Tips and Tricks for Using Visual Studio.Net Effectively

Microsoft Visual Studio.Net
Tips and Tricks
to save you 10 minutes a day

Wei Li
09/2006

If I had eight hours to chop down a tree,
I'd spend six sharpening my axe

- Abraham Lincoln

What do you want most from
an IDE?

It is just me -

Assist me write good (hopefully) code fast
and happily

Let us make a great IDE
better
Launch VS.NET quickly
Organize views and windows
Choose color scheme and font
Master some shortcuts
Do not repeat yourself using macros
Extend VS.NET using addins
Use command window

First thing first – save time on
start up
Say NO to the start page

Choose the right start up
option

Show Start Page

Load last loaded solution

Show Open Project dialog
box

Show New Project dialog
box

Show Empty environment

Suppress the splash page
It probably does not bring you anything
good

Start VS.NET from command
prompt
C:> devenv /nosplash c:weicsharpproj1proj1.sln
c:weicsharpproj1

Prerequisite
Put C:Program FilesMicrosoft Visual Studio .NET
C: Files
2003Common7IDE into your path
2003Common7IDE

Litter your desktop with a
solution shortcut

Double click it to open the solution

A little more about working
with command prompt
C:>devenv /?

C:>devenv c:weitrialcsharpunit_testunit_test.sln
/build DEBUG

Why? Automation and continuous integration

Views, windows, layouts
Solution View
Property View
Server View
…
Debug Window
Output Window
Task List Window
…
Oh My!

Less is more

Ever tried Alt + Shift + Enter?

Organize the views and
windows
Make views/windows auto-hide

Bring them back with shortcuts and
command window aliases only when
they are needed

Link file under editing to
solution explorer

Little thing counts
Add guide lines to Visual Studio.Net Text Editor
Subtle effect: do not write a line which is too long

Add guide lines to Visual Studio.Net
Text Editor
Open regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftVisualStudio<7.1>
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftVisualStudio<7.1>Text
Editor
Right-click on the Text Editor key and choose New String Value and name it
"Guides"
Set the value of the guides to RGB(92, 46, 46) 80, 100

Text editor color scheme
Customize a combination which is best for
your eyes

Anyone likes the dark side of
Visual Studio.Net?
Studio.Net?

sample

Source: http://seizethedave.com/etc/ide-color.gif
http://seizethedave.com/etc/ide-

sample

Source: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000682.html

sample

Source:
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000682.html

Font for text editor
Choose a font that works best for your
eyes

Font size for text editor
Choose a font size - I choose a larger font
size 14.

Why?
• Good for my eyes
• Seeing a lot less code in the editor at a time helps
write better code. You naturally want see a whole
method in one go. Seeing less code has the subtle
effect of writing shorter and cleaner method.

Shortcuts
Tons of them
Lots of them you never use
Lots of them you do not care

Master 10 – 15 killers that you use all the
time

Shortcuts
Ctrl + Space

Complete the current word or shows all available methods
and properties for a class

Ctrl + Shift + Space

Show the parameter information when the cursor is inside
method parentheses

Shortcuts
Ctrl + K Ctrl + I

Show a quick description about whatever object the cursor is
currently resting on

Shortcuts
Ctrl + M + O
Fold all code

Ctrl + M + P
Expand all folds

Shortcuts
Ctrl+K Ctrl+C
Comment out the selected code area

Ctrl+K Ctrl+U
Uncomment the selected code area

Ctrl+K Ctrl+F
Format selected code area

Shortcuts
F7
Code view

Shift + F7
Design view

Shortcuts
F8
Next item in the task list or search results.

Killer usage:
Search for something in the whole solution
From command window: grep “wordtosearch”
Then hit F8 for the results

Shortcuts
F12
Go to definition

Shift + F12
Go to reference

Shortcuts
Ctrl + F
Find

Ctrl + Shift + F
Find in files

Shortcuts
F5
Start with debugger

Ctrl + F5
Start without debugger

F10
Step over

F11
Step into

Shortcuts
Esc
Set the focus back to code view (editor)

Ctrl + Tab
Go to the next opened file in the text editor

And do not forget
Ctrl + S
Save the current file
Not just for VS.NET

Ctrl + Shift + S
Save all modified files

And do not forget
Shift + F10
= right click
Bring up context menu
It works not only for VS.NET

Create your own shortcuts
Tools->Options->Environment->Keyboard
Tools->Options->Environment-

My customized shortcuts
alt + s Solution viewer
alt + c Class viewer
alt + p Property Viewer
alt + f Find File
alt + o Opened file
alt + a All members of the file
alt + m Methods of a file
alt + v Pending checking
alt + r Output viewer
alt + t Options window
alt + h View history of the file under editing

Shortcuts
List all shortcuts and print it out for
reference

Use a macro available here:
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000315.html

Macros
A series of commands and instructions grouped
together

Automate repetitive actions

Macros
Create a macro

Run a macro

Edit a macro

Macros
Assign shortcut to a macro

Macros
Create a command alias for a macro

Addins

All killers no fillers

VSFileFinder2003
Find files quickly in large solution with many projects

Freely available from:
http://zero-one-zero.com/vs/
http://zero-one-

A must

USysWare DPack
Code browse
File browse
Solution browse

Freely available from:
http://www.usysware.com/DPack/Default.aspx

QuickCode .NET
Write code for you
Give you more time to code other things that you really
want to spend time on

Available from:
http://www.dvxp.com/en/QuickCode.aspx

QuickCode .NET - Demo
write
main
for
private field
comments (div, ///)
create NUnit test class

TestDriven.NET
Integrate NUnit to Visual Studio.NET

Quick Demo

Will be covered in another talk

http://testdriven.net/

Solvent
Recursive Expand/Contract

Open All Sub Items

Open Containing Folder In Windows Explorer

Command Prompt Here

http://www.paraesthesia.com/blog/comments.php?id=602_0_1_0_C

VIEMU
vi-vim emulation for Microsoft Visual Studio
Vi/Vim is an text editor which allows you to edit code
quickly

Not a freeware

Not for everyone due to its key binding

http://www.viemu.com/

VIEMU - Demo
h j k l - move around quickly
gg - go to the beginning of a file
G - go to the end of a file
:15 - go to line 15

yy - copy a line
p - paste

:w - save the file
:q - close a file
:qa - close all files

:prb - build the project

Addins
Bring up addins using shortcuts and command aliases

This makes addins really powerful

Command window
The hidden treasure of VS.NET

Can be used to do pretty much everything

My control center for VS.NET

Command window
What can you do from command window?

Bring up views, windows
Build project and solution
Search for something
…
You name it

Command window - Demo
Important: create a shortcut to bring up command
windows first

Mine is alt + w

Command window
List all aliases

My question to you
What shortcuts, tips and tricks you use all the time?

Being productive
Tools matter but it is not only about tools.
It is about a mind set.

Nobody has time for it. Make it. Dig it.
It pays off.

If you save 10 minutes a day
Is it a big deal?

Let us do the math:
10 (minutes/day) * 300 (days)
= 3,000 minutes
= 50 hours
= One whole week

Plus, chances are you will save more than 10 minutes a
day!
Plus, you now can code in a better mental mood ☺

Tips and Tricks for Using Visual Studio.Net Effectively

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