Contextual information and scope¶
The Contextual Information window tracks where your cursor is in a source file and continuously pushes information about that location to you — the file's structure, the scope you're inside, and the entities near the cursor. Where the Information Browser shows whatever entity you explicitly select, Contextual Information follows the cursor automatically as you move around the editor.
Open it¶
Toggle it from View → Contextual Information, or the Toggle Contextual Information button on the editor toolbar. By default it docks at the bottom of the window.
What it shows¶
The window has two sections, each with two tabs, all keyed to your current cursor position:
| Section | Tab | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| File Context | Structure Browser | The major parts of the file (includes, functions, classes, …), highlighting where you are like a radar overview. |
| File Context | File Information | An Information Browser scoped to the file you're editing. |
| Scope Context | Scope Information | An Information Browser for the scope your cursor is currently inside. |
| Scope Context | Context Browser | The chain of enclosing scopes (with quick links up to higher scopes) plus the entities within a window of lines around the cursor. |
As you move the cursor, the scope changes and both sections update. The Context Browser labels the window of lines it's covering (for example, Context Information: Line 17).
It updates as you type or navigate
The panels refresh a moment after the cursor settles, so rapid scrolling or arrow-key movement doesn't cause constant redraws.
How it relates to the Information Browser¶
The File Information and Scope Information tabs are full Information Browser views embedded in the window — the same relationship data you'd get from View Information, but pointed automatically at the current file and scope instead of a selection. Two consequences:
- These embedded browsers keep their own configuration. Changing which relationships they expand does not affect the standalone Information Browser elsewhere in the GUI, and vice-versa.
- If you want a view that stays pinned to one entity while you explore elsewhere, use the standalone Information Browser. If you want a view that always reflects "where I am right now," use Contextual Information.
Pair it with Browse Mode¶
With Browse Mode on, clicking through code moves the cursor, which in turn updates the Contextual Information panels — so you can click a call, land in the callee, and immediately see its scope and structure without opening anything else.