Coding Faster: Getting More Productive with Microsoft® Visual Studio®

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

    1. Coding Faster: Getting More Productive with Microsoft® Visual Studio®
    2. Dedication
    3. Foreword
    4. Introduction
      1. Who Should Read This Book
        1. Assumptions
      2. Organization of This Book
        1. Finding Your Best Starting Point in This Book
      3. Conventions and Features in This Book
        1. Keyboard Settings
        2. Summary Information
        3. Additional Information
      4. System Requirements
        1. Software Requirements
        2. Supported Architectures:
        3. Hardware Requirements
      5. Acknowledgments
      6. Errata & Book Support
      7. We Want to Hear from You
      8. Stay in Touch
    5. I. Productivity Techniques
      1. 1. Getting Started
        1. 01.01 Running Multiple Versions of Visual Studio Side-By-Side
        2. 01.02 Getting Table of Contents in Visual Studio 2010 Online Help
          1. Online Help
          2. Using Classic View
        3. 01.03 Exporting Your Environment Settings
        4. 01.04 Remove Projects from the Recent Projects List
        5. 01.05 AutoRecover
        6. 01.06 Improving Performance by Changing the Visual Experience in Visual Studio 2010
        7. 01.07 Change Tool Window Animations
        8. 01.08 Importing or Changing Your Environment Settings
        9. 01.09 Change Your Visual Studio Color Scheme
          1. Seeing What You Like
          2. Getting the Goods
            1. On someone’s computer
            2. On the Studio Styles site
          3. Changing Your Colors
          4. Resetting the Colors
        10. 01.10 Reset All Your Development Settings
        11. 01.11 Customize Your Toolbars in Visual Studio 2010: Toolbars Tab
          1. Custom Toolbars
        12. 01.12 Customize Your Toolbars in Visual Studio 2010: Commands Tab
          1. Rearrange
          2. Controls
          3. Buttons
          4. Modify Selection
        13. 01.13 Visual Studio Logging
        14. 01.14 Visual Studio Safe Mode
        15. 01.15 The ResetSettings Switch
          1. Two Different Machines
          2. Same Machine
      2. 2. Projects and Items
        1. 02.01 Search for Project Templates in the New Project Dialog Box
          1. Good News
          2. Bad News
          3. More Good News
        2. 02.02 Recent Project Templates in the New Project Dialog Box
        3. 02.03 Using Older Frameworks with Multi-Targeting
        4. 02.04 Create Web Application or Virtual Directory in IIS
        5. 02.05 Multiple Startup Projects
        6. 02.06 Change the Default New Project Location
        7. 02.07 Track Active Item in Solution Explorer
        8. 02.08 Type-Ahead Selection Support in Solution Explorer
        9. 02.09 Using Solution Folders
          1. Adding Solution Folders
          2. Removing Solution Folders
        10. 02.10 Navigating Property Tabs in the Project Properties
        11. 02.11 Pin a Project to the Recent Projects List
        12. 02.12 Creating Temporary Projects
        13. 02.13 Create Your Own Item Template
        14. 02.14 Roll Your Own Project Template with the Export Template Wizard
        15. 02.15 Organizing Your Custom Item Templates
        16. 02.16 Organizing Your Custom Project Templates
        17. 02.17 Reorganize the Default Item Templates
        18. 02.18 Reorganize the Default Project Templates
        19. 02.19 Change the Templates that Appear in the New Project or Item Dialog Boxes
      3. 3. Getting to Know the Environment
        1. 03.01 Rearrange Windows in Visual Studio 2010 Using the Guide Diamond
        2. 03.02 Dock a Floating Tool Window Back to Its Previous Location
        3. 03.03 Cycle Through Your Open Tool Windows
        4. 03.04 Closing Tool Windows
        5. 03.05 Expand and Collapse All in the Toolbox
        6. 03.06 Searching in the Toolbox
        7. 03.07 Navigate Among Tabs in the Toolbox
        8. 03.08 Window Layouts: The Four Modes
          1. Design View
          2. Debugging View
          3. Full Screen
          4. File View
        9. 03.09 Window Layouts: Design, Debug, and Full Screen
          1. Design Mode
          2. Debug Mode
          3. Full Screen Mode
        10. 03.10 Working with Tabs in the Toolbox
          1. Creating Tabs
          2. Adding Items
          3. Custom Controls
          4. Renaming Tabs
          5. Deleting Tabs
        11. 03.11 Using Additional Browsers for Web Development
          1. Adding New Browsers
          2. Changing the Default Browser
          3. Browser Window Size
