“you checked” or “you have checked”

Question

/**
 * @returns {string} The type of the variable that you checked/have checked.
 */
function check($var) {

}

Should I use checked or have checked in the above comment? Why?

Note: I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to understand the past simple and present perfect.

Answer 1

Both refer to a past activity but, the simple past needs a time expression that fixes the action at a certain past moment,(yesterday,...ago, last... or a previous verb in past), whereas the present perfect does not mention exactly when and may have a present consequence or effect. Since one can not see what was written before (if there was a verb in Past), I consider the Present Perfect the correct tense in this case.