Hover Information

Get comprehensive package details instantly without leaving your editor. Tombo's hover system provides rich metadata, version history, and direct links to help you make informed dependency decisions.

Rich Package Metadata

What You'll See

Hover over any package name to see:

📦 Package Information: - Package name and description - Current version you're using - Latest available version - Package maintainer and author information

🐍 Python Compatibility: - Required Python versions - Compatibility with your project's Python requirements - Platform-specific information (Windows, macOS, Linux)

📅 Version History: - Recent version releases with dates - Version stability indicators - Changelog and release notes links

🔗 Quick Links: - Direct link to PyPI package page - Documentation website - Source code repository - Issue tracker

Format Support

PEP 621 Projects

pyproject.toml

[project]
requires-python = ">=3.8"
dependencies = [
    "requests",             # ← Hover here for rich info
    "numpy>=1.24.0",        # ← Package + version constraint info
    "django~=4.2.0",        # ← See compatible versions
]

Hover Response:

📦 requests
HTTP library for Python

🏷️ Current: Not specified → Latest: 2.31.0
🐍 Python: >=3.7 (✅ Compatible with >=3.8)
📅 Released: Jul 12, 2023

Recent versions: 2.31.0, 2.30.0, 2.29.0
🔗 PyPI | Documentation | GitHub

Poetry Projects

pyproject.toml

[tool.poetry.dependencies]
python = "^3.9"
fastapi = "^0.100.0"        # ← Hover for FastAPI info
uvicorn = {extras = ["standard"], version = "^0.20.0"}

[tool.poetry.group.dev.dependencies]
pytest = "^7.0"             # ← Development dependency info

Requirements Files

requirements.txt

django>=4.2.0               # ← Web framework info
psycopg2-binary>=2.9.0      # ← Database adapter details
celery[redis]>=5.2.0        # ← Task queue with extras

Advanced Information

Version Analysis

Constraint Evaluation: - Shows which versions match your constraints - Highlights potential compatibility issues - Suggests optimal version ranges - Warns about deprecated or yanked versions

Example Analysis:

dependencies = ["numpy>=1.20.0,<2.0.0"]

Hover Shows:

📦 numpy
Numerical computing library

🏷️ Constraint: >=1.20.0,<2.0.0
✅ Latest matching: 1.24.3 (Jun 26, 2023)
🚧 Latest overall: 2.0.0rc1 (excluded by constraint)

Matching versions: 1.24.3, 1.24.2, 1.24.1, 1.23.5
⚠️ Note: v2.0.0 available but excluded by <2.0.0

Dependency Extras

Extra Information Display:

dependencies = [
    "fastapi[all]",         # ← Shows available extras
    "sqlalchemy[postgresql,asyncio]"  # ← Multiple extras info
]

Hover Response:

📦 fastapi[all]
Modern web framework for Python

🏷️ Current: [all] extras selected
📦 Extras included: all (uvicorn, jinja2, python-multipart, ...)

Available extras:
• all - Complete FastAPI experience
• standard - Basic FastAPI with common deps
• dev - Development dependencies

Smart Context Awareness

Python Version Compatibility

Project Context:

pyproject.toml

[project]
requires-python = ">=3.8"   # ← Affects compatibility display

Hover Adaptation: - ✅ Compatible - Green indicators for usable versions - ❌ Incompatible - Red warnings for unsupported versions - 🚧 Partial - Yellow cautions for edge cases

Environment Integration

Virtual Environment Detection: - Shows versions installed in current environment - Compares with PyPI latest versions - Indicates if updates are available - Warns about version mismatches

Performance Features

Smart Caching

Multi-tier Caching: 1. Instant Response - Cached packages load in ~5-10ms 2. Background Updates - Refreshes stale data quietly 3. Offline Capability - Works without internet after initial fetch

Cache Behavior: - First hover - Fetches fresh data from PyPI (~200-500ms) - Subsequent hovers - Instant from memory/disk cache - Auto-refresh - Updates stale data (configurable TTL)