          4. Removing Browsers
        12. 03.12 Auto-Hide All Tool Windows
        13. 03.13 Showing Hidden Tool Windows with the Auto Hide Channel
        14. 03.14 Moving Tool Windows Around with Your Keyboard
        15. 03.15 Keyboard Access to a Tool Window’s Toolbar
        16. 03.16 Command Prompt History
        17. 03.17 Command Prompt Tab Completion
          1. Simple Search
          2. Wildcard Search
          3. Finally
        18. 03.18 Undock and Dock a Single Tool Window in a Group
          1. Undock
            1. Click and drag
            2. Menu
            3. Control box (Visual Studio 2010 only)
            4. Result
          2. Dock
            1. Click and drag
            2. Menu
            3. Control box (Visual Studio 2010 only)
            4. Result
        19. 03.19 Understanding Commands: Simple Commands
        20. 03.20 Understanding Commands: Aliases
          1. Create a New Alias
          2. Viewing Assigned Aliases
          3. Delete an Alias
        21. 03.21 Understanding Commands: Arguments and Switches
          1. Basic Use
          2. Arguments and Switches
            1. Argument
            2. Switches
          3. List Current Options
          4. Reset Options
          5. Using the Arguments and Switches
          6. Make an Alias
        22. 03.22 Testing a Command
        23. 03.23 Understanding Commands: Running Commands
          1. Shortcuts
          2. Command Window
          3. Immediate Window
          4. Find Combo Box
        24. 03.24 Find Keyboard Shortcuts
        25. 03.25 Keyboard Shortcuts: Additional Mapping Schemes
        26. 03.26 Keyboard Shortcuts: Creating New Shortcuts
          1. Reset
        27. 03.27 Keyboard Shortcuts: Reset All Your Shortcuts
        28. 03.28 Understanding Commands: Logging Commands
          1. Arguments
            1. Filename
            2. /on /off
            3. /overwrite
          2. Example
        29. 03.29 Export Your Window Layouts
        30. 03.30 Stop the Toolbox from Auto-Populating from the Solution
        31. 03.31 Using External Tools
          1. Use Output Window
          2. Treat Output As Unicode
          3. Prompt For Arguments
          4. Close On Exit
        32. 03.32 Create Keyboard Accelerators for External Tools
        33. 03.33 Exporting Your Command Window Aliases and External Tools List
        34. 03.34 Creating and Using a Macro
        35. 03.35 Visual Studio Image Library
          1. Types of Files
            1. Source files
            2. Output files
          2. Image Library Contents
            1. _Common Elements
            2. Actions
            3. Animations
            4. Annotations_Buttons
            5. Objects
          3. Using the Images
      4. 4. Working with Documents
        1. 04.01 Insert Documents to the Right of Existing Tabs
        2. 04.02 Recent Files
        3. 04.03 Working with Documents on Multiple Monitors
        4. 04.04 Navigate Open Document Windows
        5. 04.05 Close the Current Document Window
        6. 04.06 Open a File Location from the File Tab
        7. 04.07 Open the File Menu Drop-Down List from Your Keyboard
        8. 04.08 Using the IDE Navigator
          1. Navigator Areas
            1. Active files
            2. Active tool windows
        9. 04.09 Multiple Views of the Same Document
          1. Special Note for VB Users in Visual Studio 2010
          2. Multiple Views
        10. 04.10 Closing Just the Selected Files You Want
        11. 04.11 Understanding the File Open Location
        12. 04.12 Show Previous Versions
        13. 04.13 Using Custom File Extension Associations
      5. 5. Finding Things
        1. 05.01 Repeat Your Last Search
        2. 05.02 Using Quick Find
          1. Find What
          2. Look In
          3. Find Options
            1. Match case
            2. Match whole word
            3. Search up
            4. Use
              1. Regular expressions
              2. Wildcards
          4. Buttons
            1. Find Next
            2. Bookmark All
        3. 05.03 Using a Simple Quick Replace
        4. 05.04 Hide the Quick Find and Quick Replace Tool Window After the First Match
        5. 05.05 Undo Quick Replace and Replace in Files
          1. Quick Replace (Ctrl+H)
          2. Replace in Files (Ctrl+Shift+H)
        6. 05.06 Using the Find Combo Box Keyboard Shortcuts
          1. Find (Ctrl+D)
          2. Run Command (Ctrl+/)
          3. Go To Line (Ctrl+G)
          4. Go To File (Ctrl+Shift+G)
          5. Set a Breakpoint (F9)
        7. 05.07 Using Incremental Search
        8. 05.08 Search the Currently Selected String Without the Find Window
