Sara Ford's Weblog
My adventures embracing open source on CodePlex and at Microsoft
Did you know… You can view the contents of a .vsi before installing via the Content Installer - #357
On the front page of the Content Installer is a link to view the content in Windows Explorer. When...
Author: saraford Date: 11/14/2008
Did you know… You can specify where to install a snippet in the Content Installer - #356
Continuing with yesterday’s tip, whenever you install a code snippet, the content installer will...
Author: saraford Date: 11/13/2008
Did you know… You can press Ctrl+, D to view the Code Definition Window – #354
Now before I get the angry emails on my first day back from vacation, I will say up front that there...
Author: saraford Date: 11/11/2008
Did you know… You can drag and drop objects from the Class View into your code - #353
This also works in the Object Browser, but considering it is in a tabbed documented state (meaning...
Author: saraford Date: 11/10/2008
Did you know… You can Invoke a Static Method from the Class View? - #352
Today’s tip is actually a continuation from yesterday’s, as the Create Instance and Invoke Static...
Author: saraford Date: 11/07/2008
Did you know… You can view the Class Diagram for a class from the Class View - #351
The Class Diagram was built by another team outside the Visual Studio Core Team, so I don’t have too...
Author: saraford Date: 11/06/2008
Did you know… You can export your Class View settings options to a .vssettings file? - #350
Just like Object Browser, you can export your class view settings to a .vssettings file. This blog...
Author: saraford Date: 11/05/2008
Did you know… There are two different commands for navigation forward and back in Class View - #349
Just like in the Object Browser, Alt+Right Arrow (View.Forward) and Alt+Left Arrow (View.Backward)...
Author: saraford Date: 11/04/2008
Did you know… You can show project references in the Class View? - #348
The Class View and the Object Browser are very similar, even down to the sort by options. I had to...
Author: saraford Date: 11/03/2008
PDC 2008 Day 2 - 4 pictures
My camera battery died after Day 2. Must buy new camera that charges via USB (instead of draining.)...
Author: saraford Date: 11/03/2008
Did you know… You can create folders to organize your objects and methods within the Class View? - #347
Happy Halloween! Here’s a picture of me and Beth Massi (i’ll let you guess which is which) at her...
Author: saraford Date: 10/31/2008
Did you know… You can press Ctrl+Shift+C to jump to the Class View? - #346
Going back to basics with some tool windows I haven’t covered yet. Pressing Ctrl+Shift+C in the...
Author: saraford Date: 10/30/2008
Did you know… You can launch VS without the splash screen (/nosplash), and maybe even save some time. - #345
According to some blog posts, this tip should save you some time using Visual Studio 2005. I’ve...
Author: saraford Date: 10/29/2008
PDC 2008 Day 1 Pictures
And some more pictures… In the slides preceding Monday’s keynote, my name was shown for the book...
Author: saraford Date: 10/28/2008
Did you know… You can create file or item templates - #343
Alongside project templates, you can create item templates within the same File – Export Template...
Author: saraford Date: 10/27/2008
Did you know… How to change the default templates that appear in the New Project Dialog? - #342
All the tips thus far have been for project templates created by you or someone else. Let’s say you...
Author: saraford Date: 10/24/2008
Did you know… What unchecking the display an explorer window on the Export Templates Wizard does? - #341
It’s a option, so it is fair game as a tip. Hey, they all can’t be winners, you know. =) Although I...
Author: saraford Date: 10/23/2008
Did you know… How to import your project template if you chosen not to automatically import it? - #340
On the File – Export Template Wizard, there’s the option to Automatically import the template into...
Author: saraford Date: 10/22/2008
Did you know… you can specify the project icon for your template to appear in the New Project Dialog? - #339
On page 2 of the File – Export Template wizard, you can specify several options. The first of these...
Author: saraford Date: 10/21/2008
I’ve been deep fried on Deep Fried Bytes – Podcast on book and CodePlex Agile development
Author: saraford Date: 10/20/2008
Did you know… You can specify which New Project Dialog Language sub-node to show a project template - #338
In yesterday’s example, the default puts the project template in the root folder for that language....
Author: saraford Date: 10/20/2008
Did you know… How to add other people’s created project templates to the New Project Dialog? - #337
Let’s say that you want to share your newly created project template with your team. Tell them to go...
Author: saraford Date: 10/17/2008
Did you know… You can create project templates? - #336
Starting in Visual Studio 2005, you can create your own custom project templates to appear alongside...
