Mastering Visual Studio: Top 10 Tips and Tricks for Efficient Coding.
Introduction:
Unlock the full potential of Visual Studio with these top 10 tips and tricks that will streamline your coding experience. From optimizing solution exploration to creating projects with a single click, these techniques are designed to enhance your productivity and make coding a breeze.
Discover must-know Visual Studio tips for developers. These simple yet powerful techniques will make your daily coding tasks easier and more efficient.
Here are the top 10 tips — let’s delve into each one individually.
Tip 1: Auto-Selection in Solution Explorer:
Automatically highlight the active document in the Solution Explorer for seamless navigation.
Navigate to Tools -> Options -> Project & Solutions -> General and check “Track active items in Solution Explorer.”
Use Case: Imagine you’re juggling multiple projects in one solution, and you’re constantly switching between files, feeling a bit lost. Instead of manually searching for the current file in the project, this feature automatically highlights it in the solution explorer, making your workflow smoother.
Tip 2: Paste JSON or XML as a Class:
Easily convert JSON or XML data into C# classes.
Navigate to Edit -> Paste Special -> Paste JSON as Class.
Use Case: If you have various JSONs or XMLs and need to turn them into C# classes, the process can be time-consuming, especially with a mix of small and large files. However, with this helpful tip, you can transform them into C# entities within minutes, making minor adjustments along the way.
Reference Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OJXmebqavUQ
Tip 3: Quotation-Free JSON Property Names:
Save time by avoiding the manual addition of quotation marks around JSON property names.
Applicable in any appsettings.json files.
Use Case: When creating new settings in the app settings file, we often go through the hassle of manually adding quotations after typing the key. With this tip, you can relax — just press the colon (:) and it automatically adds the quotations for you, saving you the trouble.
Tip 4: Remove Unused Namespaces on Save:
Keep your code clean by automatically removing and sorting unused namespaces on save.
Navigate to Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> Code Cleanup and check "Run Code Cleanup profile on save."
Use Case: When writing extensive code, it’s easy to forget about unused namespaces cluttering up the file. This tip ensures your code stays clean, readable, and maintainable. By simply checking a profile, you can customize options like removing or adding various elements, and all these changes apply with just a click of the save button in the file.
Tip 5: Multiple Editor Views of the Same File:
Compare and edit code simultaneously by splitting the editor window.
Use Window -> Split for horizontal or choose the vertical layout option.
Use Case: When you’re working on a logic that already exists elsewhere in the same file, the traditional copy-paste method can be confusing. With this tip, you can make your life easier. You have the option to split your screen either horizontally or vertically, allowing you to effortlessly compare the code side by side, eliminating the need for constant scrolling up and down.
Tip 6: Visualize IEnumerable Data:
Debug with ease by visualizing IEnumerable data in tabular format.
Explore features like hiding columns, sorting, searching, and exporting into Excel or CSV.
Use Case: When you’re debugging and holding data in an object, the usual process involves checking each object value one by one, which can be time-consuming. However, with this handy tip, you can visualize the data in a tabular format. The features allow you to customize your view during debug time, making the process more efficient and tailored to your needs.
Tip 7: AutoSave Your Files:
Never lose progress with automatic file saving when Visual Studio is in the background.
Navigate to Tools -> Options -> Environment -> Documents and check "Automatically save files when Visual Studio is in the background."
Use Case: Often, we write code and might suddenly switch to another application or step away, forgetting to save our work. This can lead to losing unsaved progress and valuable time. To prevent such situations, this tip comes in handy — it automatically saves your work, ensuring you won’t find yourself in that predicament in the future.
Tip 8: Set Multiple Projects as Start-up:
Test multiple projects simultaneously by setting them as a start-up.
Configure startup projects under Common Properties for seamless testing.
Use Case: In the same solution, when you have projects that need testing one after the other, the usual practice is to finish the API execution, stop it, and then start the worker or job function to proceed with the request. For example, an API sends a message to a worker, and the worker processes the request. This involves starting and stopping the processes multiple times. To streamline this, you can use this tip to set up multiple projects at once. This allows you to run the entire flow simultaneously, testing it without the need for starting and stopping each part individually.
Tip 9: Create a Project Using C# Classes:
Effortlessly create a new project from existing .cs files.
Use File -> New -> Project From Existing Code for a quick and easy setup. Just follow the steps and it’s straightforward to achieve this.
Use Case: When someone asks you to work on a Proof of Concept (POC) and provides files, the typical process involves creating a project and adding these files manually. However, with this helpful tip, you can simplify the task. Just choose the “File -> New -> Project From Existing Code” option, where you can specify output type, project type, file location, and more. Clicking OK will effortlessly create a project with the given files, streamlining the process.
Tip 10: Create Multiple Entities or Classes in One Click:
Save time by adding multiple files to your project at once.
Use the shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + A and follow the prompts to efficiently organize and add files.
Use Case: If you have a database and need to create entities for each table in your project — say, 10 tables means 10 entities or C# classes — the usual process takes time, about 5 seconds per file. With this handy shortcut, you can create all these files in just one click. Use the shortcut, and specify the filenames like File1.cs, File2.cs, File3.cs, and so on, then click OK. This will save you from the time-consuming process, allowing you to generate all 10 files in a matter of seconds.
Reference Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DbfIgMapaJ8
Conclusion: Enhance your coding journey with these Visual Studio tips and tricks. Stay tuned for more updates and remember, don’t stop learning, and happy coding!