        9. 05.09 Find In Files: Find Options
          1. Find What
            1. Match case
            2. Match whole word
            3. Use
              1. Regular expressions
              2. Wildcards
            4. Look in
            5. Include sub-folders
        10. 05.10 Find In Files: Result Options
          1. Find Results [1,2] Window
          2. Navigation
          3. Clear All
          4. Display File Names Only
          5. Keep Modified Files Open After Replace All
        11. 05.11 Replace In Files: Basic Options
          1. Find Options
          2. Replace With
          3. Result Options
          4. Execution
            1. Find Next
            2. Replace
            3. Replace All
            4. Skip File
        12. 05.12 Go To Definition for Cascading Style Sheets
        13. 05.13 How to Use Navigate To
        14. 05.14 Understanding Find Symbol
          1. Find What
          2. Look In
            1. All Components
            2. Framework X / Silverlight X
            3. My Solution
            4. Custom Component Set (Object Browser)
            5. Custom Component Set (Find Symbol)
            6. Look In References
          3. Find Options
            1. Match
            2. Whole Word
            3. Prefix
            4. Substring
            5. Match Case
            6. Find All
          4. Search Results
        15. 05.15 Find Symbol Results Shortcuts
          1. Go To Definition (F12)
          2. Go To Declaration (Ctrl+F12)
          3. Go To Reference (Shift+F12)
          4. Browse Definition
          5. Copy (Ctrl+C)
          6. Clear All
        16. 05.16 Replace in Files: Tagged Expressions
          1. Example
        17. 05.17 Customize Results in Find In Files Searches
          1. Variables
            1. Files
            2. Location
            3. Text
            4. Char
      6. 6. Writing Code
        1. 06.01 Zoom In or Out of Text in the Editor Using the Mouse Wheel
        2. 06.02 Zoom In or Out of Text in the Editor
          1. Combo Box
          2. Keyboard
          3. Universal Zoom
        3. 06.03 How to Keep from Accidentally Copying a Blank Line
        4. 06.04 Make IntelliSense Transparent
        5. 06.05 Cut or Delete the Current Line
          1. Cut
          2. Delete
        6. 06.06 Using the New IntelliSense: Keywords
        7. 06.07 Using the New IntelliSense: Pascal Case
        8. 06.08 Comment and Uncomment in Web Pages
          1. Comment
          2. Uncomment
        9. 06.09 Insert a Blank Line Above or Below the Current Line
        10. 06.10 Transpose Lines, Words, and Characters
        11. 06.11 How to Cycle Through the Clipboard Ring
        12. 06.12 Using the Undo and Redo Stack
        13. 06.13 Undo and Redo Global Actions
        14. 06.14 How to Use Reference Highlighting
          1. Navigation
          2. Turning it Off
        15. 06.15 Moving or Selecting Between Matching Braces (C++, C# Only)
          1. Moving
          2. Selecting
        16. 06.16 Invoke Statement Completion
        17. 06.17 Move Between the Common Tab and All Tab in Statement Completion (VB)
        18. 06.18 Using Parameter Information
        19. 06.19 Using Quick Info
        20. 06.20 Word Completion
        21. 06.21 Drag and Drop Code into the Toolbox
        22. 06.22 Using Smart Tags from the Keyboard
        23. 06.23 Organize Using Statements (C# Only)
          1. Remove Unused Usings
          2. Sort Usings
          3. Remove and Sort
        24. 06.24 Switch Between Design and Source in Web Projects
          1. Split View
        25. 06.25 Toggle Designer
        26. 06.26 Change the Default View in the HTML Editor
        27. 06.27 Jump Back to the Editor from Just About Anywhere
        28. 06.28 Replacing Text with a Box Selection
        29. 06.29 Pasting the Contents of One Box Selection into Another
        30. 06.30 Pasting a Single Selection into a Box Selection
        31. 06.31 Using Zero-Length Box Selection
        32. 06.32 View White Space
        33. 06.33 Collapsing Your Code with Outlining
          1. Minus Sign
          2. Vertical Line
          3. Click Anywhere in Area (Keyboard Shortcut)
          4. Click Anywhere in Area (Menu Item)
        34. 06.34 Using Hide Selection
        35. 06.35 Collapse to Definitions with Outlining
        36. 06.36 Cut, Copy, and Paste Collapsed Code with Outlining
        37. 06.37 Understanding Word Wrap
        38. 06.38 Properties Window Keyboard Shortcuts
          1. Working with the Tool Window
          2. Working with Categories
          3. Property Items
