## [TabsStudio][1] | US$49

It is a pretty good (although paid) Visual Studio extension that provides:

* Tab grouping
* Tab coloring
* Title transformation
* Lots of customization and extensions

[![Tabs Studio Screenshot][6]][6]


## [File Path On Footer][2] | Free

It displays the full file path on the bottom of the editor window:

[![File Path On Footer Screenshot][3]][3]

## Honorable Mention: Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code [version 1.26 implemented breadcrumbs][4] which displays the file path in a separate row at the top of the editor window when using tabs or inline the file name when in its own window.

[![Visual Studio Code Breadcrumbs Screenshot][5]][5]

  [1]: https://tabsstudio.com/
  [2]: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ShemeerNS.FilePathOnFooter
  [3]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Bd7o.png
  [4]: https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_26#_breadcrumbs
  [5]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kbo6i.png
  [6]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/mDFfb.png



I frequently work with multiple instances of Visual Studio, often working on different branches of the same solution.

[Visual C++ 6.0][1] used to display the full path of the current source file in its title bar, but Visual&nbsp;Studio 2005 doesn't appear to do this. This makes it slightly more awkward than it should be to work out which branch of the solution I'm currently looking at (the quickest way I know of is to hover over a tab so you get the source file's path as a tooltip).

Is there a way to get the full solution or file path into the title bar, or at least somewhere that's always visible, so I can quickly tell which branch is loaded into each instance?

  [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visual_C%2B%2B#Strictly_32-bit_versions




Display solution/file path in the Visual Studio IDE

I wanted to add on top of the typical *`Turn it off and on again`* with the reason why that's helpful.

Visual studio can get wrapped around the axle when building a project so that it can't figure out why it's missing a particular dependency, it just knows that it can't build the project.

Here's an undescriptive error message after a failed rebuild:

![Unhelpful Error][1]

The solution is to:

1. Close Visual Studio
2. Open Visual Studio
3. **Do *Not* Compile** - Look at the error list for a new descriptive error:

![Helpful Error][2]

A lot of the existing instructions are missing the third step, so I thought this might be helpful.

[1]: http://i.imgur.com/Q9OM4vS.png
[2]: http://i.imgur.com/gBnnt95.png

For some reason this error started popping up today on one of my projects.

> Error	1	Unable to write to output file
> 'C:\MyProject\Release\MyProject.pdb':
> Unspecified error

If I go into advanced compile options and change it to not generate and debug info, my project compiles fine.

I have tried setting the permissions on the Release folder to full for everyone, so I would assume it's not a permissions issue.  Also, I don't see anything in my log files that would provide me with more information about the issue.

Does anyone know why this error would just start showing up or a way to fix it?

Thanks.

--------------------

Update:  I have rebooted my machine, restarted VS several times and have even completely deleted the existing OBJ file where the issue is happening.  It's still giving me the same error.

This is a simple one project solution that was working fine just last week.  It appears to be an issue with VS trying to build the PDB file because I can delete them out of the Release and Debug folders without issue.  When I try rebuilding them VS will start creating the file (about 1.4MB is size) but I still get the error.

Unable to create PDB file

If you have node installed, uou can run [`npx gitignore`][1] to generate `.gitignore` files:

```bash
npx gitignore VisualStudio
```

[1]: https://www.npmjs.com/package/gitignore

I've installed Git to do some development using Visual Studio 2008. Most of the work will be new development but we do have some old projects from prior to VS2005 that I want to bring over into the new repository.  There is an existing thread about general [VS/Git integration][1] but my question is limited to the .gitignore file and Visual Studio.

My question has two parts: 

- What entries should be included in the .gitignore file to cover the Visual Studio specific files like binaries, assemblies, debug files, etc?  Some were covered in the thread mentioned above but is there a comprehensive set?

- In what situations have you needed to exclude files globally, or for a single repository, or using the environment variable?

I already know the HOW. Here is an excerpt from the Git [user-manual][2] on ignoring files.

> If you wish the exclude patterns to
> affect only certain repositories
> (instead of every repository for a
> given project), you may instead put
> them in a file in your repository
> named .git/info/exclude, or in any
> file specified by the
> core.excludesfile configuration
> variable. Some git commands can also
> take exclude patterns directly on the
> command line. See [gitignore(5)][3] for the
> details.



  [1]: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/507343/using-git-with-visual-studio
  [2]: http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/user-manual.html
  [3]: http://git-scm.com/docs/gitignore

Files to ignore when using Visual Studio with Git

### Visual Studio 2019

This is now natively supported in **Visual Studio 2019**


[Searching for objects and properties in the Watch, Autos, and Locals Window][1] by [Leslie Richardson][2]

[![VS Code Search][3]][1]




### OZ Code
There is also a *commercial* Visual Studio Extension called [**OzCode**][4] which has lots of debugging experience enhancements including [*search*][5]:


[![OZ Code Search][7]][7]


  [1]: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/enhanced-in-visual-studio-2019-search-for-objects-and-properties-in-the-watch-autos-and-locals-windows/
  [2]: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/author/lerich/
  [3]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rea6K.gif
  [4]: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=CodeValueLtd.OzCode
  [5]: https://www.oz-code.com/main#/features#search
  [6]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/TIM6k.gif
  [7]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/9b0BU.gif

I am using visual studio 2010. I have set a breakpoint and added a watch on a complex object with very deep hierarchy. I was wondering if there was any quick way to search this object tree for a particular string I want. Either as a property/value/method etc. In other words, I just want to say "Does this object have anything like "Foo" in it. I don't care what it is, just tell me if it knows about "Foo". Give me all instances of "Foo"."

