Testing query help files

Ensure your CodeQL query help files are valid by previewing them as Markdown.

Prerequisites

• The query help (.qhelp) files must have accompanying query (.ql) files with identical base names.
• The query help files should follow the standard structure and style for query help documentation. For more information, see the Query help style guide in the CodeQL repository.

Previewing your query help files

1. To render your query help files as Markdown, run the following command:

   codeql generate query-help <qhelp|query|dir|suite> --format=markdown [--output=<dir|file>]
   

   For information on the options available for this command, see generate query-help.

2. If you receive any warning messages, review and fix them, then rerun the command. By default, the CodeQL CLI will print a warning message if:

   • Any of the query help is invalid
   • Any .qhelp files specified in the command don’t have the same base name as an accompanying .ql file
   • Any .ql files specified in the command don’t have the same base name as an accompanying .qhelp file

3. Review the rendered Markdown in your output directory, file, or terminal to check that your files appear as expected.

Further reading

• Query help files
• generate query-help