Whidbey's Docking feature!!!

In whidbey when you try to move an window, you can notice a dimand with four arrows.
Those arrows assist you in which side the window will dock.

Check this picture:

What's new in Debugging? - VS 2005.

I would say debugging is the key feature that I like very much and it saved a lot of time in application development. It is a great tool to know the logic flow of the code and the run-time behavior of your program and to locate logic errors.
 
You can break at certain points and inspect memory and register values, change variables etc… It will give you a better idea of what is happening inside the code and where exactly the error is occurring.

Wait. I am hearing what you people are telling…
 
Hey ArunGG… I already know all these things what's new in Whidbey?
 
The two new features that I like is:

1. Edit and Continue (Visual Basic and C/C++ programs only)

It is a cool  and time-saving feature coming back again from VB. With this feature, you can edit the code during break mode (debugging session) and resume the execution of the program with out recompile your program.

Why not in C#?

Check this blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/andypennell/archive/2004/02/03/66949.aspx"For “Whidbey“ we asked customers and prioritized Generics and Refactoring as more important than Edit and Continue for C#."

2. Tracepoints (A new debugger feature in Visual Studio)

A tracepoint is a kind of breakpoint where it won't break or stop!!!
Mmmm. What it means? It means when a tracepoint is hit, the debugger performs the specified tracepoint action like printing a message (including text, variables, stack traces etc).

Visualizers - Facilitates Customized Data View while Debugging

Visualizers in Visual Studio 2005 are part of the Visual Studio debugger user interface. A visualizer is a dialog box that displays a variable or object in a meaningful way that is appropriate to its data type.

You can see the Visualizers by clicking the magnifying glass icon near a DataTip, in a Watch window, in the Autos window, or in the Locals window.

Interesting thing is in the future, you can write your own Visualizer or download from third parties and install them into the Visual Studio debugger.

See the figure for more clarity:

1. In the Code Editor:



2. In the Watch Window:



3. HTML Visualizer:

Import/Export Settings

Yes. Now in Visual Studio 2005, you can export the settings you use in the IDE to a file (*.vssettings) using the Import/Export Settings dialog box. Later you can import that file on other computers.

If you make any change in the setting, Visual Studio will track such changes and it will automatically save the settings to currentsettings.vssettings along with the predefined settings in the folder: %USER_DOCUMENTS%\Visual Studio\Settings\VisualStudio\8.0\CurrentSettings.vssettings.

If you edit that file in Notepad, you can see an XML file like this which stores all the editor settings.

One thing you have to be aware that some settings categories can contain information about you or your computer that might be a security concern if you share your settings with others.

Import/Export Settings Dialog Box:



While you are installing VS 2005, you are asked whether you want a C#, VB, C++, web or general developement settings as shown in the figure below. According to your selection, it will modify the IDE accordingly. Of course you can change that later, if you wish!

Insert snippets - Visual Studio 2005

The Visual Studio .NET Code Editor provides a Code Snippet Inserter that allows you, in a few mouse clicks, to select ready-made blocks of code and insert them into the active document.

The procedure to display the Code Snippet Inserter varies according to the language in which you are developing:

· Visual Basic - Right-click at the desired location in the Code Editor to display the Shortcut menu, and select Insert Snippet.
· Visual C# - From the IntelliSense menu, select Insert Expansion.
· Visual J# - From the Refactor menu, select Insert Expansion.
· Visual C++ - The Code Snippet Inserter is not available.

Picture1: Right click in the code editor and click Insert Snippet in the menu.



Picture2: Insert Snippet Dialog Box.



Picture3: Click the code you need in the Insert Snippet Dialog Box (Here we are clicking registry related).



Picture4: The code to set the value in the Registry!



What you guys thing about this feature. Add your comments/feedbacks/questions here!!!

INDIGO Architecture

"Indigo" is a set of .NET technologies for building and running connected systems. It is a new breed of communications infrastructure built around the Web services architecture. Indigo will be an integral capability of Windows "Longhorn" and will also be supported on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

Visual Studio 2005 - Improve the Design of Existing Code with the Help of Refactoring

With Visual Studio 2005 you can Improve the Design of Existing Code (Visual C# and Visual J# code)with the Help of Refactoring.

These refactoring options include rename, extract method, extract interface, change signature, and encapsulate field. These options are available from the Refactor menu.
 
Refactoring in C# and J# is the process of improving your code after it has been written by changing the internal structure of the code without changing the external behavior of the code.

The My namespace

In Whidbey, VB.NET provides a new feature called “MY” Namespace for rapid application development and to improve productivity. Through this one can access the information about the current application (Using the functionality My.Application), the information about the computer that the application is installed on (Using the functionality My.Computer) and the information about the current user of the application (Using the functionality My.User).
 
My Object Model: (The My Namespace)
 
My.Application: By using this you can get information about the running application such as the title, current directory, and version. It also gives access to environment variables allowing you to easily write to the local application log, or write to a custom log, etc
 
My.Computer: By using this you can get information about the underlying platform and the hardware on the local machine that the application is running on. For instance, Registry, Printer, Keyboard, Screen, etc. are types of objects you can access through this class.
 
