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Hover & Watch

Hover any variable for deep inspection, and track expressions across executions with watch expressions.

PRO feature. Hover inspection and watch expressions are PRO features. See Free vs PRO.

Hover Inspection

Hover over any variable name to see its formatted runtime value in a deep-inspect view. The hover popup includes three actions:

  • Copy — copy the formatted value.
  • Tree view — open the value in the Value Explorer.
  • Text view — see the raw formatted text.

Hover handles Maps, Sets, Dates, Promises, TypedArrays, and circular references, with configurable nesting depth (parrotjs.maxObjectDepth).

Watch Expressions

Watch expressions let you track any expression across executions — and across time-travel steps — from the sidebar.

Adding a Watch

  1. Select an expression in your code.
  2. Run ParrotJS: Add Watch from Selection (or use the Time Travel panel’s watch controls).
  3. The watch appears in the sidebar with its current value.

What Watches Are Good For

  • Tracking a value that changes across multiple executions.
  • Following an expression while you step through a Time Travel recording — watches re-evaluate against the current step.
  • Keeping an eye on a sub-expression (e.g. users.length) while you edit nearby code.

Managing Watches

  • ParrotJS: Clear All Watches — remove every watch.
  • Watch values also stream to the output panel, so they’re visible even with the sidebar closed.