Book description
Expert advice to help you work smarter and increase your productivity with Visual Studio.
Take a detailed look into Visual Studio—and learn practical techniques to help you work more efficiently. This fully revised and expanded version of Visual Studio Tips: 251 Ways to Improve Your Productivity includes a comprehensive collection of tips and shortcuts for working with the code editor, visual designers, searches, debugger, and other features in Visual Studio 2005, 2008, and 2010. You'll gain valuable insights for using this IDE—no matter what your experience level.
Discover how to:
Change development settings and keyboard mappings to optimize your efficiency
Save time initiating a new project by creating custom templates
Uncover secrets for working with the toolbox, commands, and window layouts
Work with files in more practical ways, such as using the File Tab Channel
Use the Editor more effectively with tips on selecting and manipulating code
Apply techniques to help reduce the time you spend debugging code
Create Visual Studio extensions to increase your development productivity
Table of contents
- Coding Faster: Getting More Productive with Microsoft® Visual Studio®
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Introduction
-
I. Productivity Techniques
-
1. Getting Started
- 01.01 Running Multiple Versions of Visual Studio Side-By-Side
- 01.02 Getting Table of Contents in Visual Studio 2010 Online Help
- 01.03 Exporting Your Environment Settings
- 01.04 Remove Projects from the Recent Projects List
- 01.05 AutoRecover
- 01.06 Improving Performance by Changing the Visual Experience in Visual Studio 2010
- 01.07 Change Tool Window Animations
- 01.08 Importing or Changing Your Environment Settings
- 01.09 Change Your Visual Studio Color Scheme
- 01.10 Reset All Your Development Settings
- 01.11 Customize Your Toolbars in Visual Studio 2010: Toolbars Tab
- 01.12 Customize Your Toolbars in Visual Studio 2010: Commands Tab
- 01.13 Visual Studio Logging
- 01.14 Visual Studio Safe Mode
- 01.15 The ResetSettings Switch
-
2. Projects and Items
- 02.01 Search for Project Templates in the New Project Dialog Box
- 02.02 Recent Project Templates in the New Project Dialog Box
- 02.03 Using Older Frameworks with Multi-Targeting
- 02.04 Create Web Application or Virtual Directory in IIS
- 02.05 Multiple Startup Projects
- 02.06 Change the Default New Project Location
- 02.07 Track Active Item in Solution Explorer
- 02.08 Type-Ahead Selection Support in Solution Explorer
- 02.09 Using Solution Folders
- 02.10 Navigating Property Tabs in the Project Properties
- 02.11 Pin a Project to the Recent Projects List
- 02.12 Creating Temporary Projects
- 02.13 Create Your Own Item Template
- 02.14 Roll Your Own Project Template with the Export Template Wizard
- 02.15 Organizing Your Custom Item Templates
- 02.16 Organizing Your Custom Project Templates
- 02.17 Reorganize the Default Item Templates
- 02.18 Reorganize the Default Project Templates
- 02.19 Change the Templates that Appear in the New Project or Item Dialog Boxes
-
3. Getting to Know the Environment
- 03.01 Rearrange Windows in Visual Studio 2010 Using the Guide Diamond
- 03.02 Dock a Floating Tool Window Back to Its Previous Location
- 03.03 Cycle Through Your Open Tool Windows
- 03.04 Closing Tool Windows
- 03.05 Expand and Collapse All in the Toolbox
- 03.06 Searching in the Toolbox
- 03.07 Navigate Among Tabs in the Toolbox
- 03.08 Window Layouts: The Four Modes
- 03.09 Window Layouts: Design, Debug, and Full Screen
- 03.10 Working with Tabs in the Toolbox
- 03.11 Using Additional Browsers for Web Development
- 03.12 Auto-Hide All Tool Windows
- 03.13 Showing Hidden Tool Windows with the Auto Hide Channel
- 03.14 Moving Tool Windows Around with Your Keyboard
- 03.15 Keyboard Access to a Tool Window’s Toolbar
