---
layout: docs
title: ScopeDescriptor
edit_url: "https://github.com/nylas/N1/blob/master/src/scope-descriptor.coffee"
---

<h2>Summary</h2>

<div class="markdown-from-sourecode">
  <p><p>Wraps an <a href='https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/array'>Array</a> of <code>String</code>s. The Array describes a path from the
root of the syntax tree to a token including <em>all</em> scope names for the entire
path.</p>
<p>Methods that take a <code>ScopeDescriptor</code> will also accept an <a href='https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/array'>Array</a> of {Strings}
scope names e.g. <code>[&#39;.source.js&#39;]</code>.</p>
<p>You can use <code>ScopeDescriptor</code>s to get language-specific config settings via
<a href='Config.html#get'>Config::get</a>.</p>
<p>You should not need to create a <code>ScopeDescriptor</code> directly.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href='Editor.html#getRootScopeDescriptor'>Editor::getRootScopeDescriptor</a> to get the language&#39;s descriptor.</li>
<li><a href='Editor.html#scopeDescriptorForBufferPosition'>Editor::scopeDescriptorForBufferPosition</a> to get the descriptor at a
specific position in the buffer.</li>
<li><a href='Cursor.html#getScopeDescriptor'>Cursor::getScopeDescriptor</a> to get a cursor&#39;s descriptor based on position.</li>
</ul>
<p>See the <a href="https://atom.io/docs/v0.138.0/advanced/scopes-and-scope-descriptors">scopes and scope descriptor guide</a>
for more information.</p>
</p>
</div>

<ul>
    <li><a href="#Construction and Destruction">Construction and Destruction</a></li>
</ul>





    <h3>Instance Methods</h3>

    <h4 id=constructor class="function-name">
      constructor(<span class="args"><span class="arg">object</span></span>) <a href="#constructor" class="link"></a>
    </h4>

    <div class="function-description markdown-from-sourecode">
      <p><p>Create a <a href='scopedescriptor.html'>ScopeDescriptor</a> object.</p>
    </p>
    </div>

        <strong>Parameters</strong>
        <table class="arguments">
            <tr>
              <th>Argument</th>
              <th>Description</th>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td style="width:15%;">
                <em>object</em>
              </td>
              <td class="markdown-from-sourecode">

                <p><a href='https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/object'>Object</a></p>

              </td>
            </tr>
        </table>

    <h4 id=getScopesArray class="function-name">
      getScopesArray(<span class="args"></span>) <a href="#getScopesArray" class="link"></a>
    </h4>

    <div class="function-description markdown-from-sourecode">
      <p></p>
    </div>


        <strong>Returns</strong>
        <table class="arguments">
          <tr>
            <th>Return Values</th>
          </tr>
          <tr><td class="markdown-from-sourecode"><p>Returns an <a href='https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/array'>Array</a> of <a href='https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/string'>String</a>s</p>
    </td></tr>
        </table>