For example, if I have an object containing 3 Dictionaries and 4 XML elements, when I break and add watch on the object and search for "Foo", I want to find out that list 2 has a string with "Foo", List 3 has an Object "Bar" which has property "Foo" and XMLElement 1 has a child "Foo"

Is there any powerpack plugin, commercial plugin or some other extension of visual studio that would let me do this?

To give you some context. I am evaluating various PDF parsing components to parse various PDFs. I am trying to extract certain custom tags, pdf content and various other artifacts etc. While doing this, once the pdf is read and parsed, it would be nice to search the object and say something like does this know anything about the text "My Signature"... hmm.. nope. Ok. Lets call this "ConvertToHTML" method to get object B. Does object B know anything about "My Signature" etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Searching for text in an Object watch window in visual studio

It's to help highlight a line that's been navigated to, due to actions in another VS panel.

For example, if you did a "Find All" and then clicked on one of the results, it would navigate to the match, highlight the line (yours looks to be doing it purple), and also apply that marker to help (further) visually enhance the line you are presumably looking for.

Also, Is there a proper name for this strip?  Is there any documentation on what other types of icons appear here?

![Screenshot][1]

Please let me know if there is any more information you might need that would be diagnostically helpful


  [1]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/OEhWT.png

What is this Icon in the Visual Studio 2008 debugger strip?

Just found it while looking into posting this question...

 It is a member of Edit > Intellisense called QuickInfo and you can access it with <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>I</kbd>

**Here's the Menu Function**

![Quick Info][1]

**Here's a working example**

![Working Properly][2]


 [1]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/56VpW.png
 [2]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/BIn5P.png

In Visual Studio, normally when I hover over a variable it will display the type while editting code and the value while debugging. 

**How it should look when you hover over tablename:**

![How it should look][1]

Resharper messes some of that up by overriding the tooltip whenever it has a formatting suggestion or error it thinks you ought to pay attention to.

**How it looks when the error is blocking the tooltip**

![Tool tip blocked][2]

Couple questions I can't seem to find the answer to:

* What's the name of the pop-up that shows variable information (is tooltip correct?)
* Is there a way to manually invoke it? (normally <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Space</kbd> works)


 [1]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/zlzfc.png
 [2]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/oM4t0.png

Manually show VS tooltip when Resharper error prevents intellisense on hover

You can change the VS search result formatting by changing the registry.

According to the article [Customize how Find in Files results are displayed in the Find Results Window][1]:

> 1. Open up RegEdit
2. Go to `HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\10.0\Find`
3. Add a new string called `Find result format` with a value of `$f$e($l,$c):$t\r\n`

> **DANGER**:  This involves hacking the Registry so use this tip at your own risk!

Further, here's the syntax to use if you'd like to customize the string further:

**Files**

* `$p` - path                       
* `$f` - filename               
* `$v` - drive/unc share            
* `$d` - dir                        
* `$n` - name                       
* `$e` - .ext                   
    

**Location**

* `$l` - line                        
* `$c` - col                        
* `$x` - end col if on first line, else end of first line
* `$L` - span end line
* `$C` - span end col

**Text**

* `$0` - matched text                
* `$t` - text of first line
* `$s` - summary of hit
* `$T` - text of spanned lines

**Char**

* `\n` - newline                   
* `\s` - space                     
* `\t` - tab                        
* `\\` - slash                    
* `\$` - $    
     

  [1]: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/zainnab/archive/2010/01/03/customize-how-search-results-are-displayed-in-the-find-results-window.aspx

Because of all the sub-directories my code typically lives in, whenever I do a Find In File for something, the code gets run off the screen because the results window has wasted so much valuable real estate by repeating the long file path for every object in my solution.  More often than not, they are in the same parent directory, or I don't really care where there from.  

*Is there an option to shorten the path name to perhaps just the file?*

![Unnecessarily long][1]


Also, the `Display File Names Only` option in the `Find in Files` dialog does not do this, it only omits the code from the result.

![Find in Files Dialog][2]


  [1]: http://i.imgur.com/sDWkriQ.png
  [2]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/7Avsb.png

Shorten Find Results Filepath Name

## Try any of the following ...

1. **Enable Just My Code** 
 Go to Tools > Options > Debugging > General 
 Check "Enable Just my Code" 
 [![Enable Just my Code][1]][1] 

2. **Cache Symbols Locally** 
 Go to Tools > Options > Debugging > Symbols
 Browse to local directory (make sure it's not on a network share)
 Click "Load All Symbols" or run the project to hydrate the cache

 [![Cache Symbols][2]][2] 
 
3. **Remove Remote Symbol Servers** 

 When you select a remote symbol server, Visual Studio gives you the [following warning][3]:

 > The performance of remote symbols stores can vary due to latency, bandwidth, or availability of servers. Debugging performance can be improved by selecting the option to load only specified modules when enabling this server

 After loading your symbol cache, deselect remote symbols servers

 Go to Tools > Options > Debugging > Symbols
 Deselect "Microsoft Symbol Servers" to prevent Visual Studio from remotely querying the Microsoft servers.
 [![Deselect Microsoft Symbol Servers][4]][4]



## Further Reading

### Stack Overflow

* [Visual Studio debugging/loading very slow][5]
* [Visual Studio Build Very Slow][6]
* [Slow startup with IIS Express][7]
* [Website takes a long time to start after solution build][8]

### MS Docs

* [Visual Studio debugger documentation][9]
* [Debug only user code with Just My Code][10]
* [Specify symbol (.pdb) and source files in the Visual Studio debugger][11]
* [Debugger Settings and Preparation][12]


 [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/XAERs.png
 [2]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/N2dWb.png
 [3]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jBwS.png
 [4]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/xZ1T2.png
 [5]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/12567984/1366033
 [6]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/12095718/1366033
 [7]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/23880900/1366033
 [8]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/5553057/1366033
 [9]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/debugger/?view=vs-2019
 [10]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/debugger/just-my-code
 [11]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/debugger/specify-symbol-dot-pdb-and-source-files-in-the-visual-studio-debugger
 [12]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/debugger/debugger-settings-and-preparation

I have an issue which is practically similar to https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12567984/visual-studio-debugging-loading-very-slow but I haven't managed to find a solution to such a problem.