- 03.16 Command Prompt History
- 03.17 Command Prompt Tab Completion
- 03.18 Undock and Dock a Single Tool Window in a Group
- 03.19 Understanding Commands: Simple Commands
- 03.20 Understanding Commands: Aliases
- 03.21 Understanding Commands: Arguments and Switches
- 03.22 Testing a Command
- 03.23 Understanding Commands: Running Commands
- 03.24 Find Keyboard Shortcuts
- 03.25 Keyboard Shortcuts: Additional Mapping Schemes
- 03.26 Keyboard Shortcuts: Creating New Shortcuts
- 03.27 Keyboard Shortcuts: Reset All Your Shortcuts
- 03.28 Understanding Commands: Logging Commands
- 03.29 Export Your Window Layouts
- 03.30 Stop the Toolbox from Auto-Populating from the Solution
- 03.31 Using External Tools
- 03.32 Create Keyboard Accelerators for External Tools
- 03.33 Exporting Your Command Window Aliases and External Tools List
- 03.34 Creating and Using a Macro
- 03.35 Visual Studio Image Library
-
4. Working with Documents
- 04.01 Insert Documents to the Right of Existing Tabs
- 04.02 Recent Files
- 04.03 Working with Documents on Multiple Monitors
- 04.04 Navigate Open Document Windows
- 04.05 Close the Current Document Window
- 04.06 Open a File Location from the File Tab
- 04.07 Open the File Menu Drop-Down List from Your Keyboard
- 04.08 Using the IDE Navigator
- 04.09 Multiple Views of the Same Document
- 04.10 Closing Just the Selected Files You Want
- 04.11 Understanding the File Open Location
- 04.12 Show Previous Versions
- 04.13 Using Custom File Extension Associations
-
5. Finding Things
- 05.01 Repeat Your Last Search
- 05.02 Using Quick Find
- 05.03 Using a Simple Quick Replace
- 05.04 Hide the Quick Find and Quick Replace Tool Window After the First Match
- 05.05 Undo Quick Replace and Replace in Files
- 05.06 Using the Find Combo Box Keyboard Shortcuts
- 05.07 Using Incremental Search
- 05.08 Search the Currently Selected String Without the Find Window
- 05.09 Find In Files: Find Options
- 05.10 Find In Files: Result Options
- 05.11 Replace In Files: Basic Options
- 05.12 Go To Definition for Cascading Style Sheets
- 05.13 How to Use Navigate To
- 05.14 Understanding Find Symbol
- 05.15 Find Symbol Results Shortcuts
- 05.16 Replace in Files: Tagged Expressions
- 05.17 Customize Results in Find In Files Searches
-
6. Writing Code
- 06.01 Zoom In or Out of Text in the Editor Using the Mouse Wheel
- 06.02 Zoom In or Out of Text in the Editor
- 06.03 How to Keep from Accidentally Copying a Blank Line
- 06.04 Make IntelliSense Transparent
- 06.05 Cut or Delete the Current Line
- 06.06 Using the New IntelliSense: Keywords
- 06.07 Using the New IntelliSense: Pascal Case
- 06.08 Comment and Uncomment in Web Pages
- 06.09 Insert a Blank Line Above or Below the Current Line
- 06.10 Transpose Lines, Words, and Characters
- 06.11 How to Cycle Through the Clipboard Ring
- 06.12 Using the Undo and Redo Stack
- 06.13 Undo and Redo Global Actions
- 06.14 How to Use Reference Highlighting
- 06.15 Moving or Selecting Between Matching Braces (C++, C# Only)
- 06.16 Invoke Statement Completion
- 06.17 Move Between the Common Tab and All Tab in Statement Completion (VB)
- 06.18 Using Parameter Information
- 06.19 Using Quick Info
- 06.20 Word Completion
- 06.21 Drag and Drop Code into the Toolbox
- 06.22 Using Smart Tags from the Keyboard
- 06.23 Organize Using Statements (C# Only)
- 06.24 Switch Between Design and Source in Web Projects
- 06.25 Toggle Designer
- 06.26 Change the Default View in the HTML Editor
- 06.27 Jump Back to the Editor from Just About Anywhere
- 06.28 Replacing Text with a Box Selection
- 06.29 Pasting the Contents of One Box Selection into Another
- 06.30 Pasting a Single Selection into a Box Selection
- 06.31 Using Zero-Length Box Selection
- 06.32 View White Space
- 06.33 Collapsing Your Code with Outlining
- 06.34 Using Hide Selection
- 06.35 Collapse to Definitions with Outlining
