Question

Is it only possible to get intellisense in TypeScript files by referencing .ts files with own coded interfaces?

Is there a solution for existing JavaScript libraries?

Answer 1

You are able to get IntelliSense for other TypeScript files by using an external script reference directive at the top of your script:

///<reference path="someOtherScript.ts" />

As a side note, the TypeScript IntelliSense reference directive doesn’t support the tilde operator like the JavaScript reference directive does. For example, if your script is located in “~/Scripts/foo/”, in JavaScript you can reference:

///<reference path="~/Scripts/otherScriptFile.js" />

whereas in TypeScript you have to reference relative to the current file:

///<reference path="../otherScriptFile.ts" />

More info about this can be found in section 11.1.1 Source Files Dependencies of the TypeScript Spec.

With regard to JavaScript IntelliSense in a TypeScript file, it currently appears to be not possible to get JavaScript reference IntelliSense.