Add tip resources from VBA code comments and other features suggestions.

[loquat]

it seems Intellisense tip have 3 types of resources

1. external xml file with $workbook.name$..IntelliSense.xml
2. built-in xml part inside workbook using Workbook.CustomXMLParts.Add strXMLContent
3. worksheet with a name of "IntelliSense"
   i have found two problems
4. when tip resources updated then tips will not auto-update
   maybe we can add a callback function to update tip resources by hand.
5. when the external and built-in xml resource does not exist, the worksheet("Intellisense") resource seems not load
   which seems like a bug
   and i have suggestions like below
6. maybe we can add a new resource, which read from VBA IDE.VBE code comments
   '@FuncDesc:A function described by vba comments
   '@param1:FirstArg As Variant
   '@desc1:this is for FirstArg
   ' and this for FirstArg too
   '@Param2:SndArg As Long
   '@DeSC2:this is for SndArg
   Function MyVbaFunction(FirstArg, SndArg)
   MyVbaFunction = FirstArg + SndArg
   End Function
7. when four types of tip resources all on
   i think the tip load priority can be like this: vba comments -> worksheet -> external xml -> built in xml
   because vba comments and worksheet data can be set and update more conveniently.
8. maybe we can add a callback function to set custom tip data like this.
   Sub GetTipString(byref strTipContent as string)
   strTipContent = ReadTextFile("c:\1.xml")
   End Sub

[govert]

Hi @loquat - thank you for the great feedback.

There is a way to refresh the IntelliSense server, though it's only easy to call from C# as IntelliSenseServer.Refresh(). From VBA one would have to get the active IntelliSense server Id from the environment variable EXCELDNA_INTELLISENSE_ACTIVE_SERVER, then call a magic hidden function called IntelliSenseServerControl_{activeServerId} with the argument "REFRESH". I'll try to make a VBA sample when I get a chance.
This would rescan all the IntelliSense sources for descriptions etc.

Your point 5 indeed sounds like a bug - I'll have to check.

Scanning the VBA for such pseudo-attributes is an interesting suggestion.

What do you see as the advantage of option 8 beyond writing the external file like 1 and having a refresh option?

[loquat]

I'll try to make a VBA sample when I get a chance. This would rescan all the IntelliSense sources for descriptions etc.

----thanks in advance, i will try myself too.

Scanning the VBA for such pseudo-attributes is an interesting suggestion.

----i know some people would use this kind of comments to auto generate help files like chm.
----so this idea should take visual studio ide features as reference.

What do you see as the advantage of option 8 beyond writing the external file like 1 and having a refresh option?

----that is my idea for vba developers to update or add tip resources at runtime as their wish.
such as:
IntelliSenseServerControl_{activeServerId} "StartServer"
IntelliSenseServerControl_{activeServerId} "ReStartServer"
IntelliSenseServerControl_{activeServerId} "StopServer"
IntelliSenseServerControl_{activeServerId} "UpdateResources", enuAll 'update tip resources follow option 7 loading priority.
update externalxml or worksheet tip or both, it will edit/replace tip resource items, no deleting the old ones.
IntelliSenseServerControl_{activeServerId} "AddCustomResource", enuXML, "c:\1.xml"
IntelliSenseServerControl_{activeServerId} "AddCustomResource", enuJSON, "c:\1.json"
IntelliSenseServerControl_{activeServerId} "AddCustomResource", enuString, strTips 'one can add func tips once a time.
when i say AddCustomResource, it means edit/replace tip resouce items, no deleting the old ones.