I have tried all what is described within that question and still, the symbol loading for the very first time is drastically slow.

Similarly to the other question, when starting an MVC project, I get several lines within the Output panel which consist of something similar to:

    'iisexpress.exe' (Managed (v4.0.30319)): Loaded 'C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Temporary ASP.NET Files\root\02ba097f\ab73cbf7\App_Web__headerusermenu.cshtml.ee708ea.myhgafpb.dll', Symbols loaded.
    'iisexpress.exe' (Managed (v4.0.30319)): Loaded 'C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Temporary ASP.NET Files\root\02ba097f\ab73cbf7\App_Web__layoutcmsbase.cshtml.ce72eb6d.ovoanhe-.dll', Symbols loaded.
    'iisexpress.exe' (Managed (v4.0.30319)): Loaded 'C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Temporary ASP.NET Files\root\02ba097f\ab73cbf7\App_Web__notificationmessage.cshtml.5346933.9aei7ems.dll', Symbols loaded.

Such entries take around 300 - 500 ms each and these are executed for all the Partial Views we have within the project, which are quite considerable.

I have tried the solution within the other question but still didn't get any fast response times. 

These are some tests we have made:

Using IIS Express
-----------------
- Loading website initially takes roughly 2 minutes
- Stopping website and starting again takes around 1 min 45 sec
- Once the website is running, I press on Load All Symbols (Tools > Otions > Debugging > Symbols > Load all symbols) and then stop project and run again, and it takes much less, round 25 sec.  Still, the Load All Symbols button is disabled while the project isn't running, so for the very first time, I would need to wait until the project has loaded in order to press Load All Symbols

Using Visual Studio Development Server
--------------------------------------
- Starting initially, takes roughly 50 sec
- Stopped project and started again, takes roughly 20 sec
- Clicking on Load All Symbols, stopping project and starting again takes roughly 15 sec

This is getting extremely frustrating as it is taking an extremely long amount of time in order to load project for the first time.  

Any possible solution other than those mentioned within the question https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12567984/visual-studio-debugging-loading-very-slow which might help?

Visual Studio debugging painfully slow when loading symbols

Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 finally added a built-in way to do this with [`ProjectTemplateLink`](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms171398.aspx)

The `CopyParameters` attribute will enable child access to all the variables of the parent template, with the prefix of `ext_`.

You don't even need CustomParameters for this. Change your ProjectTemplateLink to this:



 <ProjectTemplateLink ProjectName="$safeprojectname$.Interface" CopyParameters="true">
 Interface\InterfaceTemplate.vstemplate
 </ProjectTemplateLink>

And then you can achieve your goal in the child `.csproj` like so:



 <ItemGroup>
 <ProjectReference Include="..\$ext_safeprojectname$.Business\$ext_safeprojectname$.Business.csproj">
 <Project>{E5511F75-5B9C-4816-B991-E09225661CF4}</Project>
 <Name>MyTemplate.Business</Name>
 </ProjectReference>
 </ItemGroup>

I would like to be able to create a [Multi-Project Template][MultiProject] for a solution which contains the following two projects (*where the interface should include a reference to the business layer*).:

* `<proj_name>.interface`
* `<proj_name>.business`. 

Normally, you can include [`$safeprojectname$`][$safeprojectname$], which has:

>The name provided by the user in the New Project dialog box

However, as pointed out in the article [Build a multi-project visual studio template][article]

> The problem here is that within each child template, *$safeprojectname$* represents the current project name. There needs to be a way to pass in the root *$safeprojectname$* from the parent template.

I'm trying to implement the solution suggested in this SO question [VS 2010 Multi-Project Template: Inter-Project References][CustomParamtersAnswer], by using [`CustomParameters`][CustomParamters], but am running into trouble.

**My Zipped Up Template Directory looks like this:**

* MultiTemplate.vstemplate
* Interface
 * InterfaceTemplate.vstemplate
 * MyTemplate.Interface.csproj
* Business
 * BusinessTemplate.vstemplate
 * MyTemplate.Business.csproj

You can download the [Entire Directory][zip], but here are some select snippets

**MultiTemplate.vstemplate**



 <VSTemplate Version="3.0.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vstemplate/2005" Type="ProjectGroup">
 <TemplateData></TemplateData>
 <TemplateContent>
 <CustomParameters>
 <CustomParameter Name="$SolutionName$" Value="$safeprojectname$"/>
 </CustomParameters>
 <ProjectCollection>
 <ProjectTemplateLink ProjectName="$safeprojectname$.Interface">
 Interface\InterfaceTemplate.vstemplate
 </ProjectTemplateLink>
 <ProjectTemplateLink ProjectName="$safeprojectname$.Business">
 Business\BusinessTemplate.vstemplate
 </ProjectTemplateLink>
 </ProjectCollection>
 </TemplateContent>
 </VSTemplate>

**Interface\InterfaceTemplate.vstemplate**



 <VSTemplate Version="3.0.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vstemplate/2005" Type="Project">
 <TemplateData></TemplateData>
 <TemplateContent>
 <Project TargetFileName="MyTemplate.Interface.csproj" 
 File="MyTemplate.Interface.csproj"
 ReplaceParameters="true">
 </Project>
 </TemplateContent>
 </VSTemplate>

**MyTemplate.Interface.csproj**



 <ItemGroup>
 <ProjectReference Include="..\$SolutionName$.Business\$SolutionName$.Business.csproj">
 <Project>{E5511F75-5B9C-4816-B991-E09225661CF4}</Project>
 <Name>MyTemplate.Business</Name>
 </ProjectReference>
 </ItemGroup>


The Problem
=====

When I create a new project, the `$SolutionName$` portion of the string does not get replaced. Instead it just stays the same.

