If you're looking to enhance your JavaScript experience, there are several paths you can explore. It's been some time since I last delved into these options, so I suggest experimenting to see which suits your needs best.
1. Enhancing JS Intellisense with Reference Comments
In Visual Studio's JavaScript editor, you have the ability to expand JS intellisense by including references to other JavaScript files through a specific comment that should be added at the beginning of your JS file.
/// <reference path="../app/your-transpiled-ts-file.js" />
2. Utilizing References in Visual Studio Options
An alternative approach is configuring global reference settings via Options > JavaScript > IntelliSense > References.
For further details on this topic, refer to Mads Kristensen's informative article.
3. Leveraging TypeScript's allowJs
Feature
A standout feature introduced in TypeScript (around version 1.8) is the allowJs
flag, which can be toggled to true
within your project's tsconfig.json
file.
Enabling this option grants you access to TypeScript definition files within your JavaScript codebase, providing a comprehensive intelliSense experience.
To witness this functionality firsthand, check out Anders Hejlsberg's demonstration during Build 2016, highlighting the benefits of the allowJs
flag.