        39. 06.39 Document Outline: Web Projects
        40. 06.40 Inserting Code Snippets
          1. Tab
            1. C#
            2. VB
          2. Keyboard Shortcut and Context Menu
            1. C#
            2. VB
          3. Result
        41. 06.41 Surround with a Code Snippet
        42. 06.42 Using Code Snippets
        43. 06.43 HTML Code Snippets
        44. 06.44 JavaScript Code Snippets
        45. 06.45 Using the Code Snippets Manager
        46. 06.46 Insert Quotes When Typing Attribute Values
        47. 06.47 Format the Current Document or Selection (Web)
        48. 06.48 Using the Navigation Bar
        49. 06.49 HTML Editor Tag Navigation
        50. 06.50 Format HTML on Paste
        51. 06.51 Display HTML/CSS Warnings as Errors
        52. 06.52 Updating JScript IntelliSense
        53. 06.53 Using JScript Libraries in Other JScript Files
        54. 06.54 Create New Code Snippets from Existing Ones
        55. 06.55 Understanding the Navigation Stack
        56. 06.56 Navigate Backward and Navigate Forward Using Go Back Markers
        57. 06.57 Select from the Current Cursor Location to the Last Go Back Marker
        58. 06.58 Track Changes in the Editor
        59. 06.59 Edit Read-Only Files
          1. Edit In-Memory
          2. Make Writable
        60. 06.60 Choosing CSS Versions
          1. Dedicated Style Sheets
          2. Embedded Styles
          3. Finally
        61. 06.61 Understanding Tag Specific Options
          1. Exploring the Tag Specific Options Dialog Box
            1. Tree view
              1. Default Settings
              2. Client HTML Tags
              3. ASP.NET Controls
              4. New Tag
              5. New Folder
              6. Delete
            2. Per tag formatting
              1. Closing tag
              2. Line breaks
              3. Indent contents
            3. Preview
            4. Outlining in code editor
              1. Enable outlining for tag
              2. Minimum lines
            5. Per tag colorization
              1. Tag foreground
              2. Tag background
              3. Bold
          2. Finally
      7. 7. Debugging
        1. 07.01 Setting a Breakpoint with Code
          1. Compiler Directive
            1. C#
            2. VB
            3. C++
        2. 07.02 Using Ctrl+Alt+B to Open the Breakpoints Window
        3. 07.03 Adding Labels to Breakpoints
        4. 07.04 Enable or Disable All Breakpoints
        5. 07.05 TODO Comments in the Task List
          1. VB
          2. C#
          3. C++
        6. 07.06 Create Custom Tokens for the Task List
          1. Sharing Tokens
        7. 07.07 Create Code Shortcuts in the Task List
        8. 07.08 Code Definition Window
        9. 07.09 Save Changes Before Building
          1. Save Changes To Open Documents Only
          2. Prompt To Save All Changes
          3. Don’t Save Any Changes
        10. 07.10 Navigate Errors in the Error List
        11. 07.11 Ordering and Multicolumn Sorting in Tool Windows
          1. Column Ordering
          2. Multicolumn Sorting
        12. 07.12 Pin a DataTip to Source Code
        13. 07.13 Create a Floating DataTip
        14. 07.14 Adding Comments to a DataTip
        15. 07.15 Use a DataTip to Edit a Value
        16. 07.16 DataTip Value from the Last Debug Session
        17. 07.17 Import and Export DataTips
        18. 07.18 Using the Call Hierarchy
        19. 07.19 Searching Breakpoints
        20. 07.20 Breakpoint Hit Count
          1. Break When The Hit Count Is Equal To
          2. Break When The Hit Count Is A Multiple Of
          3. Break When The Hit Count Is Greater Than Or Equal To
        21. 07.21 Set a Breakpoint on a Function
          1. Breakpoints Window
        22. 07.22 Set a Simple Breakpoint Condition
          1. Is True
          2. Has Changed
          3. Special Notes
        23. 07.23 Set a Complex Breakpoint Condition
        24. 07.24 Setting a Breakpoint Filter
        25. 07.25 Setting a Tracepoint in Source Code
          1. Setting Tracepoints
            1. Print a message
            2. Run a macro
            3. Continue execution
          2. Change Default Message
        26. 07.26 Import and Export Breakpoints
        27. 07.27 Run to Cursor
        28. 07.28 Using the Exception Assistant
          1. Exception Object and Description
          2. Troubleshooting Tips
          3. Help Online
          4. Actions
          5. Turning Off the Exception Assistant
          6. Unwind The Call Stack On Unhandled Exceptions
        29. 07.29 Use a Specific Port for the Development Server (Web Applications)
