   #if0 #include "pch.h" // or whatever line you had selected #endif// 0

4. Replace the 0 with the correct condition.

C++ code snippet usage

The names of most C++ code snippets are self-explanatory, but some names might be confusing.

Class, classi

The class snippet provides the definition of a class named MyClass. The definitions of the appropriate default constructor and destructor are located outside the class.

classMyClass { public:MyClass(); ~MyClass(); private: }; MyClass::MyClass() { } MyClass::~MyClass() { }

The classi code snippet also provides the definition of a class named MyClass, but the default constructor and destructor are defined inside the class definition.

classMyClass { public:MyClass() { } ~MyClass() { } private: };

For, forr, rfor

The three different for snippets provide different kinds of for loops.

• The rfor snippet provides a range-based for loop. This construct is preferred over index-based for loops.

  for (auto& i : v) { }

• The for snippet provides a for loop in which the condition is based on the length of an object in size_t.

  for (size_t i = 0; i < length; i++) { }

• The forr snippet provides a reverse for loop in which the condition is based on the length of an object in integers.

  for (int i = length - 1; i >= 0; i--) { }

The destructor snippet (~)

The destructor snippet ~ shows different behavior in different contexts. If you insert this snippet inside a class, it provides a destructor for that class.

For example, if you insert the destructor snippet inside a class named SomeClass, it provides a destructor for SomeClass.

classSomeClass { ~SomeClass() { } };

If you insert the destructor snippet outside a class, it provides a destructor with a placeholder name.

~TypeNamePlaceholder() { }

Related content

• Code snippets
• Code snippets schema reference