'declare method' quick fix for adding a private method

TypeScript Version: 3.9.0-dev.20200330

Search terms

quick fix
declare method
private

Repro
For ts file:

index.ts

class Bar {
    bar() {
         this._baz(123)
    }
}

Trigger quick fixes on _baz

Feature request:
#36249 added a quick fix for adding private properties. However there is no quick fix for adding a private method

Playground Link:

Related Issues:

Declare property quick fix should add private properties (or be configurable) #36249

I am the original one complaining about this: what I expect is NOT having 1 code action per visibility, but rather ONE code action (as today) with a tab-stop at the visibility that I can flip the various visibilities. I realise this may need support from VSCode too. Here is how it would work:

you trigger the code action
you get into a mode like snippets where certain places are stops you can cycle through with Tab key
each method or property has a tab stop where you can navigate to and once you are there, be able to select a modifier private, protected, public etc.

Daniel Rosenwasser (@DanielRosenwasser)

Daniel Rosenwasser (@DanielRosenwasser) Is there a way to have a sub action to handle tab-stop? Or need to generate all possible actions for various methods/properties and VSCode should resolve tab-stop? Do I need to close #37806, and revert #36249?

Could you explain what you mean by tab-stop? I feel like I have an idea, but I might be out of the loop on something.

Benjamin Pasero (@bpasero)

Benjamin Pasero (@bpasero)

Could you explain what you mean by tab-stop?

Tabstops are from VS Code's snippets: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/userdefinedsnippets#_tabstops

There is no concept of tabstops in the TS Server api today since it only talks about text. I've opened #25207 which proposes adding the idea of snippets to typescript

Daniel Rosenwasser (@DanielRosenwasser)

Right now I see two ways for this issue

Resolve this issue based on the original requirements
Close feat(37782): 'declare method' quick fix for adding a private method #37806 revert Declare property quick fix should add private properties (or be configurable) #36249 and add tab-stop for modifiers after TSServer: snippet completions #25207 will be implemented

I feel like I have an idea

Daniel Rosenwasser (@DanielRosenwasser) Maybe you have a better idea :)

Hah, I meant like "I might have an idea of what you mean by tab stops". I think the weird thing is that the rename location already allows you to make something #-private, but it's not clear whether we could make a conditional tabstop location for when the declaration isn't #-private

To demonstrate what I expect to happen, here is what Eclipse does:

Notice how some tab-stops are linked, so renaming the method actually also renames the call!

And what VSCode does:

Paper cuts:

method is added above constructor???
no way to change anything after the method was inserted

Can we reopen this or reconsider this?

Yeah, #37806 partially fixes this but doesn't address the full issue. I'll re-open that so we can unify the two fixes when post-codefix rename locations are available.

From microsoft/vscode#94118

TypeScript Version: 3.9.0-dev.20200330

Search terms

quick fix

declare method

private

Repro
For ts file:

index.ts
class Bar {
    bar() {
         this._baz(123)
    }
}
Trigger quick fixes on _baz

Feature request:
#36249 added a quick fix for adding private properties. However there is no quick fix for adding a private method

Playground Link:

Related Issues:

Declare property quick fix should add private properties (or be configurable) #36249

It’s fixed i guess.

Daniel Rosenwasser (@DanielRosenwasser)

Daniel Rosenwasser (@DanielRosenwasser) is it still open?

Matt Bierner (@mjbvz)

This is my first investment in outsourcing, can I start with this? Matt Bierner (@mjbvz)

I noticed this issue. Have you tried checking the error logs or console output? That might help narrow down the root cause. I'd be happy to help investigate if you can share more details about your environment (OS, version, etc.).

Hi! I’m going to implement the “declare method” quick fix and will open a PR from branch feat/37782-declare-method-quick-fix (fork: oppong07/TypeScript). I’ll add tests demonstrating the failing diagnostic and the expected result after applying the fix, and I will link this issue from the PR.
If maintainers prefer this work be submitted to microsoft/typescript-go instead, please let me know.
Branch: https://github.com/oppong07/TypeScript/tree/feat/37782-declare-method-quick-fix

add fourslash test for declare missing method quickfix (microsoft#37782

Add missing diagnostic message for private method quick fix

This looks like it's already resolved for the originally-reported case. #37806 (merged 2020-05-06) added the "Declare private method" / "Declare method" quick-fix actions in fixAddMissingMember.ts, and there's a fourslash test (codeFixAddMissingMember18_declarePrivateMethod.ts) covering exactly the repro from this issue:

class A {
    constructor() {
        this._foo();
    }
}

Triggering the quick fix on _foo today produces private _foo() { throw new Error("Method not implemented."); }, and _baz(123) from the original repro would work the same way — TS infers private from the leading underscore via startsWithUnderscore().

What's still open is the follow-up scope from later in this thread: a single linked quick-fix with a tab-stop to cycle between private/protected/public (and rename the call site in sync), which needs snippet/tabstop support in the language service — tracked separately in #25207 and still unimplemented. That's a materially bigger change than "add a declare-method codefix," so it's probably worth relabeling or splitting into its own issue so this one can close and new contributors don't duplicate the already-merged #37806 work (as looks like it might be about to happen).

Stella (@LeonxLJX)

I'd like to take this one — I'll follow up with a PR. (claiming via Stella (@LeonxLJX))

Hi! I'd like to add the 'declare method' quick fix. Plan: implement the code fix, add tests. May I be assigned?

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'declare method' quick fix for adding a private method #37782

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'declare method' quick fix for adding a private method #37782

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bpasero commented on Apr 10, 2020

a-tarasyuk commented on Apr 13, 2020

DanielRosenwasser commented on Apr 13, 2020

a-tarasyuk commented on Apr 13, 2020

mjbvz commented on Apr 13, 2020

a-tarasyuk commented on Apr 14, 2020

DanielRosenwasser commented on Apr 14, 2020

bpasero commented on May 9, 2020

sandersn commented on May 11, 2020

asd34-45 commented on May 31, 2020

asd34-45 commented on May 31, 2020

asd34-45 commented on May 31, 2020

arvind-nikam-halodoc commented on Mar 10, 2021

NsdHSO commented on Jul 23, 2024

kamolovd commented on Aug 28, 2025

tysoncung commented on Oct 7, 2025

oppong07 commented on Jan 4, 2026

tejash5489-lang commented on Aug 15, 2026

LeonxLJX commented on Sep 1, 2026

LeonxLJX commented on Sep 1, 2026

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