        30. 07.30 Application and Page Level Tracing
          1. Application Level Tracing
          2. Attributes
          3. Trace Details
          4. Page Level Tracing
          5. Combined Tracing
          6. Finally
        31. 07.31 The Watch Window: Watching and Changing Values
          1. Watch Expressions
          2. Watch Window
          3. Creating a Watch Expression
            1. Type it in
            2. QuickWatch (Shift+F9)
            3. Add Watch
          4. Changing Values
        32. 07.32 Understanding QuickWatch
          1. What Does It Do?
          2. Other Options
        33. 07.33 The Watch Window: Visualizers
        34. 07.34 The Watch Window: Refreshing Data
          1. Refresh Icons
            1. Circling arrows
            2. Two threads
              1. Refreshing the data
          2. Turning It Off
        35. 07.35 The Watch Window: Adding Watches from Variable Windows
          1. Locals Window
          2. Autos Window
          3. QuickWatch
          4. Watch [1, 2, 3, 4] Window
          5. Keyboard Mapping
        36. 07.36 Create Folders in Class View
          1. Create a New Folder
          2. Putting Items into Your Folder
          3. Removing Items from Folders
          4. Creating Subfolders
          5. Deleting Folders
        37. 07.37 Search in Class View
          1. View.ClassViewSearch Command
          2. Use a Previous Search
          3. Clear Your Search
        38. 07.38 Synchronize Your Class View
        39. 07.39 The Misnamed and Misunderstood Object Browser
        40. 07.40 The Object Browser: Setting the Browsing Scope
          1. Browse
            1. All Components
            2. .NET Framework X / Silverlight X
            3. My Solution
            4. Custom Component Set
          2. Edit Custom Component Set
        41. 07.41 The Object Browser: Navigation and References
          1. Navigation
          2. References
        42. 07.42 The Exceptions Dialog Box
          1. Find
            1. Find
            2. Reset All
            3. Add
            4. Delete
            5. Special Case
        43. 07.43 Setting a Breakpoint in the Call Stack Window
        44. 07.44 Setting a Tracepoint in the Call Stack Window
        45. 07.45 Using the WPF Tree Visualizer
        46. 07.46 Understanding Break All Processes When One Process Breaks
        47. 07.47 Changing Context in the Locals Window
          1. Debug Location Toolbar
          2. Process
          3. Thread
          4. Stack Frame
        48. 07.48 Understanding the Autos Window
          1. Changing Values
          2. Current and Previous Statement
            1. Simple Example
            2. Another Example
          3. VB Shows Three Statements on Either Side
    6. II. Extensions for Visual Studio
      1. 8. Visual Studio Extensions
        1. Introducing Visual Studio Extensions
          1. Introducing Visual Studio Extensions
          2. Installing an Extension
          3. Installing from the Extension Manager
          4. Installing from the Visual Studio Gallery
          5. Installing Through Xcopy
          6. Inside a .vsix File
          7. Disabling an Extension
          8. Uninstalling an Extension
          9. Resources for Developing Extensions
        2. 08.01 Create Themes Using All Visual Studio Elements
          1. Visual Studio Color Theme Editor
          2. To Use
          3. To Customize
          4. More Information
        3. 08.02 Insert Images into Your Code
          1. Image Insertion
          2. To Use
          3. To Save
          4. To Customize
        4. 08.03 Add Visual Guidelines to Your Code
          1. Editor Guidelines
          2. To Install
          3. To Use
          4. To Customize
        5. 08.04 Get More IntelliSense in Your XAML Editor
          1. XAML IntelliSense Presenter
          2. To Use
          3. For More Information
        6. 08.05 Sync the Solution Explorer to the Current File
          1. Solution Explorer Tools
          2. To Use
        7. 08.06 Add PowerCommands Options to the IDE
          1. PowerCommands for Visual Studio 2010
          2. To Use
          3. For More Information
        8. 08.07 Use Emacs Commands in the Editor
          1. Emacs Emulation
          2. To Use
          3. To Uninstall
          4. More Information
        9. 08.08 Submit to “The Daily WTF”
          1. Share Bad Code with the World
          2. To Install
          3. To Use
          4. More Information
        10. 08.09 Diff Files Using the Editor
          1. CodeCompare
          2. To Install
          3. To Use
          4. Features
          5. To Uninstall
          6. More Information
        11. 08.10 Run Windows PowerShell Within the IDE
          1. To Use
          2. More Information
        12. 08.11 Visualize OData in a Graphical View
          1. Open Data Protocol Visualizer
          2. To Use
          3. More Information
        13. 08.12 Run VIM Commands in the Editor
          1. To Use
          2. More Information
        14. 08.13 Check Spelling in Your Code
          1. Spell Checker
          2. To Use
        15. 08.14 Zoom Across All Files
          1. Presentation Zoom
          2. To Use
