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Adding #help to fsi
Published on June 20, 2024 by Florian Verdonck

Hello there! 

Some of you might remember our Unlocking F# Potential session from last November when dawe showed the first prototype of fsih. A small package modeled after the h function of the Elixir IEx REPL to have documentation available at your fingertips without the need to context switch to a browser.

The obvious thing to do was, of course, porting it to fsi itself to remove the hassle of referencing the package in every fsi session. The first try was made during an Amplifying F# session back in January. For various reasons, it wasn't possible to finish it at that time. A second attempt was started last May, this time with the financial backing of the Amplifying F# Open Collective.

The PR sparked a good discussion on how to make the functionality available to fsi users. Two competing ideas were implemented and reviewed in the PR. In the end the idea of reusing the #help directive was chosen.

To our great joy, the PR was merged last week and will be available in a future release of the F# compiler.

All in all, we're quite happy with the result of the porting effort. It would not have been possible without the generous supporters of the Amplifying F# Open Collective. So once again, we want to express our gratitude to all of you and to all reviewers of the PR.

If you want to see continuous improvements in the F# ecosystem, please consider to continue your financial support. Every little bit helps.

P.S. A more detailed blog post about the port can be found here 

Thank you all for your continued support!

Amplified greetings,

David, Edgar, Florian & Jimmy
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