Visual Studio Hacks

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Chapter 13, Enhancing Visual Studio

#94 Spellcheck Your Code and Comments

HACK

HACK

#94

Spellcheck Your Code and Comments Hack #94

While there are definitely exceptions to the rule, virtually all computer

programs are rife with spelling errors. Ensure that the comments and string

literals in your code are free from spelling errors.

Programmers, it seems, are not the world’s best spellers, in large part

because compilers are kind enough to overlook any spelling snafus. While it

may be hard to get worked up over source code dotted with spelling mis-

takes, it is important to realize that these grammatical errors can incur a real

cost. When working in a team, a developer can be slowed down by mis-

spelled comments and variable names in another’s code. A spelling mistake

in a string literal—such as a misspelled menu option or error message—

reflects poorly on your company and software.

Spelling has become a lost art over the past couple of decades, as word pro-

cessors have evolved from little to no spellchecking support to today’s pro-

grams that will correct your spelling automatically as you type. While

spellcheckers have become ubiquitous in word processors, email clients, and

a bevy of other computer programs, they are still sorely missing from IDEs.

Fortunately, Dean Giovanelli has created a free spellchecker add-in for

Visual Studio .NET 2003. Armed with this spellchecker, you can quickly

check ...