F# Development Environment Features
This topic includes information about which features of Visual Studio 2010 are supported in F#.
Project Features
The following table summarizes the templates that are available for use in F# projects. For information about project and item templates, see Visual Studio Templates.
Template type |
Description |
Supported templates |
|---|---|---|
Project templates |
Types of projects available in the New Project dialog box. |
|
Item templates |
File types available in the Add New Item dialog box. |
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The following table summarizes project-properties features supported and not supported in F#. For more information, see Configuring Projects (F#) and Managing Project Properties with the Project Designer.
Project setting |
Supported in F#? |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Resource files |
Yes |
|
Build, debug, and reference settings |
Yes |
|
Multitargeting |
Yes |
|
Icon and manifest |
No |
Available through compiler command-line options. |
ASP.NET Client Services |
No |
|
ClickOnce |
No |
Use a client project in another .NET Framework language, if applicable, or a Setup Project. For more information about Setup Projects, see Setup and Deployment Projects. |
Strong naming |
No |
Available through compiler command-line options. |
Assembly publishing and versioning |
No |
|
Code analysis |
No |
Code analysis tools can be run manually or as part of a post-build command. |
Security (change trust levels) |
No |
|
Code and Text Editor Features
The following features of the Visual Studio code and text editors are supported in F#. For general information about editing code in Visual Studio, and features of the text editor, see Code and Text Editor.
Feature |
Description |
Supported in F#? |
|---|---|---|
Automatically comment |
Enables you to comment or uncomment sections of code. |
Yes |
Automatically format |
Reformats code with standard indentation and style. |
No |
Bookmarks |
Enables you to save places in the editor. |
Yes |
Change indentation |
Indents or unindents selected lines. |
Yes |
Enables you to search in a file, project, or solution, and potentially change text. |
Yes |
|
Go to definition for .NET Framework API |
When the cursor is positioned on a .NET Framework API, shows code generated from .NET Framework metadata. |
No |
Go to definition for user-defined API |
When the cursor is on a program entity that you defined, moves the cursor to the location in your code where the entity is defined. |
Yes |
Go To Line |
Enables you to go to a specific line in a file, by line number. |
Yes |
Navigation bars at top of file |
Enables you to jump to locations in code, by, For example, function name. |
No |
Outlining. See How to: Outline and Hide Code. |
Enables you to collapse sections of your code to create a more compact view. |
No |
Tabify |
Converts spaces to tabs. |
Yes |
Type colorization |
Shows defined type names in a special color. |
No |
Quick Find. See Quick Find, Find and Replace Window. |
Enables you to search in a file or project. |
Yes, but only to find F# files, not to search within files |
IntelliSense Features
The following table summarizes IntelliSense features supported and not supported in F#. For general information about IntelliSense, see Coding Aids.
Feature |
Description |
Supported in F#? |
|---|---|---|
Automatically implement interfaces |
Generates code stubs for interface methods. |
No |
Code snippets |
Injects code from a library of common coding constructs into topics. |
No |
Complete Word |
Saves typing by completing words and names as you type. |
Yes |
Consume-first completion mode |
When enabled, causes the word completion to select the first match as you type, instead of waiting for you to select one or press CTRL+SPACE. |
No |
Generate code elements |
Enables you to generate stub code for a variety of constructs. |
No |
List Members |
When you type the member access operator (.), shows members for a type. |
Yes |
Organize Usings/Open |
Organizes namespaces referenced by using statements in C# or open directives in F#. |
No |
Parameter Info |
Shows helpful information about parameters as you type a function call. |
Yes, but does not highlight the current parameter as you type. |
Quick Info |
Displays the complete declaration for any identifier in your code. |
Yes |
Refactoring of F# code is not supported in Visual Studio 2010.
Debugging Features
The following table summarizes features that are available when you debug F# code. For general information about the Visual Studio debugger, see Debugging in Visual Studio.
Feature |
Description |
Supported in F#? |
|---|---|---|
Autos window |
Shows automatic or temporary variables. |
No |
Breakpoints |
Enables you to pause code execution at specific points during debugging. |
Yes |
Conditional breakpoints |
Enables breakpoints that test a condition that determines whether execution should pause. |
Yes |
Edit and Continue |
Enables code to be modified and compiled as you debug a running program without stopping and restarting the debugger. |
No |
Expression evaluator |
Evaluates and executes code at run time. |
No, but the C# expression evaluator can be used, although you must use C# syntax. |
Historical debugging |
Enables you to step into previously executed code. |
Yes |
Locals window |
Shows locally defined values and variables. |
Yes |
Run To Cursor |
Enables you to execute code until the line that contains the cursor is reached. |
Yes |
Step Into |
Enables you to advance execution and move into any function call. |
Yes |
Step Over |
Enables you to advance execution in the current stack frame and move past any function call. |
Yes |
Additional Tools
The following table summarizes the support for F# in Visual Studio tools.
Tool |
Description |
Supported in F#? |
|---|---|---|
Call Hierarchy |
Displays the nested structure of function calls in your code. |
No |
Code Metrics |
Gathers information about your code, such as line counts. |
No |
Class View |
Provides a type-based view of the code in a project. |
No |
Shows a list of errors in code. |
Yes |
|
Enables you to type (or copy and paste) F# code and run it immediately, independently of the building of your project. The F# Interactive window is a Read, Evaluate, Print Loop (REPL). |
Yes |
|
Enables you to view the types in an assembly. |
F# types as they appear in compiled assemblies do not appear exactly as you author them. You can browse through the compiled representation of F# types, but you cannot view the types as they appear from F#. |
|
Displays build output. |
Yes |
|
Performance analysis |
Provides tools for measuring the performance of your code. |
Yes |
Properties Window |
Displays and enables editing of properties of the object in the development environment that has focus. |
Yes |
Provides ways to interact with a variety of server resources. |
Yes |
|
Solution Explorer |
Enables you to view and manage projects and files. |
Yes |
Task List |
Enables you to manage work items pertaining to your code. |
Yes |
Test Projects |
Provides features that help you test your code. |
No |
Toolbox |
Displays tabs that contain draggable objects such as controls and sections of text or code. |
Yes |