**Q**: *How can I properly pass this information from the Multi-Project Template to each of the child templates?*

Bonus points if you can figure out how to replace the `<name>` tag value, as token replacements don't seem to work on it.

[MultiProject]: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms185308(v=vs.100).aspx
[$safeprojectname$]: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms185311(v=vs.100).aspx

[article]: http://blog.tonysneed.com/2011/09/14/build-a-multi-project-visual-studio-template/
[CustomParamtersAnswer]: https://stackoverflow.com/a/12929020/1366033
[CustomParamters]: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms247063.aspx
[zip]: http://sdrv.ms/1coSCaj

Using CustomParameter with Visual Studio Multi-Project Template

I'm trying to setup [Code Contracts][Code Contracts] in a VB.NET project.

Here's a real simple method that should ensure that the passed in divisor argument is not zero:



 Public Function Divide(ByVal numerator As Integer, ByVal divisor As Integer) As Double
 Contract.Requires(Of ArgumentOutOfRangeException)(divisor <> 0, "Divide By Zero Not Allowed")
 Return numerator / divisor
 End Function

If I call `Divide(5, 0)`, I should get a compile time error. But alas, I don't:

![demo](http://i.imgur.com/HhrOrYP.png)

I've downloaded the Add-In from the **[Visual Studio Gallery**][gallery]. 
I have static code analysis enabled on the *Code Contracts Property Page*:

![PropertyPage](http://i.imgur.com/bzuyK60.png)


This works when I follow the same steps in C#:

![working](http://i.imgur.com/pi8JXfJ.png)

What else could be missing? 


[Code Contracts]: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/hh148151.aspx
[gallery]: http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/1ec7db13-3363-46c9-851f-1ce455f66970

Enforce Compile Time Detection of Code Contracts in VB.NET Project

Your problem is not that your value is null, the problem is that your object is not initialized at all. For example:

 static void Main(string[] args)
 {
	 List<int> empty;

	 if (empty != null)
	 {
				Console.WriteLine("no");
	 }
 }

**Will not compile**, because `empty` has no value. If I change the code to:

 static void Main(string[] args)
 {
	 List<int> empty = null;

	 if (empty != null)
	 {
				Console.WriteLine("no");
	 }
 }

It'll work, because my list now has a value, it's null, but it still exists.

EDIT: Sorry I used C# instead of VB, that's because that editor I have handy, but the code is correct. 
You initialize your variables every time and you'll not gonna get the error.

In the following code, if `cmd` has been initialized, then I'll make to sure to close any open connections before throwing an exception. However, even after I check that `cmd` is not null, I still get a possible null reference warning in subsequent lines of code.



 Dim cmd As SqlCommand
 Try
 'Do some Stuff
 Catch ex As Exception
 If cmd IsNot Nothing AndAlso
 cmd.Connection IsNot Nothing AndAlso '<- null cmd warning 
 cmd.Connection.State = ConnectionState.Open Then '<- null cmd warning 
 cmd.Connection.Close() '<- null cmd warning 
 End If
 Throw
 End Try

I get the two following warnings (possibly one from Resharper & one from Visual Studio):

> * Variable 'x' might not be initialized before accessing. A null reference exception could occur at runtime.
> * BC42104: Variable 'x' is used before it has been assigned a value. A null reference exception could result at runtime.

According to the [Visual Studio Page][BC42104]:

>An application has at least one possible path through its code that reads a variable before any value is assigned to it.

But I don't think there is even one possible path through the code where the variable would be used without being initialized.

* Have I made some error or is this a bug?
* Is there a way to disable this warning from coming up?

Here's a screenshot:

![screenshot][screenshot]


This is different from many similar questions already asked here, like [Prevent Resharper “Possible Null Reference Exception” warnings][Prevent Resharper] because I'm not trying to allow for a NullableType, but instead have already guaranteed that my variable is not null.

-----

## Update:

Follow up question: Why?

Whether my object is never initialized or initialized to `Nothing`, in both cases `cmd IsNot Nothing` should resolve to `False`, so anything after the `AndAlso` should never be executed. 



 Dim cmd1 As SqlCommand
 Console.Write(cmd1 IsNot Nothing) 'False

 Dim cmd2 As SqlCommand = Nothing
 Console.Write(cmd2 IsNot Nothing) 'False

Maybe the compiler just doesn't have a good way of guaranteeing this at compile time.

[BC42104]: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/3fdk625a.aspx
[Prevent Resharper]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/5172674/1366033

[screenshot]: http://i.imgur.com/fLZPwdb.png

Disable null reference warning when I've checked for nulls

Use [**Document Outline**][MSDN] which will show you every object on the Form and automatically locate it wherever it is.