          3. Control Zooming with a Slider Using the ZoomEditorMargin Extension
        16. 08.15 View Code Blocks Using Vertical Lines
          1. StructureAdornment
          2. To Use
          3. To Customize
          4. To Uninstall
        17. 08.16 Get a Bird’s-Eye View of Your Code in an Editor Margin
          1. AllMargins
          2. To Use
          3. To Uninstall
        18. 08.17 Build Projects from the Windows 7 Taskbar
          1. Win7 Taskbar Extension
          2. To Install
          3. To Use
          4. To Uninstall
        19. 08.18 Triple-Click to Select an Entire Line
          1. Triple Click
          2. More Information
        20. 08.19 Create Regular Expressions Within Your Code
          1. Regex Editor
          2. To Use
          3. More Information
        21. 08.20 Get More Productivity Tools in the IDE
          1. To Use
          2. To Customize the Document Tab Well User Interface
        22. 08.21 Create and Find Code Snippets
          1. Snippet Designer
          2. To Use
          3. More Information
        23. 08.22 Document Your Code with Three Keystrokes
          1. GhostDoc
          2. To Use
          3. To Customize
          4. More Information
        24. 08.23 Customize Visual Studio Using Windows PowerShell
          1. StudioShell
          2. To Use
          3. To Get Help
          4. To Customize
          5. More Information
    7. A. Visual Studio Keyboard Shortcut Posters
      1. Visual Studio 2010 Shortcuts
        1. Visual Studio 2010 Shortcuts
        2. Visual Studio 2008 Shortcuts
        3. Visual Studio 2005 Shortcuts
    8. Index
    9. B. Additional Tips
      1. Additional Tips from Chapter 1
        1. AX.01 Getting Help Samples
        2. AX.02 Make the Start Page Go Away
        3. AX.03 Bringing Back the Start Page
        4. AX.04 Show All Settings with Visual Basic
        5. AX.05 Find Your Development Settings
        6. AX.06 Settings Automatically Saved On Exit
        7. AX.07 Customize Your Toolbars in Visual Studio 2008: Toolbars Tab
          1. Custom Toolbars
        8. AX.08 Customize Your Toolbars in Visual Studio 2008: Commands Tab
        9. AX.09 Hide or Show Default Buttons on a Toolbar
        10. AX.10 Reset Toolbars
      2. Additional Tips from Chapter 2
        1. AX.11 Sorting Templates in the New Project Dialog Box
        2. AX.12 Toggle Icon Size in the New Project Dialog Box
        3. AX.13 Choosing the StartUp Project
        4. AX.14 Linked Items in Projects
        5. AX.15 Using the Miscellaneous Files Project
        6. AX.16 Change the Order of Your Application Settings
        7. AX.17 Hide or Show the Solution File in Solution Explorer
        8. AX.18 New Project Dialog Preferred Language
        9. AX.19 Optimizing Your Project Code
          1. C#
          2. VB
          3. C++
          4. Finally
      3. Additional Tips from Chapter 3
        1. AX.20 Full Screen Mode
        2. AX.21 Split Your Windows Horizontally
        3. AX.22 Sorting Items in the Toolbox
        4. AX.23 Icon vs. List View in the Toolbox
        5. AX.24 Hide the Status Bar
        6. AX.25 Remove the Navigation Bar
        7. AX.26 Show Any Toolbar
        8. AX.27 Changing Auto-Hide Behavior for Tool Windows
        9. AX.28 Closing a Tool Window Tab Group
        10. AX.29 Copy and Paste with the Command Prompt
          1. Pasting
          2. Copying
        11. AX.30 Customize the Command Prompt
          1. Options
            1. Cursor Size
              1. Small
              2. Medium
              3. Large
            2. Command History
            3. Edit Options
          2. Font
          3. Layout
            1. Screen Buffer Size
            2. Window Size
            3. Window Position
          4. Colors
          5. Resetting Back to Defaults
        12. AX.31 Show All Toolbox Controls
        13. AX.32 Server Explorer: Data Connections
          1. Data Connections in Other Areas
          2. Data Connections in Server Explorer
            1. Tables
            2. Stored Procedures
          3. Finally
        14. AX.33 Server Explorer: Server Event Logs
          1. Adding Servers
          2. Event Logs
          3. Click and Drag Components
        15. AX.34 Server Explorer: Server Management Classes
          1. Create
          2. Generate Classes
          3. Click and Drag Components
        16. AX.35 Window Layouts: File View
        17. AX.36 Rearrange Your Toolbars
        18. AX.37 Create a Shortcut Key for a Macro
        19. AX.38 How to Run External Executables from the Command Window
          1. Arguments
      4. Additional Tips from Chapter 4
        1. AX.39 Close All But This on the File Tab Channel
        2. AX.40 Copy a File’s Full Path from the File Tab
        3. AX.41 Understanding the File Tab Channel Drop-Down Button
        4. AX.42 How to Disable the IDE Navigator
        5. AX.43 Thumbnail Previews in the IDE Navigator
          1. Troubleshooting
        6. AX.44 Changing Editors Using Open With
          1. Example
      5. Additional Tips from Chapter 5
        1. AX.45 Using a Simple Quick Find
        2. AX.46 Using the Find Combo Box
        3. AX.47 Customize the Files to Search with Find In Files
        4. AX.48 How to Show and Hide Find Messages
