JetBrains Rider 2018.1 Help

Code Syntax Style: Modifiers

C# modifiers of types and type members can be written in any order. However, arranging them in a similar way throughout your code is a good practice, which improves code readability. Besides, you may prefer using or not using private and internal modifiers explicitly.

JetBrains Rider helps you arrange modifiers in the existing code and takes your preferences into account when it produces new code with code completion and code generation features, applies code templates and performs refactorings.

Arranging modifiers in existing code

By default, JetBrains Rider suggests to use private and internal modifiers explicitly, and to arrange modifiers in a specific order. If necessary, you can flexibly configure these preferences.

If your code does not comply with these preferences, JetBrains Rider highlights such declarations and suggests the corresponding quick-fix or fix in scope for the order of modifiers:

Sorting modifiers

... for the private modifier:

Fixing implicit private modifier

... and for the internal modifier:

Fixing implicit internal modifier

Another option to enforce all your preferences for modifiers in a bulk mode is code cleanup. You can either run code cleanup with the default profile Default: Full Cleanup or run the cleanup with a custom profile solely targeted at your specific task as described below.

To apply preferences for modifiers with code cleanup

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S, or alternatively choose File | Settings on Windows and Linux or JetBrains Rider | Preferences on macOS.
  2. Go to the Code Cleanup settings page: Editor | Code Cleanup.
  3. Create a new profile as described in the To create a new custom cleanup profile section. In the Selected profile settings section for the new profile tick the Use explicit/implicit modifier for types, Use explicit/implicit modifier for type members, and Sort modifiers check boxes.
  4. Click Save to apply the modifications and let JetBrains Rider choose where to save them, or save the modifications to a specific settings layer using the Save To drop-down list. For more information, see layer-based settings.
  5. Select the scope where you want to arrange modifiers:
    • Set the caret anywhere in the file to arrange modifiers to the file.
    • Select one or more items in the Solution Explorer to arrange modifiers in the files under these nodes and their child items.
  6. Choose Code | Code Cleanup in the main menu.
  7. In the Code Cleanup dialog that opens, select the newly created profile.
  8. Click OK. JetBrains Rider will arrange modifiers in the selected scope.

Configuring preferences for modifiers

Your modifiers-related preferences are saved using the mechanism of layer-based settings. Among other things, this mechanism allows you to maintain different preferences for different solutions as well as to keep these preferences under a VCS and automatically share them with your team members.

To configure preferences for modifiers

  1. Go to the Editor | Code Style | C# page of JetBrains Rider settings (Ctrl+Alt+S), and then select the Code Style tab.
  2. In the Modifiers category, specify the desired order of modifiers and set the preferences for explicit using of private and internal modifiers.
  3. The selectors in the right column allow you to set severity levels of code inspections detecting code that differs from your preferences.
  4. Click Save to apply the modifications and let JetBrains Rider choose where to save them, or save the modifications to a specific settings layer using the Save To drop-down list. For more information, see layer-based settings.
Last modified: 20 August 2018