1. Go to View > Other Windows > Document Outline or <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>T</kbd>

 [![Document Outline][1]][1]

2. Navigate the Tree and find the Object you want

 [![Navigate Tree][2]][2]

 [MSDN]: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/46xf4h0w
 [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/gMjXQ.png
 [2]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/98xNq.png

I'm working with a legacy VB.NET, Windows Forms application in Visual Studio that has dialogs with several buttons.

I can't find the specific button I'm looking for on the designer canvas.

Is there a shortcut that lets you search for a button on the designer canvas by name?

How can I find a button by name in designer?

1. Open up **`Local.testsettings`** in your Solution Explorer > Solution Items 
 ![local.testSettings](http://i.imgur.com/UNxWOIz.png)

2. Go to Deployment and make sure **`Enabled Deployment`** is checked 
 (it's unchecked by default) 
 ![Enabled Deployment](http://i.imgur.com/VtfoiwF.png)

In Visual Studio 2010 when I create the default test project with the following bare bones code:



 <TestClass()>
 Public Class UnitTest1
 
 <TestMethod()>
 Public Sub TestMethod1()

 Assert.AreEqual(1, 1)
 
 End Sub
 
 End Class

I get the following error:

> Unit Test Adapter threw exception: 
URI formats are not supported.. 
-- Exception doesn't have a stack trace -- 

![screenshot](http://i.imgur.com/koK2Uds.png)

Unit Test Adapter threw exception: URI formats are not supported

[Pinnable Properties][1] in VS2019+ are a way to go currently, since you can pin your properties in correct order using the [![pin][2]][2] button inside the datatip.

However, in a more general, reusable approach, the `[DebuggerBrowsable(DebuggerBrowsableState.RootHidden)]` attribute can be used on an array of ordered property name and value pairs. This enables the debug view to 'flatten' the array root, listing the properties in correct order.

Further expanding on [KyleMit's answer][3], and using reflection to load the list of members and fields, makes such a debug view reusable:

    [DebuggerDisplay("{Name}")]
    [DebuggerTypeProxy(typeof(OrderedPropertiesView))]
    public class Rule
    {
        public string Name;
        public int MaxAge;
        public DateTime StartDate;
        public DateTime EndDate;        
    }

    public class OrderedPropertiesView
    {
        [DebuggerBrowsable(DebuggerBrowsableState.RootHidden)]
        public SimpleProperty[] Properties { get; }

        public OrderedPropertiesView(object input)
        {
            this.Properties = input.GetType()
                .GetFields(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance)
                .Select(prop => new SimpleProperty(prop, input))
                .ToArray();
        }

        [DebuggerDisplay("{Value}", Name = "{PropertyName,nq}")]
        public class SimpleProperty
        {
            public SimpleProperty(MemberInfo member, object input)
            {
                this.Value = GetValue(member, input);
                this.PropertyName = member.Name;
            }

            private object GetValue(MemberInfo member, object input)
            {
                switch (member)
                {
                    case FieldInfo fi: return fi.GetValue(input);
                    case PropertyInfo pi: return pi.GetValue(input);
                    default: return null;
                }
            }

            public object Value { get; internal set; }
            public string PropertyName { get; internal set; }
        }
    }

Which looks like this in the debugger:

[![datatip with ordered 'properties'][4]][4]

The order of properties and fields might not be guaranteed with reflection, but since the view is only for debugging purposes, it should be enough. If not, `Properties` array can be constructed manually, limiting the reusability. In either case, `Properties` are not really properties, therefore expanding the `SimpleProperty` datatip looks like this:

[![expanded datatip showing PropertyName and Value properties of SimpleProperty][5]][5]

Notice that the property inspector [![magnifyng glass][6]][6] can only be used in the expanded `SimpleProperty.Value`, which might be an inconvenience.


  [1]: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/pinnable-properties-debug-display-managed-objects-your-way/
  [2]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/SRQVz.png
  [3]: https://stackoverflow.com/a/28506057/1945988
  [4]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JSUa.png
  [5]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/WcMP6.png
  [6]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/u2Urb.png

In Visual Studio, is it possible to customize the order in which properties are displayed when inspected in the debugger?

Here's an example of a class where I'd really like StartDate and EndDate to appear next to each other, even though they are separated alphabetically .

![example][1]


Other debugger options are customizable through attributes like the [`DebuggerDisplayAttribute`][2], so I was hopeful that another such attribute would exist for DisplayOrder.




 [DebuggerDisplay("{Name}")]
 public class Rule
 {
 public string Name;
 public int MaxAge;
 public DateTime StartDate;
 public DateTime EndDate;
 }




In an *ideal world*, I'd like the ability to order the properties in the inspector in the order that I have defined on the class (even if that requires setting an debugger order attribute incrementally on each property) so the display would look like this:

![ideal debugger][3]


[1]: http://i.imgur.com/srpTyOf.png
[2]: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.diagnostics.debuggerdisplayattribute.aspx
[3]: http://i.imgur.com/zzm2hm0.png

Display Properties in Custom Order in Visual Studio Debugger

All credit to [tocqueville][1]... You can use JetBrains.Annotations to [Provide Intellisense, Navigation and more for Custom Helpers in ASP.NET MVC][2]:


1. Include the `JetBrains.Annotations.dll` in your project and bin
2. Use the following parameter attributes in your methods:
* **`AspMvcView`** - indicates the parameter is a View
* **`AspMvcAction`** - indicates the parameter is an Action
* **`AspMvcController`** - indicates the parameter is a Controller

 

 public static string IsActiveClass(this HtmlHelper html,
 [AspMvcAction]string action,
 [AspMvcController]string controller)
 {
 return IsActiveBool(html, action, controller) ? "active" : "";
 }

Which resharper will consume in it's static code analysis:

