Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 contains a bunch of productivity features for C# developers. Rainer Stropek, MVP for Windows Azure, summarizes his top tips for the new VS2012 C# IDE in this presentation

1. Rainer Stropek | software architects
Coding Like the Wind

2. Introduction
• software architects gmbh
• Rainer Stropek
– Developer, Speaker, Trainer
– MVP for Windows Azure
– rainer@timecockpit.com
– @rstropek
http://www.timecockpit.com

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5. Abstract (German)
Richtiger Umgang mit der IDE von Visual Studio
macht einen echten Unterschied in Sachen
Produktivität. In der Session zeigen Ihnen
Roman Schacherl und Rainer Stropek Tipps
und Tricks für Visual Studio C#, die Ihnen
helfen, besser im Code zu navigieren, schneller
Code zu schreiben, Fehler zu finden und vieles
mehr. Die gesamte Session wird bereits mit der
Version 2012 von Visual Studio gemacht.

6. Intro
• VS 2012 – should I?
– Development of Windows Store Apps (requires
Windows 8 also on developer pc)
– Enhancements are shown in this session – but
many tips and tricks work in VS 2010)
– System requirements: Windows 7 or higher
– Project files are compatible to VS 2010
• Main target: show productivity tips for your
day-to-day work

7. NAVIGATE

8. Call Hierarchy (1/2)
• Shows…
– …calls from/in selected member
– …interface implementations
– …virtual or abstract implementations
• „Find all references (Ctrl+K, R) on
steroids“
– Context menu for any member, View Call
History
– Ctrl+K, T

9. Call Hierarchy (1/2)
• Improvements compared to Find all
references
– Hierarchical visualization
– Scope can be specified
– Deferred execution
– More proper results (see
OnPropertyChanged)
• Limitations
– Use outside of C# Code (e.g. XAML)

10. Code Definition Window
• View, Code Definition Window
(Ctrl+W, D)
• Shows the symbol definition based on
– Sourcecode or
– Referenced binary Assemblies
• Reacts to
– Current cursor position
– Current selection in Class View, Object
Browser or Call Browser

11. Quick Launch
• Jump to Quick Launch with Ctrl+Q
• Searches for menus and options
• Specify search scope:
– @menu … (limit to menu items)
– @opt … (limit to settings)
– @mru (Most recently used)

12. Navigate To (1/3)
• Improved Search
– IMHO better than Object Browser (Ctrl+W, J)
– Searching for file names  (e.g. „DBQ“ finds
„DbClientQuery.cs“)
– CamelCaseSearch (e.g. „MAN“ finds
„MarkAsNew“)
• Edit, Navigate To (Ctrl+,)
• Tips
– Search word in lower case  case insensitive
– Upper and lower case  case sensitive
– space = And-conjunction

13. Navigate To (2/3)
• When is Find better?
– Quick Find (Ctrl+F) vs. Find In Files
(Ctrl+Shift+F)
– Tip: Quick Replace (Ctrl+H) vs. Replace In
Files (Ctrl+Shift+H)
– Regular Expressions
• Rarely known, but useful
– Go to next result in Quick Find (F3)
– Go to definition (F12) works also without
having the source code

14. Navigate To (3/3)
• Tip: F8, to move to the next element in lists (go to next
location)
• Build Errors
• Find Results
• Etc.
• Tip: Ctrl+Minus, to navigate to the last shown source code
line (navigate backward)

15. TODO Lists (1/3)
• // TODO: …

16. TODO Lists (2/3)
• Bookmarks (Ctrl+B, T)
• Can be named

17. TODO Lists (3/3)
• Task List Shortcuts (Ctrl+E, T)

18. Reference Highlighting
• All symbol references are highlighted
• references = everything found by Find All References
(Ctrl+K, R)
• Ctrl+Shift+ and Ctrl+Shift+ to jump between
references
• Can be enabled/disabled in the settings
• Colors can be configured in the settings

19. Outlining
• Outlining as known
• Collapse to definitions (Ctrl+M, O)
• Toggle outlining (Ctrl+M, M)
• Tip: #region Code Snippet
• Tip: Ad Hoc Blocks
• Select the code block
• Hide Selection (Ctrl+M, Ctrl+H)
•  Ad Hoc Block gets created

