Rearrange Code Elements

How it works

To rearrange code, press Ctrl+Shift+Alt over a code element or selection that you want to move. If it makes sense to move the elements, ReSharper shows you a tooltip with possible move options.

tip

To select a logical code block, press Control+W one or more times; to select the current declaration, press Control+Shift+OemOpenBrackets.

If you invoke this command without selection, ReSharper selects the movable element automatically. Sometimes two selections are made. In this case, one selection is highlighted with blue, the other with yellow. For example, if you invoke this command over a function parameter, ReSharper makes two selections: the parameter itself, which you can move left or right relative to other parameters, and the whole function, which you can move up and down relative to other type members:

Move up and Move down commands are pretty straightforward — they can move elements within a specific scope up and down relatively to other elements in this scope. For example, you can move up and down types in a file, type members in a type, statements in a type member or in a compound statement, etc.
If the current element is first or last in its scope, ReSharper will not allow you to move it any further with up/down commands.

Move left and Move right commands serve two purposes:

• Rearrange elements that are normally written in a single line. For example, you can move left and right attributes, function parameters, operands in an expression, parts of assignment statements, and so on. Note that the left/right commands are applied to these elements even if they are written in multiple lines.

• Move a statement inside the compound statement or region that directly follows it (move right) or move a statement outside the compound statement or region (move left).

tip

If you press Ctrl+Shift+Alt and ReSharper does not select anything or it does not show you a tooltip with move suggestion, then the current element or selection cannot be moved anywhere without breaking the compilation.

Although ReSharper tries not to allow invalid moves, there are still cases when you can break either logic or compilation of your code. Note that ReSharper provides a lot of refactorings that help you safely rearrange your code, for example, Move Type to Outer Scope refactoring and Change Signature refactoring. If your code is broken after moving a code element, press Alt+Enter and check for available quick-fixes. Most of the time, you will find the right refactoring right in the action list.

tip

To delete elements selected this way, press Backspace, Delete, or Ctrl+X, and ReSharper will automatically remove remaining whitespaces and utility characters with structural remove.

Applicable cases

ReSharper allows you to move elements in the following ways:

• Types and type members. Note that if the symbol has XML comments, ReSharper moves them together with the symbol.

  • Types up and down within the current file or within a containing declaration

  • Type members up and down within the type

  • Base types left and right

  • Type parameters left and right

  • Type parameter constraints up and down

  • Attributes left and right

  • Parameters in declarations and arguments in usages of functions left and right (if you reorder parameters for a function declaration, ReSharper suggests the Change Signature refactoring that makes sure to change arguments in all usages of the function.

  • Setters and getters of properties up and down

• Statements

  • Parts of assignment statements left and right

  • Statements within a function or a compound statement up and down

  • Statements out of a compound statement (left) or into an immediately following compound statement (right)

  • Switch sections within a switch statement up and down

  • Statements from one clause of an if-else, try-catch statement, or from one switch section to another one up and down

  • catch clauses within a try-catch statement up and down

  • Closing brace of a compound statement up and down (greedy brace). To move the closing brace, place the caret outside of the brace, press Ctrl+Shift+Alt and then use the up and down arrows to include statements that follow the current compound statement inside it or move the last statement outside it.

  • Opening or closing brace of a type or a namespace also works as a 'greedy brace'. In this case, it will include/exclude nested types/members/namespaces.

• Expressions

  • Operands in expressions left and right

  • Elements in collection and array initializations left and right

  • Clauses in query expressions up and down

  • Range expression operands (C# 8) left and right

• Other elements

  • Type parameters of generic type/method declarations

  • Arguments in template strings left and right

  • Values inside interpolated strings

  • Line and c-style comments up and down

  • #region block up and down, out of and into another #region block

  • #region and #endregion directives up and down

  • Line in a text file where the caret is placed up and down

  • Selection in a text file up and down

tip

ReSharper also allows you to rearrange type members automatically according to the specified layout.