        5. AX.49 How to Not Automatically Search for the Currently Selected Word
        6. AX.50 Setting Bookmarks
        7. AX.51 Organizing Bookmarks
        8. AX.52 Navigating Bookmarks
          1. [Next,Previous] Bookmark In Document
          2. [Next,Previous] Bookmark In Folder
          3. [Next,Previous] Bookmark
      6. Additional Tips from Chapter 6
        1. AX.53 Turn On Line Numbers
        2. AX.54 Go to a Line Number
        3. AX.55 Comment and Uncomment Code
        4. AX.56 Select the Current Word
        5. AX.57 Delete Through the Beginning or End of a Word
        6. AX.58 Click and Drag Text to a New Location
        7. AX.59 Make Selection Uppercase or Lowercase
        8. AX.60 Brace Matching Rectangle
          1. A Note About VB
        9. AX.61 Automatic Delimiter Highlighting
          1. C#
          2. VB
          3. Changing Colors
          4. Turning It Off
        10. AX.62 Move or Select to the Top or Bottom of the Current View in the Editor
        11. AX.63 Format the Current Document or Selection
        12. AX.64 Use F6 to Jump Between Split Windows
        13. AX.65 Turn Off Single-Click URL Navigation in the Editor
        14. AX.66 Hide the Vertical and/or Horizontal Scroll Bars
        15. AX.67 How to Convert Tabs to Spaces and Vice Versa
          1. Tabify/Untabify
          2. ConvertSpacesToTabs/ConvertTabsToSpaces
        16. AX.68 Delete Horizontal White Space
        17. AX.69 Expanding Your Code with Outlining
        18. AX.70 Collapsing or Expanding All Your Code with Outlining
        19. AX.71 Turn Off or Turn On Outlining
        20. AX.72 Understanding Virtual Space
        21. AX.73 Document Outline: WPF and Silverlight Projects
        22. AX.74 Document Outline: Windows Form Projects
          1. Selection
          2. Context Commands
          3. View Code
          4. Relocate Items
          5. Toolbar Controls
            1. Name display
            2. Expand/collapse
            3. Moving around
        23. AX.75 Change the Tooltip Font Size
        24. AX.76 Change the Statement Completion Font Size
        25. AX.77 Vertical Split View for Web Projects
        26. AX.78 Open JScript Braces on a New Line
        27. AX.79 Insert Spaces vs. Keep Tabs
          1. Tab Size
          2. Indent Size
          3. Insert Spaces
          4. Keep Tabs
        28. AX.80 View in Browser
        29. AX.81 Detect When a File Is Changed Outside the Environment
          1. Detect When File Is Changed Outside The Environment
          2. Auto-Load Changes, If Saved
        30. AX.82 Turn Off the Selection Margin
        31. AX.83 Reuse the Same Editor Window When Opening Files
        32. AX.84 Sharing Snippets with Your Team
        33. AX.85 Swap the Current Anchor Position
        34. AX.86 Guidelines: A Hidden Feature for the Visual Studio Editor
          1. Visual Studio 2010
          2. Visual Studio 2005/2008
            1. Removing guidelines
        35. AX.87 Insert File as Text
        36. AX.88 Indenting: Smart vs. Block vs. None
          1. Smart
          2. Block
          3. None
        37. AX.89 Change CSS Formatting
          1. Style
            1. Expanded (Default)
            2. Semi-expanded
            3. Compact rules
          2. Capitalization
            1. Lowercase (Default)
            2. Uppercase
            3. As entered
        38. AX.90 How to Turn Off Automatic IntelliSense
        39. AX.91 Disable HTML, CSS, or JScript IntelliSense
        40. AX.92 Design and XAML on Different Document Tabs
        41. AX.93 Using Generate from Usage
          1. VB
          2. C#
        42. AX.94 IntelliSense Suggestion Mode
        43. AX.95 Turn Off Automatic Symbol Renaming When You Rename a File in Solution Explorer
        44. AX.96 Mark Methods and Types as Hidden from IntelliSense and the Object Browser
          1. C#
            1. C#
            2. VB
          2. Hiding
            1. C#
            2. VB
          3. Use
          4. Result
            1. C#
            2. VB
      7. Additional Tips from Chapter 7
        1. AX.97 Set or Remove a Breakpoint
        2. AX.98 Enable or Disable a Breakpoint
        3. AX.99 Start Debugging vs. Start Without Debugging
          1. Starting with Debugging
            1. The debugger: Release builds
          2. Starting Without Debugging
            1. Myth: Start Without Debugging creates a release build
          3. Finally
        4. AX.100 Set As Start Page
        5. AX.101 Enable Debugging in Web.Config
        6. AX.102 View the Error List Window
        7. AX.103 Show Error Help from Errors List Window
        8. AX.104 Hide or Show Error List When the Build Finishes with Errors
        9. AX.105 Show the Output Window During Build
        10. AX.106 Navigate Among Errors in the Output Window
        11. AX.107 Customize the Output Window
        12. AX.108 Step Out of or Over a Method
          1. Step Out
          2. Step Over
        13. AX.109 Clearing Your DataTips
          1. Clear All DataTips
          2. Clear All DataTips Pinned to [File Name]
        14. AX.110 Create User Tasks in the Task List
        15. AX.111 Show the Full File Path in the Task List