- 06.36 Cut, Copy, and Paste Collapsed Code with Outlining
- 06.37 Understanding Word Wrap
- 06.38 Properties Window Keyboard Shortcuts
- 06.39 Document Outline: Web Projects
- 06.40 Inserting Code Snippets
- 06.41 Surround with a Code Snippet
- 06.42 Using Code Snippets
- 06.43 HTML Code Snippets
- 06.44 JavaScript Code Snippets
- 06.45 Using the Code Snippets Manager
- 06.46 Insert Quotes When Typing Attribute Values
- 06.47 Format the Current Document or Selection (Web)
- 06.48 Using the Navigation Bar
- 06.49 HTML Editor Tag Navigation
- 06.50 Format HTML on Paste
- 06.51 Display HTML/CSS Warnings as Errors
- 06.52 Updating JScript IntelliSense
- 06.53 Using JScript Libraries in Other JScript Files
- 06.54 Create New Code Snippets from Existing Ones
- 06.55 Understanding the Navigation Stack
- 06.56 Navigate Backward and Navigate Forward Using Go Back Markers
- 06.57 Select from the Current Cursor Location to the Last Go Back Marker
- 06.58 Track Changes in the Editor
- 06.59 Edit Read-Only Files
- 06.60 Choosing CSS Versions
- 06.61 Understanding Tag Specific Options
-
7. Debugging
- 07.01 Setting a Breakpoint with Code
- 07.02 Using Ctrl+Alt+B to Open the Breakpoints Window
- 07.03 Adding Labels to Breakpoints
- 07.04 Enable or Disable All Breakpoints
- 07.05 TODO Comments in the Task List
- 07.06 Create Custom Tokens for the Task List
- 07.07 Create Code Shortcuts in the Task List
- 07.08 Code Definition Window
- 07.09 Save Changes Before Building
- 07.10 Navigate Errors in the Error List
- 07.11 Ordering and Multicolumn Sorting in Tool Windows
- 07.12 Pin a DataTip to Source Code
- 07.13 Create a Floating DataTip
- 07.14 Adding Comments to a DataTip
- 07.15 Use a DataTip to Edit a Value
- 07.16 DataTip Value from the Last Debug Session
- 07.17 Import and Export DataTips
- 07.18 Using the Call Hierarchy
- 07.19 Searching Breakpoints
- 07.20 Breakpoint Hit Count
- 07.21 Set a Breakpoint on a Function
- 07.22 Set a Simple Breakpoint Condition
- 07.23 Set a Complex Breakpoint Condition
- 07.24 Setting a Breakpoint Filter
- 07.25 Setting a Tracepoint in Source Code
- 07.26 Import and Export Breakpoints
- 07.27 Run to Cursor
- 07.28 Using the Exception Assistant
- 07.29 Use a Specific Port for the Development Server (Web Applications)
- 07.30 Application and Page Level Tracing
- 07.31 The Watch Window: Watching and Changing Values
- 07.32 Understanding QuickWatch
- 07.33 The Watch Window: Visualizers
- 07.34 The Watch Window: Refreshing Data
- 07.35 The Watch Window: Adding Watches from Variable Windows
- 07.36 Create Folders in Class View
- 07.37 Search in Class View
- 07.38 Synchronize Your Class View
- 07.39 The Misnamed and Misunderstood Object Browser
- 07.40 The Object Browser: Setting the Browsing Scope
- 07.41 The Object Browser: Navigation and References
- 07.42 The Exceptions Dialog Box
- 07.43 Setting a Breakpoint in the Call Stack Window
- 07.44 Setting a Tracepoint in the Call Stack Window
- 07.45 Using the WPF Tree Visualizer
- 07.46 Understanding Break All Processes When One Process Breaks
- 07.47 Changing Context in the Locals Window
- 07.48 Understanding the Autos Window
-
1. Getting Started
-
II. Extensions for Visual Studio
-
8. Visual Studio Extensions
- Introducing Visual Studio Extensions
- 08.01 Create Themes Using All Visual Studio Elements
- 08.02 Insert Images into Your Code
- 08.03 Add Visual Guidelines to Your Code
- 08.04 Get More IntelliSense in Your XAML Editor
- 08.05 Sync the Solution Explorer to the Current File
- 08.06 Add PowerCommands Options to the IDE
- 08.07 Use Emacs Commands in the Editor
- 08.08 Submit to “The Daily WTF”
- 08.09 Diff Files Using the Editor
- 08.10 Run Windows PowerShell Within the IDE
- 08.11 Visualize OData in a Graphical View
- 08.12 Run VIM Commands in the Editor
- 08.13 Check Spelling in Your Code