Author: saraford Date: 10/16/2008
Me, My Editor and My Book (and Book Signing at PDC Monday, Oct 27 from 12-12:30. 20% off)
I just got the first two copies hot of the press, a phrase I’ve never used in its original context...
Author: saraford Date: 10/15/2008
Did you know… You can create a new project from existing code? - #335
On the File menu, under New, there’s the Project From Existing Code command. This brings up a wizard...
Author: saraford Date: 10/15/2008
Did you know… You can view the build order for the solution? - #334
For the same reason it merits its own command in the Solution Explorer context menu, it merits its...
Author: saraford Date: 10/14/2008
Did you know… How to change the build order for your solution? - #333
For managed projects, you can control their build order via the IDE. Right-click on the project in...
Author: saraford Date: 10/13/2008
Did you know… How to edit a .csproj or .vbproj project file within the IDE? - #332
This tip originates from the MSBuild team as a way to edit your MSBuild project file within the IDE...
Author: saraford Date: 10/10/2008
Did you know… You can keep recently-used files from falling off the File Tab Channel? - #331
Just found out about this tip the other day. Works for both 2005 and 2008, although I haven’t tested...
Author: saraford Date: 10/09/2008
Did you know… You can use the New Project Dialog to add a new project to a solution? - #330
And after 7 years, I’m still learning something new about the New Project Dialog. I have to have...
Author: saraford Date: 10/08/2008
ReMix Sessions (CodePlex, Visual Studio Tips) now available online
My 2 talks, plus my 20 Visual Studio Tips in 7 minutes micro-talk, are available at...
Author: saraford Date: 10/07/2008
Did you know… You can configure the MSBuild verbosity in the Output window? - #329
Under Tools – Options – Projects and Solutions – Build and Run, there’s the MSBuild project build...
Author: saraford Date: 10/07/2008
Scholarship officially announced at Miss Gulf Coast Community College
Finally, at long last, the Save Waveland Scholarship Fund was announced today at the local college....
Author: saraford Date: 10/06/2008
Did you know… You can single-click to make a project be the startup project? - #328
was going to start this blog entry off with the definition of Irony, but the more I read about it,...
Author: saraford Date: 10/06/2008
Did you know… You can specify whether to run old version when a build fails? - #327
Although the documentation for this option says that this applies only to VC, it seems to work for...
Author: saraford Date: 10/03/2008
Did you know… What to do when projects are out of date is only for VC? - #326
Say it with me now, “Under Tools – Options – Projects and Solutions – Build And Run” there’s the...
Author: saraford Date: 10/02/2008
Did you know… How to build just the startup project and any dependencies? - #325
Under Tools – Options – Projects and Solutions – Build and Run, there’s the Only build startup...
Author: saraford Date: 10/01/2008
Did you know… Only VC supports parallel building within the IDE - #324
Under Tools – Options – Projects And Solutions – Build And Run, there’s the Maximum Number Of...
Author: saraford Date: 09/30/2008
Tips and Tricks for ASP.NET, IIS, and Visual Web Developer
Reshmi, a SDET on the Web Development Tools team, is running a new Tips and Tricks blog for ASP.NET,...
Author: saraford Date: 09/29/2008
Did you know… How to configure how and when the IDE saves your files before building? - #323
Ahh, finally, back to one of the IDE feature areas I used to test – Projects and Solutions! And no...
Author: saraford Date: 09/29/2008
Matt’s Snippet Designer finally sees the light of day!
Sara Aside: Matt and I were IM’ing each other this morning, and he congratulated me for the book...
Author: saraford Date: 09/26/2008
Did you know… You can use the HTML Visualizer to view HTML? - #322
And last but not least, there was the HTML Visualizer… And your HTML appears as it would in a...
Author: saraford Date: 09/26/2008
Did you know… You can use the XML Visualizer to view XML? - #321
Let’s say you have a more interesting string that contains xml, say one of the code snippet files....
Author: saraford Date: 09/25/2008
Did you know… The Text Visualizer supports word wrap? - #320
At the bottom of the Text Visualizer dialog box, there’s the option to toggle word wrap, to give you...
Author: saraford Date: 09/24/2008
Did you know… How to use the Text Visualizer? - #319
Let’s say you have a long string, maybe a SQL connection string or just some tabular data (or data...
Author: saraford Date: 09/23/2008
Remembering ReMix08 UK – 3 talks in Brighton, England last week
Last week, my career-long dream of becoming an international speaker came true. I had the...
Author: saraford Date: 09/22/2008