Coding Faster: Give Me Your Thoughts

Folks,

Just an update on the book.  It appears that it may be over 300 pages as originally planned so I am seeing if that is an issue with the publisher.  Would you have a problem if the book was larger? 

 

Also, I've gotten another draft of the book as we move along and, just as I have always done, I would like to get your thoughts.  I've attached the PDF for your review.  Let me know your thoughts.  Bear in mind is it a rough draft and some things will change.  For example, "Free Your Document Windows" will become something like "Multi-Monitor Support" as I review the titles. 

 

Also, I will most likely be trimming out the more trivial tips.  The tricky part is that one person's "trivial" is another person's "cool" so I'm erring on the side of too much information rather than not enough.

 

Z

ch4_samp_4-8.pdf

Comments

• Anonymous
  April 13, 2011
  Trivial may be those tasks that are really easy to do, from what I saw in your sample, the information can be classified as "trivial" nontheless I liked to see those screenshots, (the short cut parts are the best in the way you are showing them).

• Anonymous
  April 13, 2011
  Thanks Gilberto! :) So a general question I have that Kevin (who is thought up the title and is doing the tech review) brought up the other day would be:  Should I include things like how to set a Breakpoint?  Presumably everyone knows how to do it but it's the shortcut keys and commands that I thought made inclusion important.  Thoughts? Z

• Anonymous
  April 13, 2011
  Zain, I think your shortcut for Free your document windows is wrong! Same for Insert Document to the right of existing tabs You have ALT+W, F(float) and ALT+W, T(dock) It should be: ALT, W, F (float) and ALT, W, T(dock) There is a big distinction! If nothing is bound to the shortcut key ALT+W then that will drop down the menu for Tools, but if you have something bound to ALT+W,T, then only ALT,W,T will select the menu item

• Anonymous
  April 13, 2011
  Stefan, Yep.  Good catch.  I'll make sure the changes get reflected in the book.  Also, shoot me the code you put in as it was fairly large and I'll just make a seperate post about it for folks so they can use it. Z

• Anonymous
  April 13, 2011
  Hi Zain, in my opinion you are using too much screenshots in your book. It is enough to write "Just go to Tools | Options | Environment | Documents and select the Insert Documents To The Right Of Existing Tabs option." A screenshot is not needed. Maybe 300 pages are enough, if you skip some screenshots. Michael

• Anonymous
  April 13, 2011
  Hey Michael :) Thanks for the input!  Most of the feedback I have gotten has been that they like the extra screenshots.  They feel that there isn't enough visual information in many of the books.  I'll keep your sugggestion in mind as it would defintiely reduce the size of the book.   All -- any thoughts on the number of screenshots? Z

• Anonymous
  April 15, 2011
  I agree with the previous comments about too many screenshots. After reading the bit about inserting documents to the right of existing tabs instead of the left I thought, so what, what difference does it make? So it might be nice to explain the benefit of some of these options, where it makes sense.

• Anonymous
  April 15, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  April 17, 2011
  How about a glossary with screenshots? Most readers, including me, do not know a Guide Diamond. Instead of showing a screenshot of the Guide Diamond in every tip, just show one screenshot in a glossary. Or start the book with an introduction where you explain the basics of the visual studio ide. Michael

• Anonymous
  April 18, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  April 18, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  April 25, 2011
  The more the merrier.  I did find some of the tips in the debugging chapter to be basic stuff like James R. pointed out.  On the other hand, by including the basics you wind up with a more complete reference.  It depends on your target audience...if you wish to include newcomers to the VS IDE, by all means include all of the basics.  If your target audience is developers familiar with visual studio fundamentals, then leave out the basic tips.  Consider putting the basic tips' titles and URLs from this site, organized by chapter, in an appendix to the book.

• Anonymous
  April 25, 2011
  Bill! :) You read my mind!  Here is the deal I made with MS Press last week:  They are going to include EVERY tip however I have split the tips so that the ones I think will have the most impact right away are included in the main body of the book and the rest are put into an appendix.  The print version of the book will have the appendix available for download and the electronic version of the book will have the appendix included as I understand it.  They were actually very cool about my desire to keep every tip so that beginners as well as advanced users could benefit from the work. Z