I was following the instructions at https://tortoisesvn.net/visualstudio.html to integrate some common SVN commands to my visual studio IDE. Here are the steps I followed
Selected Tools | External Tools and added commands for SVN Log, Blame and Diff.
These commands show up in the Tools Menu and are working as expected
Next, selected Tools | Customize | Commands | Context Menu. Under the Context Menu drop down, chose the Editor Context Menus | Code Window
Using Add Command, added the 3 commands. These options now show up in the code window context menu but are disabled.
I am not sure what additional steps need to be performed to get these menu items to show up enabled. I had this working till recently but lost it when I reset my settings. Appreciate any help in this regard
Screenshots
I would like to see all files or documents I've opened in Visual Studio. I do not want them to be auto hidden or hidden on overflow.
How can I achieve it?
One of the built-in option to do so: use pinned tabs.
http://dailydotnettips.com/2016/01/21/persevering-and-separating-the-pinned-tabs-in-visual-studio/
If you don't want to read a external page just for setting:
Tools -> Options -> Environment -> Tabs and Windows -> Show pinned tabs in a seperate row
It's not completely what you want, but it's free and may be useful.
Maybe it's not exactly what you search, but here is a way to at least get a second row for pinned tabs.
Effectively get you more space for opened files:
Tools -> Options -> Environment -> Tabs and Windows -> Show pinned tabs in a seperate row
Visual Studio has this extension taken from msdn.microsoft.com tested and worked
Simple installation: download, doubleclick to install, restart VS IDE. Then open all the tabs you want they all will be displayed and No hidden.
https://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/EBF6137E-AA2D-4DC9-860A-F04168F11CD7
Dung Le.
It's worth noting that starting in VS 2019 v16.4, you can now have "vertical tabs" which will list all open tabs vertically, making it easy to see all open files.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/ide/customizing-window-layouts-in-visual-studio?view=vs-2019#vertical-document-tabs
In Visual Studio 2022, this issue now has a native solution. Go to Tools -> Options -> Environment -> Tabs and Windows -> Show tabs in multiple rows. Excess tabs will be shown on additional rows. There doesn't seem to be a limit on how many rows this can use.
Another relevant option that some may find useful; you can choose "Show invisible tabs in italic in tab dropdown menu". The dropdown button is only visible when you hover your mouse near the end of the row of tabs. Showing invisible windows in italics makes it easier to identify windows that are only visible in the overflow menu.
For those using Visual Studio 2022, check the "Show tabs in multiple rows" setting in Tools > Options > Environment > Tabs and Windows section.
For Visual Studio Code
If you want to see all the opened tabs,
you can simply on wrap tabs option in the VS Code settings
settings > User > Workbench > Editor > Wrap Tabs
For some reason the VS 2008 I have work on, does not automatically select the file in Solution Explorer that I am editing.
Is there any place in option settings where I can turn this feature on?
Thank you
You want that feature? It was originally the default in VS2003, but there were so many complaints an option to turn it off was added.
Anyway, you can go into Tools | Options | Projects and Solutions | General and set 'Track Active File in Solution Explorer' to turn it back on.
Closed. This question is opinion-based. It is not currently accepting answers.
Want to improve this question? Update the question so it can be answered with facts and citations by editing this post.
Closed 1 year ago.
Improve this question
There are so many little options and settings within Microsoft Visual Studio. Which adjustments do you recommend to others?
Line Numbers
Tools > Options
Text Editor > All Languages > General
Display: Line Numbers
Environment->General->Animate environment tools => OFF.
Speeds UI responsiveness by 82%.
I've never found dynamic help to be either dynamic or helpful, and just tends to slow visual studio down, so using regedit:
registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Visual Studio\x.x\Dynamic Help
value:
Never Show DH on F1 = yes
I'm also keen on setting the following in Options->Projects and Solutions:
Show Output window when build starts - checked
(IMHO easiest way to spot build errors)
Track Active Item in Solution Explorer - unchecked
(stops every project ending up fully expanded in Solution Explorer)
Gotta have the tab indention set up right.
Also, Consolas & Color Themed - white backgrounds hurt my eyes
Option Strict On
Tools > Options
Projects and Solutions > VB Defaults
Default project settings: Option Strict: On
Tools -> Options -> Environment -> Keyboard
Setup a shortcut to close the active document. Ctrl+Alt+W in my case.