- 08.14 Zoom Across All Files
- 08.15 View Code Blocks Using Vertical Lines
- 08.16 Get a Bird’s-Eye View of Your Code in an Editor Margin
- 08.17 Build Projects from the Windows 7 Taskbar
- 08.18 Triple-Click to Select an Entire Line
- 08.19 Create Regular Expressions Within Your Code
- 08.20 Get More Productivity Tools in the IDE
- 08.21 Create and Find Code Snippets
- 08.22 Document Your Code with Three Keystrokes
- 08.23 Customize Visual Studio Using Windows PowerShell
-
8. Visual Studio Extensions
- A. Visual Studio Keyboard Shortcut Posters
- Index
-
B. Additional Tips
-
Additional Tips from Chapter 1
- AX.01 Getting Help Samples
- AX.02 Make the Start Page Go Away
- AX.03 Bringing Back the Start Page
- AX.04 Show All Settings with Visual Basic
- AX.05 Find Your Development Settings
- AX.06 Settings Automatically Saved On Exit
- AX.07 Customize Your Toolbars in Visual Studio 2008: Toolbars Tab
- AX.08 Customize Your Toolbars in Visual Studio 2008: Commands Tab
- AX.09 Hide or Show Default Buttons on a Toolbar
- AX.10 Reset Toolbars
-
Additional Tips from Chapter 2
- AX.11 Sorting Templates in the New Project Dialog Box
- AX.12 Toggle Icon Size in the New Project Dialog Box
- AX.13 Choosing the StartUp Project
- AX.14 Linked Items in Projects
- AX.15 Using the Miscellaneous Files Project
- AX.16 Change the Order of Your Application Settings
- AX.17 Hide or Show the Solution File in Solution Explorer
- AX.18 New Project Dialog Preferred Language
- AX.19 Optimizing Your Project Code
-
Additional Tips from Chapter 3
- AX.20 Full Screen Mode
- AX.21 Split Your Windows Horizontally
- AX.22 Sorting Items in the Toolbox
- AX.23 Icon vs. List View in the Toolbox
- AX.24 Hide the Status Bar
- AX.25 Remove the Navigation Bar
- AX.26 Show Any Toolbar
- AX.27 Changing Auto-Hide Behavior for Tool Windows
- AX.28 Closing a Tool Window Tab Group
- AX.29 Copy and Paste with the Command Prompt
- AX.30 Customize the Command Prompt
- AX.31 Show All Toolbox Controls
- AX.32 Server Explorer: Data Connections
- AX.33 Server Explorer: Server Event Logs
- AX.34 Server Explorer: Server Management Classes
- AX.35 Window Layouts: File View
- AX.36 Rearrange Your Toolbars
- AX.37 Create a Shortcut Key for a Macro
- AX.38 How to Run External Executables from the Command Window
- Additional Tips from Chapter 4
-
Additional Tips from Chapter 5
- AX.45 Using a Simple Quick Find
- AX.46 Using the Find Combo Box
- AX.47 Customize the Files to Search with Find In Files
- AX.48 How to Show and Hide Find Messages
- AX.49 How to Not Automatically Search for the Currently Selected Word
- AX.50 Setting Bookmarks
- AX.51 Organizing Bookmarks
- AX.52 Navigating Bookmarks
-
Additional Tips from Chapter 6
- AX.53 Turn On Line Numbers
- AX.54 Go to a Line Number
- AX.55 Comment and Uncomment Code
- AX.56 Select the Current Word
- AX.57 Delete Through the Beginning or End of a Word
- AX.58 Click and Drag Text to a New Location
- AX.59 Make Selection Uppercase or Lowercase
- AX.60 Brace Matching Rectangle
- AX.61 Automatic Delimiter Highlighting
- AX.62 Move or Select to the Top or Bottom of the Current View in the Editor
- AX.63 Format the Current Document or Selection
- AX.64 Use F6 to Jump Between Split Windows
- AX.65 Turn Off Single-Click URL Navigation in the Editor
- AX.66 Hide the Vertical and/or Horizontal Scroll Bars
- AX.67 How to Convert Tabs to Spaces and Vice Versa
- AX.68 Delete Horizontal White Space
- AX.69 Expanding Your Code with Outlining
- AX.70 Collapsing or Expanding All Your Code with Outlining
- AX.71 Turn Off or Turn On Outlining
- AX.72 Understanding Virtual Space
- AX.73 Document Outline: WPF and Silverlight Projects
- AX.74 Document Outline: Windows Form Projects
- AX.75 Change the Tooltip Font Size
- AX.76 Change the Statement Completion Font Size
- AX.77 Vertical Split View for Web Projects