[![Controller Action View Intellisense][3]][3]


 [1]: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/49754332/mark-string-parameters-as-mvc-controller-or-view-names-in-visual-studio#comment86523384_49754332
 [2]: https://blog.jetbrains.com/dotnet/2011/12/07/providing-intellisense-navigation-and-more-for-custom-helpers-in-aspnet-mvc/
 [3]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/noLiE.png

Is there any way to add design time metadata to Visual Studio that would suggest a string parameter should correspond to the name of a controller or view? MVC already has this type of intellisense when authoring 

I have some custom Html Helper Extensions that take in Controllers and Views by name and would love the syntax highlighting / autocomplete support that is available to native methods like [`Controller.View`][2] or [`Url.Action`][3]. Here's a trivial example:


 

 public static string IsActiveClass(this HtmlHelper html, string action, string controller)
 {
 return IsActiveBool(html, action, controller) ? "active" : "";
 }

And here's a side by side of the native intellisense compared to custom methods which are just treated like a string:

[![AutoComplete Screenshot][1]][1]

Obviously, this could be checked at runtime via reflection, but I'd like to see if there's anyway to identify it at design time. Another answerable question might be how is Visual Studio currently performing this (especially as a way to identify if it's possible to tap into that process)



[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/8lL1d.png
[2]: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/System.Web.Mvc.Controller.View "System.Web.Mvc.Controller.View"
[3]: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/System.Web.Mvc.UrlHelper.Action "System.Web.Mvc.UrlHelper.Action"

Mark string parameters as MVC controller or view names in Visual Studio

You can add the v3 nuget source via the dotnet cli:

```bash
dotnet nuget add source --name nuget.org https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json
```

If that doesn't work, try running clearing out the local cache:

```bash
dotnet nuget locals all --clear
dotnet restore --force
```

### Further Reading

* [Unable to resolve .NETCoreApp v3.1 Packages][1]
* [Unable to resolve 'Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer (>= 3.0.0)'][2]

[1]: https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore/issues/21920
[2]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/58787682/1366033

I am trying to resolve nugget packages with `dotnet restore`, but am getting the following error: 

> Unable to resolve 'Microsoft.NETCore.App (>= 2.1.0)' for '.NETCoreApp,Version=v2.1'

Here's my `.csproj` file

```xml
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web">

 <PropertyGroup>
 <TargetFramework>netcoreapp2.1</TargetFramework>
 </PropertyGroup>

 <ItemGroup>
 <PackageReference Include="Autofac" Version="4.5.0" />
 <PackageReference Include="Autofac.Extensions.DependencyInjection" Version="4.1.0" />
 <PackageReference Include="Autofac.Extras.Moq" Version="4.2.0" />
 <PackageReference Include="BCrypt.Net-Core" Version="1.4.0" />
 <PackageReference Include="Easy.MessageHub" Version="3.2.1" />
 <PackageReference Include="hangfire" Version="1.6.17" />
 <PackageReference Include="Hangfire.MemoryStorage" Version="1.5.2" />
 <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.App" Version="2.1.0-rc1-final" />
 <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc" Version="2.1.0-rc1-final" />
 <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration" Version="2.1.0-rc1-final" />
 <PackageReference Include="MongoDB.Driver" Version="2.4.4" />
 <PackageReference Include="Swashbuckle.AspNetCore" Version="1.1.0" />
 <PackageReference Include="System.Runtime.Extensions" Version="4.3.0" />
 </ItemGroup>

 <Target Name="ApplyXdtConfigTransform" BeforeTargets="_TransformWebConfig">
 <PropertyGroup>
 <_SourceWebConfig>$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)Web.config</_SourceWebConfig>
 <_XdtTransform>$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)Web.$(Configuration).config</_XdtTransform>
 <_TargetWebConfig>$(PublishDir)Web.config</_TargetWebConfig>
 </PropertyGroup>
 <Exec Command="dotnet transform-xdt --xml &quot;$(_SourceWebConfig)&quot; --transform &quot;$(_XdtTransform)&quot; --output &quot;$(_TargetWebConfig)&quot;" Condition="Exists('$(_XdtTransform)')" />
 </Target>
</Project>
```

I have installed dotnet-sdk-2.1.300-rc1-008673-win-x64 and I am using Visual Studio 2017 v15.2

Unable to resolve 'Microsoft.NETCore.App (>= 2.1.0)' for '.NETCoreApp,Version=v2.1'

### Update Visual Studio 2017+

This is natively available starting in Visual Studio 2017 under the command(s):

* <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>.</kbd> - **`Edit.InsertNextMatchingCaret`**
* <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>;</kbd> - **`Edit.InsertCaretsatAllMatching`**


You can change the shortcut in [keyboard options][1] if you want.

[![select next][4]][4]


### Comparison VS Code and Visual Studio


| Visual Studio Code | Visual Studio |
|---------|---------------|
| <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>D</kbd> `editor.action.addSelectionToNextFindMatch` **Add Selection to Next Find Match** | <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>.</kbd> `Edit.InsertNextMatchingCaret` |
| <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>L</kbd> `editor.action.selectHighlights` **Select All Occurrences of Find Match** | <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>;</kbd> `Edit.InsertCaretsAtAllMatching` |


### Further Reading

* [Multiple select in Visual Studio?][2]
* [Highlight all occurrences of a selected object with ReSharper][3]

[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/mKX3z.png
[2]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/16495727/1366033
[3]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/3009604/1366033
[4]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/bNOgU.gif

VSCode has a very useful shortcut: `CTRL + D` - Add Selection To Next Find Match.