        16. AX.112 Disable the Prompt for Deleting Items from the Task List
        17. AX.113 Navigate Task List Entries with the Keyboard
        18. AX.114 Navigating Between Output Window Panes with the Keyboard
        19. AX.115 The Watch Window: Moving Values Between Watch Windows
          1. Moving Between Windows
            1. Type it in
            2. Copy and paste
            3. Click and drag
        20. AX.116 The Immediate Window: Simple Printing and Changing Values
        21. AX.117 The Immediate Window: Working with Members
          1. Debug
          2. Design
        22. AX.118 The Immediate Window: Design-Time Breakpoints
        23. AX.119 The Immediate Window: Running Commands
        24. AX.120 Class View and Object Browser Icons
        25. AX.121 Output Window vs. Immediate Window
        26. AX.122 The Object Browser: Settings
          1. Containers vs. Namespaces
            1. View Containers
            2. View Namespaces
          2. Base and Derived Types
            1. Show Base Types
            2. Show Derived Types
          3. Hidden Types and Members
            1. Show Hidden Types And Members
          4. Public, Protected, Private, and Other Members
            1. Show Public Members
            2. Show Protected Members
            3. Show Private Members
            4. Show Other Members
          5. Inherited Members and Extension Methods
            1. Show Inherited Members
            2. Show Extension Methods
        27. AX.123 The Object Browser: Search
          1. View.ObjectBrowserSearch Command
        28. AX.124 The Object Browser: Objects Pane
          1. Go To Definition
          2. Browse Definition
          3. Find All References
          4. Filter To Type
          5. Copy
          6. View Namespaces
          7. View Containers
          8. Sort Alphabetically
          9. Sort By Object Type
          10. Sort By Object Access
          11. Group By Object Type
          12. Go To Declaration
        29. AX.125 The Object Browser: Members Pane
          1. Go To Definition, Find All References, and Copy
          2. View Call Hierarchy
          3. Show *
          4. Sort *
          5. Group By Member Type
        30. AX.126 The Object Browser: Description Pane
        31. AX.127 The Object Browser: Creating a Keyboard Shortcut for Add To References
        32. AX.128 The Object Browser: Type-Ahead Selection
        33. AX.129 The Object Browser: Exporting Your Settings
        34. AX.130 The Immediate Window: Implicit Variables
          1. C#
          2. VB
        35. AX.131 Show External Code
        36. AX.132 Understanding Just My Code
          1. DBG and PDB files
          2. Optimization
            1. C#
            2. VB
            3. C++
          3. Finally
        37. AX.133 Attach To Process (Tools vs. Debug Menu)
        38. AX.134 The Immediate Window: Running WinDbg and SOS (Son of Strike) Commands
          1. Loading SOS in the Immediate Window
            1. 32-bit
            2. 64-bit
          2. Using SOS
            1. Threads and symbols
            2. Dump the managed heap
            3. Current thread call stack
        39. AX.135 Creating a Class Diagram from Class View
        40. AX.136 Placing the Call Stack and Call Hierarchy Windows
        41. AX.137 Delete All Breakpoints
          1. Debug | Delete All Breakpoints; Ctrl+Shift+F9
          2. Breakpoints Window
        42. AX.138 Make Object ID
        43. AX.139 Change Values from the Locals Window
        44. AX.140 Debug Executable Without Using Attach to Process
        45. AX.141 The Watch Window: Hexadecimal Display
        46. AX.142 Edit And Continue
          1. Disclaimer
        47. AX.143 Print with Line Numbers
        48. AX.144 Printing the File Path in the Page Header
        49. AX.145 Printing in Different Fonts and Colors
        50. AX.146 Get Rid of the Splash Screen
        51. AX.147 Understanding Check Accessibility
          1. Check For
          2. Show
        52. AX.148 Automatic vs. Default in Fonts and Colors
          1. Default
          2. Automatic
        53. AX.149 Visual Studio Permissions Needed on Windows Vista or Later
          1. Installing Visual Studio (All Versions)
          2. Running Visual Studio 2005
          3. Specific Scenarios for Visual Studio 2008/2010
            1. Web/Internet Information Services
            2. Windows Installer deployment
            3. ClickOnce deployment
            4. Code
            5. Debugging
            6. COM/COM Interop
              1. Classic COM
              2. COM Interop
        54. AX.150 Show Advanced Build Configurations
          1. Simplified Build Configurations
            1. Configuration Manager
            2. Debug Build
            3. Release Build
          2. Advanced Build Configurations
        55. AX.151 Emacs Emulation
        56. AX.152 ViM Emulation
          1. Visual Studio 2010
          2. Visual Studio 2008 and Prior
    10. About the Authors
    11. Copyright

    Product information

    • Title: Coding Faster: Getting More Productive with Microsoft® Visual Studio®
    • Author(s): Zain Naboulsi and Sara Ford
    • Release date: August 2011
    • Publisher(s): Microsoft Press
    • ISBN: 9780735662155