- AX.78 Open JScript Braces on a New Line
- AX.79 Insert Spaces vs. Keep Tabs
- AX.80 View in Browser
- AX.81 Detect When a File Is Changed Outside the Environment
- AX.82 Turn Off the Selection Margin
- AX.83 Reuse the Same Editor Window When Opening Files
- AX.84 Sharing Snippets with Your Team
- AX.85 Swap the Current Anchor Position
- AX.86 Guidelines: A Hidden Feature for the Visual Studio Editor
- AX.87 Insert File as Text
- AX.88 Indenting: Smart vs. Block vs. None
- AX.89 Change CSS Formatting
- AX.90 How to Turn Off Automatic IntelliSense
- AX.91 Disable HTML, CSS, or JScript IntelliSense
- AX.92 Design and XAML on Different Document Tabs
- AX.93 Using Generate from Usage
- AX.94 IntelliSense Suggestion Mode
- AX.95 Turn Off Automatic Symbol Renaming When You Rename a File in Solution Explorer
- AX.96 Mark Methods and Types as Hidden from IntelliSense and the Object Browser
-
Additional Tips from Chapter 7
- AX.97 Set or Remove a Breakpoint
- AX.98 Enable or Disable a Breakpoint
- AX.99 Start Debugging vs. Start Without Debugging
- AX.100 Set As Start Page
- AX.101 Enable Debugging in Web.Config
- AX.102 View the Error List Window
- AX.103 Show Error Help from Errors List Window
- AX.104 Hide or Show Error List When the Build Finishes with Errors
- AX.105 Show the Output Window During Build
- AX.106 Navigate Among Errors in the Output Window
- AX.107 Customize the Output Window
- AX.108 Step Out of or Over a Method
- AX.109 Clearing Your DataTips
- AX.110 Create User Tasks in the Task List
- AX.111 Show the Full File Path in the Task List
- AX.112 Disable the Prompt for Deleting Items from the Task List
- AX.113 Navigate Task List Entries with the Keyboard
- AX.114 Navigating Between Output Window Panes with the Keyboard
- AX.115 The Watch Window: Moving Values Between Watch Windows
- AX.116 The Immediate Window: Simple Printing and Changing Values
- AX.117 The Immediate Window: Working with Members
- AX.118 The Immediate Window: Design-Time Breakpoints
- AX.119 The Immediate Window: Running Commands
- AX.120 Class View and Object Browser Icons
- AX.121 Output Window vs. Immediate Window
- AX.122 The Object Browser: Settings
- AX.123 The Object Browser: Search
- AX.124 The Object Browser: Objects Pane
- AX.125 The Object Browser: Members Pane
- AX.126 The Object Browser: Description Pane
- AX.127 The Object Browser: Creating a Keyboard Shortcut for Add To References
- AX.128 The Object Browser: Type-Ahead Selection
- AX.129 The Object Browser: Exporting Your Settings
- AX.130 The Immediate Window: Implicit Variables
- AX.131 Show External Code
- AX.132 Understanding Just My Code
- AX.133 Attach To Process (Tools vs. Debug Menu)
- AX.134 The Immediate Window: Running WinDbg and SOS (Son of Strike) Commands
- AX.135 Creating a Class Diagram from Class View
- AX.136 Placing the Call Stack and Call Hierarchy Windows
- AX.137 Delete All Breakpoints
- AX.138 Make Object ID
- AX.139 Change Values from the Locals Window
- AX.140 Debug Executable Without Using Attach to Process
- AX.141 The Watch Window: Hexadecimal Display
- AX.142 Edit And Continue
- AX.143 Print with Line Numbers
- AX.144 Printing the File Path in the Page Header
- AX.145 Printing in Different Fonts and Colors
- AX.146 Get Rid of the Splash Screen
- AX.147 Understanding Check Accessibility
- AX.148 Automatic vs. Default in Fonts and Colors
- AX.149 Visual Studio Permissions Needed on Windows Vista or Later
- AX.150 Show Advanced Build Configurations
- AX.151 Emacs Emulation
- AX.152 ViM Emulation
-
Additional Tips from Chapter 1
- About the Authors
- Copyright
Product information
- Title: Coding Faster: Getting More Productive with Microsoft® Visual Studio®
- Author(s):
- Release date: August 2011
- Publisher(s): Microsoft Press
- ISBN: 9780735662155
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