Personally i hate that VS defaults to "Tab to Spaces" when you are developing in C#. This is so awkward to work with and unnecessary.
Yes, i know there are issues with Tabs but honestly, did any of you ever encounter them coding in C# on Windows?
Several have mentioned custom keybindings. Here are handy default keybinding reference posters…
Microsoft Visual Basic Default Keybindings reference poster
A high quality, print-ready PDF
containing the useful keybindings for
developers that choose the Visual
Basic developer profile in Visual
Studio 2008 or use Visual Basic
Express.
Microsoft Visual C# Default Keybindings reference poster
Visual C# in Visual Studio 2008 and
Visual C# 2008 Express Edition Wall
chart showing useful keyboard
shortcuts for Visual C# programming
language.
I like Microsoft's instructions:
Download and extract PDF
Send to favorite full color printer/copier
Hang on wall
Code
Smile
Set the active document you're working on to display in the solution explorer. I've seen a lot of people hunting for their current doc if the project gets too big.
Tools -> Options.
Make sure show all settings is checked.
Click on Projects and Solutions.
Enable the Track Active Item in Explorer checkbox.
alt text http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/4821/trackactivedocumentqv2.gif
Environment => General => Recent files
24 items shown in Window menu
24 items shown in recently used lists
Environment => General
Show status bar ON
Animate environment tools OFF
Prevent Visual Studio from renaming pasted controls
How do I prevent Visual Studio from renaming my controls?
Window Layouts
This really isn't a setting but something I always do is back up my settings via Tools > Import and Export Settings.
I make sure to back up my window layouts for both single and multiple monitors. It saves frustration when moving from my multi-monitor setup to a single monitor for a presentation.
Not to mention, it makes it easy to get up and running on a new PC.
Visible white space. (Edit -> Advanced -> View White Space)
The default color is too strong. I immediately change it to silver. (Tools -> Options -> Fonts and Colors -> Visible White Space).
On some displays, even silver is too strong, and I create a "light silver".
I'm somewhat surprised to be the first person recommending Visual Studio Hacks for a lot of suggestions of this variety
Fixedsys Font
Tools > Options
Environment > Fonts and Colors
Font: Fixedsys
Always show solution
Tools > Options
Projects and Solutions
Always show solution
Check out this thread for the Color theme options for Visual Studio
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/141371/which-visual-studio-color-theme
And consolas is my favourite font
This applies to winform projects.
Instead of opening the form in design mode by default, you can configure VS to open the code editor instead. This is configured by right-clicking on a form in the solution explorer and choosing the "Open with" option. This gives you a dialog that allows you to specify the default option when double-clicking on a file.
In a control's properties, setting GenerateMembers to false for items you don't need (labels, etc). It's not a specifically Visual-Studio thing, more related to the platform, but mixed with the contextual list of objects and functions, it just clears up so much clutter.
When designing a form:
View > Tab Order
Allows you you specify and control your TabIndexes easily (much more so than setting them by hand!)
Source View
Tools > Options
HTML Designer > General
Start pages in: Source View
Its all about Resharper ;) Gives you tons of shortcuts which are so useful I can no longer work without them. I don't get on with the intellisense though, so I've turned that off.
This is incredibly useful, allows you to write underscores with the space bar when writing long test method names.
Un-Bold Brace Matching
Tools > Options
Environment > Fonts and Colors
Display items: Brace Matching (Hilight)
uncheck Bold
Find and Replace window’s "Search Hidden Text" checkbox.
It's not really a preference but it is indispensable. It sure is frustrating when you don’t notice that it "magically" unchecked itself.
Besides, Line Numbers, the first thing I always do in a newly-installed IDE is set the Edit.GoToDefinition keyboard shortcut.
Tools > Options > Keyboard
Visual Studio tries to be helpful by showing all the nested tags where the cursor is (the display at the bottom of the code window, next to the "Desgn | Split | Source" options), but I never use it, and it seems to slow things down when I'm just trying to cursor past large blocks of code. Is there any way to turn this feature off?
A quick look at the Tools -> Options -> HTML Designer options doesn't seem to provide a way to turn this off. You can set the default view, but there is no on/off option.