What is the equivalent in Visual Studio?
 
Below an example:

[![CTRL+D VSCode shortcut][1]][1]


 [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/8BAXH.gif

What is the equivalent shortcut for CTRL + D ("add selection to next location match") of VSCode in Visual Studio?

Asking and answering because googling this turns up very little and it's a non-obvious solution and affecting a major release.

If Visual Studio 2017 is installed, it'll come with the 2017 C++ Redistributable, but there's a bug which prevents the installation of previous versions. So, per [this thread][1] you must:

1. Uninstall the Visual C++ Redistributable **2017**
2. Install the [Visual C++ Redistributable **2015**][3]
3. Install MySql
4. Re-install the [Visual C++ Redistributable **2017**][2]

It can sometimes be hard to locate the Redistributable from "Add or Remove Programs". If that's the case, you can find in `C:/ProgramData/Package Cache`:



 $ find "C:/ProgramData/Package Cache" -name "VC_redist.*.exe"

Then call `/uninstall` on both locations:



 "C:/ProgramData/Package Cache/{427ada59-85e7-4bc8-b8d5-ebf59db60423}/VC_redist.x64.exe" /uninstall
 "C:/ProgramData/Package Cache/{67f67547-9693-4937-aa13-56e296bd40f6}/VC_redist.x86.exe" /uninstall

[1]: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/content/problem/14701/visual-c-redistributable-for-visual-studio-2015-ca.html
[2]: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads
[3]: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=53840

When installing [MySql 8.0 Installer for Windows][1], I get the following error:

> This application requires Visual Studio 2015 x64 Redistributable.  
Please install the Redistributable then run this installer again.

The error message seems to actually refer to the Visual **C++** Redistributable per the [install prerequisites][3].  When I download the [Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015][2], I get this error:

> VS 2015 C++ Redistributable Cannot install a product when a newer version is installed


How can I fix this?

This is the 8.0 update to [this question on installing MySQL 5.7][4] which seems to face a similar set of issues

[1]: https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/windows/installer/8.0.html
[2]: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48145
[3]: https://dev.mysql.com/resources/wb62_prerequisites.html
[4]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/45163588/1366033

Troubleshoot Installing MySql 8.0 and Visual C++ Redistributable on Windows

### *Fix*: Update to the latest version of Visual Studio 2017 - 15.9.19+

[![enter image description here][1]][1]

It appears this was only a problem for `.vbproj` project types. 

This was also reported in:

* the [dotnet/project-system github repo issues](https://github.com/dotnet/project-system/issues/4751)
* this Developer Community issue on the [Project Properties Build Page Blank](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/content/problem/460020/project-properties-build-page-blank.html)




  [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/RFrrw.png

When trying to open the Properties of a WPF application, on the Application page, it gives the following error: 

> An error occurred trying to load the page. The method or operation is not implemented.

[![screenshot][1]][1]

In the Windows Event Viewer I  can find this:

```none
Error Information 
AppInsightsEvent Name = vs/ml/proppages/appdesigner/prop-page-designer-view-fault
Description           = ActivatePage
TelemetrySession      = '4a288b83-00d2-4f45-84cf-513352811580' Started = True OptIn=True IsInitialized = True Cloned = False
WatsonEventType       = VisualStudioNonFatalErrors2
UTC time              = 2019-03-07T10:27:40

Exception:  System.NotImplementedException  
The method or operation is not implemented. 

Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.WPF.ApplicationPropPageVBWPF.StartupObjectOrUri.GetHashCode()
System.Collections.Hashtable.GetHash(Object key) 
System.Collections.Hashtable.InitHash(Object key, Int32 hashsize, UInt32& seed, UInt32& incr) 
System.Collections.Hashtable.ContainsKey(Object key) 
System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox.ComboBoxItemAccessibleObjectCollection.get_Item(Object key) 
System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox.ComboBoxUiaProvider.SetComboBoxItemSelection()
System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox.OnSelectedIndexChanged(EventArgs e) 
System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox.set_SelectedIndex(Int32 value) 
System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox.set_SelectedItem(Object value) 
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.WPF.ApplicationPropPageVBWPF.SetSelectedStartupObjectOrUriIntoCombobox(ComboBox combobox, StartupObjectOrUri startupObjectOrUri) 
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.WPF.ApplicationPropPageVBWPF.SetStartupObjectOrUriIntoUI(Control control, PropertyDescriptor prop, Object value) 
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.PropertyControlData.InitPropertyUI()
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.PropPageUserControlBase.InitPage()
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.PropPageUserControlBase.SetObjects(Object[] objects) 
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.PropPageUserControlBase.IPropertyPageInternal_SetObjects(Object[] objects) 
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.PropPageBase.Create(IntPtr hWndParent) 
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropertyPages.PropPageBase.IPropertyPage2_Activate(IntPtr hWndParent, RECT[] pRect, Int32 bModal) 
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Editors.PropPageDesigner.PropPageDesignerView.ActivatePage(IPropertyPage PropPage)
```

## What I've Tried

* I previously installed the Visual Studio 2019 RC, but have now uninstalled it. That version also gave the same error.  
* Reinstalling Visual Studio 2017 didn't help.
* This happens in old and freshly created projects.
* My coworker doesn't have this on his computer with the same projects.
* I did not have any problems last week. I haven't installed/uninstalled anything special.


  [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/wX0uB.png

Error when trying to view the Application Properties page in Visual Studio 2017

If you're getting the following error `unable to resolve 'clr'`:

[![Example Error][0]][0]

It's likely that you don't have a python interpreter *installed* or *configured* for Visual Studio

Per the question [The environment ironpython 2.7-32 appears to be incorrectly configured or missing][1a]

> The Visual Studio Installer does *not* include an IronPython Package option to install

So you need to: 

1. [Download IronPython from Github][1] and install it
2. Then, select the correct [Python environment within your VS project][2].