Network Optimization

Efficient Data Fetching: - Batch requests - Multiple packages loaded together - Incremental updates - Only new data downloaded - Compressed responses - Faster data transfer - Connection pooling - Reuses network connections

Customization

Display Preferences

Configure what information appears in hover tooltips:

VS Code Settings

{
    "tombo.hover.showVersionHistory": true,
    "tombo.hover.showCompatibility": true,
    "tombo.hover.showLinks": true,
    "tombo.hover.maxRecentVersions": 5
}

Information Density

Compact Mode:

{
    "tombo.hover.compact": true  // Shorter, essential info only
}

Detailed Mode:

{
    "tombo.hover.detailed": true  // Full metadata display
}

Keyboard Navigation

Hover Triggers

Mouse Hover: - Simply hover over package names - Works in all supported file types - Automatic activation and dismissal

Keyboard Hover: - Windows/Linux: Ctrl+K Ctrl+I - macOS: Cmd+K Cmd+I - Position cursor on package name, then use shortcut

Link Navigation

In Hover Tooltip: - Click links - Opens in default browser - Ctrl+Click - Opens in new browser tab - Copy link - Right-click context menu

Real-World Examples

Web Development

FastAPI Project

[project]
dependencies = [
    "fastapi",              # ← See web framework details
    "uvicorn[standard]",    # ← ASGI server with extras
    "pydantic>=2.0.0",      # ← Data validation v2 info
    "sqlalchemy>=2.0.0",    # ← Modern ORM features
]

Hover Benefits: - Check FastAPI latest features and breaking changes - Understand Uvicorn extras and performance implications - Verify Pydantic v2 compatibility and migration requirements - See SQLAlchemy 2.0 improvements and async support

Data Science

ML Project

[project]
dependencies = [
    "numpy",                # ← Core numerical computing
    "pandas>=2.0.0",        # ← DataFrame library updates
    "scikit-learn",         # ← ML algorithms and tools
    "matplotlib>=3.7.0",    # ← Plotting and visualization
]

Information Value: - NumPy version compatibility with other scientific packages - Pandas 2.0 performance improvements and breaking changes - Scikit-learn algorithm updates and new features - Matplotlib rendering backends and figure formats

Troubleshooting

Hover Not Appearing

Common Issues:

1. File type - Ensure you're in supported files
2. Package name - Check spelling and case sensitivity
3. Network - First hover requires internet connection
4. VS Code settings - Verify hover is enabled globally

Quick Fixes:

VS Code Settings

{
    "editor.hover.enabled": true,
    "editor.hover.delay": 300,
    "tombo.hover.enabled": true
}

Incomplete Information

Potential Causes:

• New packages - Recently published packages may have limited metadata
• Private packages - Internal packages won't have PyPI information
• Network issues - Timeout or connectivity problems
• Cache corruption - Clear cache via Command Palette

Performance Issues

Optimization Steps:

1. Check network speed - Slow connections affect first hover
2. Clear cache - Command Palette: "Tombo: Clear Cache"
3. Reduce hover delay - Faster response in editor settings
4. Check system resources - High CPU/memory usage affects performance

Integration Tips

With Other Extensions

Python Extension: - Works alongside official Python extension - Complements IntelliSense and code navigation - Shares Python environment detection

GitLens: - Package information complements code history - See when dependencies were added/changed - Track package version evolution

Development Workflow

Dependency Research: 1. Hover first - Get quick overview 2. Click PyPI link - Detailed documentation 3. Check GitHub - Source code and issues 4. Read changelogs - Breaking changes and new features

Version Selection: 1. Hover current - See what you have 2. Compare latest - Check for updates 3. Review compatibility - Python version requirements 4. Update gradually - Test changes incrementally

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Next Steps

Explore related Tombo features:

• Version Completion → - Intelligent version suggestions
• Smart Caching → - Performance optimization
• Configuration → - Customize hover behavior