What is the Description field?

Since moving to Xojo, I have noticed the Description field, but I really don’t know what it is for.

Any help?

In windows (I’m not sure about mac/linux), its bundled with the exe so you can give the program a description when right clicking, properties on the exe. It used to be useful back in the day so you could find out some info on a exe when you had lots in a folder. EDIT: This is referring to Shared>Description.

I always thought they were for your own internal use for documenting methods, properties, and events.

yes the description field in each method or class is for documenting.
when you use one method, at the bottom of the window the description appears
it helps a lot to remember the good parameters.

I don’t see it available for classes, controls, or sub-classed controls. It’s available for constants.

Never knew it would display in the IDE as you’re coding. Handy.

Also used to describe Events you’ve created.

Excuse my ignorance here, but where is this alleged Description field in the IDE? Darned if I can find it.

There are two places: in the Shared Build Settings in the project list on the left, and in the Inspector’s second page when you have some project item highlighted. Each have different purposes.

Ah, there… Seems to me that (a) it should be on the Inspector’s first page where it’s more likely to be seen, and (b) it should be a text area not a text field. If that was the case I’d use it a lot, esp. to document interfaces.

The icon next too it will let you edit it in a larger pane, just like a constant.

I’d love to have access to that field from the first tab as well. I wish I knew about it’s existence before…

I did not know about that field. Amazing! Thanks a lot.

They’ve been there since about 2015r3 or 4 :stuck_out_tongue:

I disagree. It’s not a critical part of development. It can stay on the auxiliary page in my opinion.

I leave my descriptions as comments at the top of the method if the method name isn’t self explanatory. The only time I used the Description field was when offering a third party control so the event description would show up in the “Add an event definition” sheet.

Also, the description text is not searchable. Drat.