[0]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/BZqff.png
[1a]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/46045103/1366033
[1]: https://github.com/IronLanguages/ironpython2/releases/
[2]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/python/managing-python-environments-in-visual-studio?view=vs-2019#the-python-environments-window
[3]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/python/managing-python-environments-in-visual-studio?view=vs-2019#manually-identify-an-existing-environment






 

Steps to reproduce:

1. I created a new project in Visual Studio
2. Selected Python > Desktop > "IronPython Windows Forms Application"

However, as soon as I open the project I encountered several errors which I don't know how to solve. The errors are unresolved import clr an similar. 



[![Brand New Windows Forms Python Project][1]][1]


  [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/h0EFH.png

Windows Forms in Visual Studio with Python

What you probably want to do is: 

>**Step *Into* Code** with <kbd>F11</kbd>

Instead of: 

> **Step *Over* Code** with <kbd>F10</kbd>

Stepping into code will move into the next method being called. Often times this is located in another file but it doesn't have to be by definition.

[![Screenshot][1]][1]


**Further Reading**: 

* [First look at the Visual Studio Debugger][2]
* [Navigate through code with the Visual Studio debugger][3]


 [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xf4ad.png
 [2]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/debugger/debugger-feature-tour?view=vs-2019
 [3]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/debugger/navigating-through-code-with-the-debugger?view=vs-2019

I'm trying to understand the workflow of a project, and want to instrument on each file that is called. 

I've tried to use definition/reference to set breakpoint manually, but it's a huge project that it might miss something this way.

I've also used the step forward button in Visual Studio but it just jumps to the very next line, which makes it impossible to trace the entire project.

Is there something that you can jump to the next file, instead of the next line? Or is there some other tools that could help me understand the flow of the codes?

How to step forward to next 'file' from a breakpoint in Visual Studio?

According to [this tracking issue][1] - this doesn't appear to be currently supported by resharper. 

However, starting with VS 2017, there is a native command that will select the next matching text:

<kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Alt</kbd> + <kbd>.</kbd> - **`Edit.InsertNextMatchingCaret`**

[![select next][2]][2]

**See Also**: [What is the equivalent shortcut for CTRL + D of VSCode in Visual Studio?][3]


 [1]: https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/RSRP-478461
 [2]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/bNOgU.gif
 [3]: https://stackoverflow.com/a/70379900/1366033

On Resharper's documentation I found out that this feauture can be used with "Alt + J" shortcut. But when I select the name of some variable and click foregoing shortcut nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong?

How to use the "Select next occurrence" feature with Resharper in VS 2019?

I have a subreport contained inside of a parent report that I would like to be able to re-use it inside of another report.

Some seemingly viable options according to [copy and paste subreport within the main report][1] include:

* Saving as standalone subreport and linking across both parent reports
* Exporting from one file and importing into another
* Copying and pasting

However, none of these operations seem to work from the Visual Studio Crystal Reports Designer

# Here's what I've tried so far...

### No option to saving as a standalone report ❌

With the subreport selected, here's what I get in the File Menu (there should be an option to "Save *Subreport* As"

[![No Save Subreport As][2s]][2] 
click images for full res


### No option to export from Context Menu or Crystal Report Menu ❌

Here's the Context Menu from right clicking on the sub report

[![Sub Report Context Menu][3s]][3]

And here's the Crystal Reports Menu

[![Crystal Reports Menu][4s]][4]

### No Copy Paste operations when selecting subreport object from main report ❌

[![No Copy Option][5s]][5]

Here's another thread from Crystal Reports on [How can I copy sub-reports from existing report to another report?][6] that seems to suggest the same process.

Maybe this just isn't supported in the Visual Studio Designer?

I'm using Visual Studio 2017 (v15.9.11) and Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 13.0.24


 [1]: https://stackoverflow.com/q/22242470/1366033
 [2]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJ99L.png
 [3]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/c1R6Q.png
 [4]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/rcptU.png
 [5]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kk26F.png
 [2s]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJ99Ll.png
 [3s]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/c1R6Qm.png
 [4s]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/rcptUl.png
 [5s]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kk26Fm.png
 [6]: https://answers.sap.com/questions/5217996/how-can-i-copy-sub-reports-from-existing-report-to.html

Copy subreport from one crystal report to another in Visual Studio

I can't share the entire codebase to reproduce the issue, but I'm using [Visual Studio Diagnostic Tools][0] to inspect performance and operations are taking many times longer to execute that what's getting reported in CPU usage.

### Example Code

Here's an example of the offending block of code between two breakpoints:

[![Diagnostic Entry Point][1]][1]

### Profiling Time

The CPU samples inside this method only suggest it's spending about **1000 ms** to execute:

[![CPU Usage][2]][2]

[![Caller Callee][3]][3]

[![Profile][4l]][4f]

### Execution Time

However, it takes nearly **50 seconds** between breakpoints

[![Diagnostic Timeline][5]][5]

### Question

* What could cause such a long execution timeline that doesn't show up when profiling?

### Things I've Tried:

* Restarting VS
* Restarting Machine
* Reloading Symbols
* Caching Symbols

  [0]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/profiling/profiling-feature-tour
  [1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/qbv0D.png
  [2]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/jmFgE.png
  [3]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/cirQu.png
  [4f]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLQpL.png
  [4l]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLQpLl.png
  [5]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/ppghx.png