20. CODE GENERATION

21. Generate From Usage
• Useful with TDD
• Accessible via…
• …Mouse (Smart Tag = Pain)
• …Ctrl+. (=Pain Killer)
• Generates Type, Field, Property or
Method
• Tip: Generate New Type if code should be
generated in a different project (e.g. test
projects)

22. IntelliSense (1/2)
• Modes
• Completion Mode (as known)
• Suggestion Mode (for TDD; see Generate From
Usage)
• Switch completion mode with Ctrl+Alt+Space
• How to get the member list manually?
• Ctrl+K, L (or Ctrl+J)

23. IntelliSense (2/2)
• Parameter informations are displayed with
Ctrl+Shift+Space
• Show Quick Info (Ctrl+K, I)

24. IntelliSense (2/2)
• Parameter informations are displayed with
Ctrl+Shift+Space
• Show Quick Info (Ctrl+K, I)

25. C# Code documentation
• Tooltips
• Sandcastle
• Sandcastle Help File Builder
• MAML for concept files
• GhostDoc

26. Snippets (1/2)
• Insert prepared code blocks
• Optional
• Parameter
• using Statements
• References
• Code Snippet UI (Ctrl+K, X)
• Code Snippet Manager (Ctrl+K, Ctrl+B)
• Tip: Snippet Designer on Codeplex

27. Snippets (2/2)
• Surround code block with snippet:
Ctrl+K, S

28. Code Snippets in ASP.NET

29. Item and Project Templates (1/4)

30. Item and Project
Templates (2/4)
• Generates a ZIP file containing
the template
• Has to be deployed manually
• Use VSIX projects to create
installer

31. Item and Project Templates (3/4)

32. Item and Project Templates (4/4)
• Install Visual Studio 2012 SDK for Extensibility project types
• Read more about item/project templates in VS2012:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms247121.aspx

33. T4 Templates
• Integrated Template engine in Visual Studio
• Use e.g. for
– Code generation
– Generation of XML or HTML
• Development Time / Compile Time / Runtime
• Read more about T4:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb126445.aspx

34. T4 (Development- and Design Time)

35. T4 (Runtime)

36. WINDOWS AND VIEWS

37. Solution Explorer
• Search
• Expand tree down
to Methods
• Open multiple
Solution Explorers
with different scopes
• Show Base/Derived
Types

38. Test Explorer
• Replaces the
Test Toolbar
• Demo: Analyze
test coverage

39. „New Project“-Dialog
Ctrl+E

40. Fast Add Reference 
Ctrl+E

41. Docking
• Document Windows
• Docking also in Document Frame
• Tip: Multi-monitor support
• Tip: Ctrl+Doubleclick on window title to
get it back to the last position

42. BTW – Did you know?
• Go to open file (Ctrl+Alt+Down)
• Split Window
• Track Active Item in Solution Explorer (Ctrl+Q, @opt track)

43. Zoom
• Zoom in text window with
Ctrl+Mousewheel
• Doesn‘t work in windows with icons

44. Selection
• Boxed Selection with Alt+Click&Drag
• Multi-Line Insert (also with zero-length
boxes): Alt+Click&Drag

45. BTW – Did you know?

46. DEBUGGING

47. Conditional Breakpoints
• Breakpoint hits only, if the given
condition is true
• Be careful: slows down execution!

48. IntelliTrace
• Record errors in scenarios, where you
don‘t have Visual Studio – and debug
them locally afterwards
• Record specific Events during execution
(e.g. all sent SQL statements and
exceptions)
• Unfortunately only Ultimate Edition

49. IntelliTrace

50. Immediate Window
• Ctrl+D,I
• Execute code during Design Time or
Debugging

51. Data Tips (1/2)
• Present in the debugger for variables of current
scope
• Pin to source: Data Tip is linked to source code
position and scrolls with the text
• Comments on pinned data tips

52. Data Tips (2/2)
• Pinning Subexpressions
• Tip: Object-IDs

53. DLR Support
• Specific support of dynamic data type
in Debugger

54. Thank you
for your attention.
rainer@timecockpit.com