TODOs and code organization

At a glance

Rider can collect TODO comments from across a solution into a dedicated tool window. This is useful for local reminders and small technical-debt notes. A TODO comment is not a replacement for an issue with an owner, acceptance criteria or priority.

TODO syntax in C#

// TODO: Add a test for the empty inventory case.
// BUG: This conversion fails when a saved value exceeds int.MaxValue.
// FIXME: Replace the temporary lookup before release.

Rider ships with TODO patterns and lets you customize them under Settings → Editor → TODO. Built-in recognition includes TODO and BUG patterns; other labels such as FIXME may depend on your TODO pattern configuration. Check your keymap and patterns instead of assuming every word is indexed automatically.

Open and review tasks

Open View → Tool Windows → TODO.
Filter or group the entries by relevant files and directories.
Open a matched line, resolve the issue and remove or revise the comment.
For team work, move actionable items into the issue tracker and link to an issue if your conventions allow it.

When to use what

Situation	Better option	Why
Remember where you were debugging	Bookmark	No source change required
Explain a non-obvious rule	Ordinary comment	Context should stay near code
Note a tiny outstanding change	TODO comment	Easily searchable inside IDE
Track a release blocker	Issue	Needs visibility, priority and ownership
Explain method arguments	XML documentation	Helpful to API consumers and IDE tooling

Example: a useful TODO

// TODO(#142): Support migrations from save format v1 before enabling cloud sync.
public SaveData Read(string path) { /* implementation */ throw new NotImplementedException(); }

Prefer a task with a reason and, when appropriate, an issue identifier. Avoid keeping outdated TODOs for work that has already been completed.

Try it yourself

Add a TODO to a practice project, open the TODO tool window, then resolve the item and remove the marker. Compare that with placing an anonymous bookmark.

Further reading