Code Folding

On this page:

• Basics
• Code folding means
• Folding predefined and custom regions
• Commands of the Folding menu and associated shortcuts
• Specifying code folding preferences
• Viewing folded code fragments
  • Viewing the beginning of a folding region
• Using code folding comments
  • Supported folding comments
  • Surrounding a fragment with folding comments
  • Navigating to folding regions

Basics

You can collapse (fold) code fragments reducing them to a single visible line. In this way, you can hide the details that, at the moment, seem unimportant. If and when necessary, the folded code fragments can be expanded (unfolded).

Folded code fragments, normally, are shown as shaded ellipses ().

Code folding means

You can collapse and expand code fragments by using:

• Code folding toggles (, or ). These toggles are shown in the editor to the left of the corresponding folding regions. If a region is unfolded, indicates the beginning of the region while is located at its end. For folded regions, the toggle is shown as .

  If you hold the Alt key and click , or , the region is collapsed or expanded recursively, i.e. along with all its subordinate regions.

• Commands of the Folding menu and associated keyboard shortcuts. The Folding menu can be accessed from the main menu bar (Code | Folding), or as a context menu in the editor. The shortcuts are shown right in the menu. See Commands of the Folding menu and associated shortcuts.
• Folded fragments themselves: click to expand the corresponding fragment. See also, Viewing folded code fragments.

Folding predefined and custom regions

You can fold and unfold:

• Lists and dictionaries.
• Code blocks, i.e. code under the keywords class, def, while, if, etc.
• Consecutive commented lines.
• Predefined regions that correspond to such elements as import declarations, method bodies, documentation comments, etc. The predefined regions, roughly, correspond to the ones listed under Collapse by default on the Editor | General | Code Folding page in the Settings/Preferences dialog.

  For the predefined regions, the folding toggles are available right away, without the need to perform any additional actions.

• Any selected code fragment. A custom folding region for a selection is created and removed by means of the Fold Selection/ Remove Region command (Ctrl+Period).
• Regions surrounded by corresponding commented folding markers (e.g. //<editor-fold desc="Description">...//</editor-fold>). See Using code folding comments.

Commands of the Folding menu and associated shortcuts

The Folding menu can be accessed from the main menu bar (Code | Folding), or as a context menu in the editor.

Specifying code folding preferences

You can specify:

• Whether the code folding toggles should be shown.
• Which folding regions should be collapsed by default.

The corresponding settings are in the Settings dialog (Ctrl+Alt+S) on the Editor | General | Code Folding page.

For more information, see Code Folding page.

Viewing folded code fragments

To see the contents of a folded fragment, point to the ellipsis that indicates that fragment.

Viewing the beginning of a folding region

To see the beginning of a folding region - if it's not currently visible - point to the folding toggle at the end of that region.

Using code folding comments

• Supported folding comments
• Surrounding a fragment with folding comments
• Navigating to folding regions

Supported folding comments

You can create custom folding regions by surrounding code fragments with the commented lines. So doing, the comments can be either NetBeans style, or Visual Studio style.

NetBeans style

For non-Python files:

For Python files:

Visual Studio style

For non-Python files:

For Python files:

Once you have chosen the style for a file, don't use the other style in that file.

Surrounding a fragment with folding comments

1. Select the code fragment of interest.
2. Select Code | Surround With or press Ctrl+Alt+T.
3. Select the folding comments to be used.

   

4. Specify the fragment description.

   

   Now if you collapse the fragment, the description you have specified is shown in place of the code.

Navigating to folding regions

You can navigate to custom folding regions that were formed by surrounding code fragments with the corresponding commented folding markers:

1. Select Navigate | Custom Folding or press Ctrl+Alt+Period.
2. Select the target folding region. (The regions in the list are identified by their descriptions.)