My.User: By using this you can get information about the current user in terms of their display name, domain name, what groups the user is a member of, and so on.
 
My.WebServices: It allows you to easily access XML Web services that are used in your application.
 
My.Forms: By using this you can get a collection of all the instances of the forms in your current project. Allows you to easily show and hide forms without having to explicitly create an instance of the form in code.

Download this sample chapter on the My Namespace, as excerpted from Microsoft Visual Basic Programmer’s Introduction to Whidbey”, by Sean Campbell, Scott Swigart, Kris Horrocks, Derek Hatchard, and Peter Bernhardt.

In short instead of using:

System.Windows.Forms.SystemInformation.MousePresent()

you can use:

My.Computer.Mouse.Exists()

To find whether your machine is connected to a Mouse or Not.

Few more examples from Insert Snippet:

This example plays a sound from a file:

My.Computer.Audio.Play("ringout.wav", AudioPlayMode.WaitToComplete)

This example provides the available free space in the drive:

Dim drive As System.IO.DriveInfo
drive = My.Computer.FileSystem.GetDriveInfo("C:\")
Dim space As Long = drive.AvailableFreeSpace

To clear the Clipboard:

My.Computer.Clipboard.Clear()

Old Method of declaration and instantiation:

Dim myForm As New Form1
myForm.Show

With My.Forms, you can directly call methods on the default instance:

My.Forms.Form1.Show

Intersting Isn't? What do you guys think about this feature? Share your thoughts here!

But rightn ow this is only available in VB .NET. I am looking this feature on C# too.

Visual Studio 2005 - WhiteHorse

Visual Studio 2005 - A New set of Graphical Design Tools!!! 
 

Whitehorse introduces new graphical designers in Visual Studio 2005 (formerly referred to as 'Whidbey") that support the design and validation of Web services-based systems.

Check this Episode – To know more about the Whitehorse tools, highlighting some of the key scenarios and customer benefits. 
 
Check this Article  also.

Microsoft innovation website

At this site you can experience the empowering impact of innovation in action, discover new technologies and take a sneak peek into the future with Microsoft Research. Please follow the link above to explore a world of innovation inspired by your potential.
 
Note: Visiting the site via a broadband connection is highly recommended.

Microsoft Technical Communities

Whether you wish to interact with Microsoft employees, experts, and your peers in order to share knowledge and news about Microsoft products and related technologies. Then check this Microsoft Technical Community Site.

ClickOnce - A New Application Deployment Technology

ClickOnce is a new application Deployment Technology which makes the Windows application deployment easy. It will be as simple as that of a Web application deployment. ClickOnce applications can be deployed via web servers, file servers or CDs.

By using ClickOnce you can install the application like start menu & add/remove program entries, or an app can simply be run & cached.

ClickOnce has several ways it can be configured to automatically check for application updates. Also, applications can use the ClickOnce APIs (System.Deployment), to control when updates should happen.



Picture: Publish Properties of the Project:

Core Features & Interesting facts about Express products!!!

Wait. What is Express Products?!

Express products are nothing but additional product line to the Visual Studio 2005 Family targeted for beginners and students.

The Express product encloses:

• Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition: Simple tool to develop dynamic Web sites and Web services
• Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition: Simple programming tool to build Windows Forms, class libraries, and console-based applications using the .NET Framework.
• Visual C# 2005 Express Edition, Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition, and Visual J# 2005 Express Edition: Simple programming tools for students and enthusiasts.
• Microsoft also ships SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, an entry-level database for students and enthusiasts.

Check my blog below for more info on Express Products.

Core Features and Facts:

1. Lightweight in size and features.
2. Available for public and Easy to Download.
3. Very Simple.
4. Targeted for beginners like students.
5. Right now, Microsoft didn’t announce pricing and licensing but the Express Editions will be low-cost and easily available.
6. Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition comes with a built-in Web development server that enables you to build and test applications without a dependency on IIS.
7. The Visual Basic Express Edition 2005 includes DVD Collection Starter Kit, which is a customizable sample application that enables you to track your DVD collection.
8. The Visual C# Express Edition 2005 RSS screen saver is a sample application that shows how you can create a screensaver that rotates through background images and displays content from an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.
9. SQL Server 2005 Express Edition will replace MSDE.
10. SQL Server Express is an evolution of MSDE that continues to make the features and functionality of SQL Server technology.

Win an Xbox and Halo2!



The Summer of Express contest is a worldwide skill contest where developers are challenged to create “non-business” applications using the newly announced Express products.

Check my blog below for more details on Express Products.

Visual Studio 2005 Express Beta Products

At Tech-Ed Europe on June 29, 2004, Microsoft announced the Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1. Along with this Beta 1, Microsoft announced an interesting and fascinating addition to the Visual Studio 2005 family: “Express Products”.

The Express Beta products consist of:

• Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition: A small size (50 MB or smaller) tool to develop dynamic Web sites and Web services.

• Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition, Visual C# 2005 Express Edition, Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition, and Visual J# 2005 Express Edition: A lightweight programming tools to develop Windows Forms applications, console applications and class libraries targeted for beginners.

• SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (SQL Server Express) is an user-friendly version of SQL Server 2005 designed for building simple, dynamic applications.