I'd like to know how to open multiple instances of Visual Studio, so that I can view code and files from seperate solutions at the same time.
I have found the answer to this problem;
To open another instance of Visual Studio (I am using VS'19 on a Windows Computer
running Windows 10), you can right-click the VS icon on your taskbar and click
the words 'Visual Studio 2019'(this will open the Start Window), or click a recently opened project/solution/folder.
edit-
also, as user James pointed out, you can locate a .sln file on your computer (through file explorer) and simply double-click that.
Related
I recently upgraded to Windows 10 and Visual Studio 2019.
Prior to the upgrade, Visual Studio 2017 would always run as Administrator. I did not think much of this, but now that it is gone it is causing me problems.
The primary one is that it will not load my projects that use my local instance of IIS.
I usually launch Visual Studio from my start bar. Right now this goes like this:
Right click on the icon on the start bar and select my solution.
It loads and then I realize that the main project did not load.
Close visual studio, open as admin
Pick my solution and then it loads.
I would really like to only have to do #1 above. Is there someway I can edit the shortcut on the start bar to have it always launch as Administrator?
Turns out that Visual Studio uses different permissions when you click on the list of shortcut options it offers in the start menu. (IE to load a recent solution directly.)
Selecting the Properties->Advanced->"Run as Administrator" did not cause these to run as administrator.
But this did it:
Find devenv.exe (Visual Studio's executable)
Right Click on it and select "Troubleshoot Compatibility".
On the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter window, click on Troubleshoot Program
Check that the program requires additional permissions and click Next
On the next window, click on Test the program… and VS will open as administrator
Click next and then click on Yes, save these settings for this program
Now Visual Studio will ALWAYS run as administrator.
(Taken from: https://ppolyzos.com/2017/08/08/always-run-visual-studio-as-administrator/)
In Windows Explorer when I double-click on any Visual Studio file (*.cs, *.csproj, etc.), it's opening an old version of VS instead of the latest one (VS 2017). And VS has associations with too many file types.
How can I change the default Visual Studio (for all those files that VS can handle)?
There is a similar old question about Visual Studio 2008 (Move file associations from Visual Studio 2005 to 2008) but the solution in there doesn't work anymore (there is no "Restore File Associations" button on the settings of Visual Studio 2017).
Each version of Visual Studio registers itself in the Set Default Programs panel of the Control Panel.
Go to Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs
Then choose Set Default Programs:
In there you can simply choose the Visual studio version of your choice and then click the button Set this program as default in order to associate every file type that VS handles.
Or you might prefer to click the button Choose defaults for this program to review the current associations of those file types and change only the ones you want.
Yet another in a long list of previously working-just-fine things which Microsoft have managed totally #$#%# up. If I try to change defaults the 'right' way I get this kind of thing:
i.e. completely ignored. The only way I've managed to solve it is by removing the file association entirely through the registry. Let's take .asm as an example:
Open Registry Editor / "regedit.exe"
Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.asm\OpenWithProgIds
Delete any Visual Studio values you see
From there, you can (finally) open files with whatever you choose instead of having the association clamped to Visual Studio:
For the record, I believe this to be a problem with Windows 10. Not with Visual Studio. See: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-files/cant-change-default-programs-in-windows-10/229fc3a9-25c9-433b-a333-5806bc5090db
On the file you will always open with vs17, click right and choose open with and there choose another app. On win10 it pop out a dialog with some proposals. If vs17 is there, choose your favorite and activate the always open with. then ok and your done.
I'm trying to open two projects in two different windows but every time I double click an other solution, it closes the old project and then it opens the new project in that window. I mean I could do this with VS 2010 but with VS2013, I can't. How do you open multiple projects in different windows ?
EDITS: maybe I can't explain myself well. I want to open two different solutions in two different windows. this will make me able to work on many projects at the same time.
SOLVED:This issue disappeared as I reinstalled the OS!
If you have Windows 8, you just need to search for Visual Studio in the start menu, then right click and choose Open new window. It will open another instance of Visual Studio.
Start visual studio as many times as needed and open each project in each instance of visual studio (file -> Open -> Project/Solution )
in VS13, when you open source code, it opens it in tabs, you can see the name of the tabs right at the top of the window.(the name of the source code will be there) just drag it and move it off Visual studios, somewhere over your desktop and it will open in a new window. I believe that will work. Please let me know if this works, i know i have documentation on viewing tabs in VS, let me find it while you test this :)
if you want a way around opening another instance of VS, open the project by locating it For instance C:\Users\Jonathan\Documents\Visual Studio 2013\Projects thats my default location, open the project there, it opens VS as a new instance
Here is how the problem was solved!
I have created another user in Windows OS
Log on with the new user credentials
Open Visual Studio
The issue remains when I log with another user, that is why I would say it is due to current user settings.
Using Visual studio 2010 I got problems when double-clicking, for example a config file (*.config). Visual Studio would open but give me a error message about parameters. If I simple try to drag and drop a file that Visual Studio usually can read in to it, the icon will give me the "not possible icon"?
I have now installed Visual Studio 2012 and it has the same problem?!
This makes my work a lot harder, it should be easy to just drag & drop files into Visual Studio, but it's not so? Now I have to manually find the file with the file menu?
Please note, I have re-installed the computer before installing Visual Studio 2012.
On Windows Vista and newer Windows Explorer runs with medium integrity level.
If you run Visual Studio as administrator (high integrity level) then for security reasons OS will disable drag and drop from Explorer to Visual Studio.
You can either run Visual Studio as normal user or you can install VSCommands for Visual Studio 2012 extension. It has several features that can help with this such as:
Elevated Windows Explorer - small tool which looks like Windows Explorer but runs with elevated permissions allowing Drag And Drop
Directory Explorer - tool window inside Visual Studio which again looks like Windows Explorer and allows Drag And Drop
Run Visual Studio with medium integrity - allows Drag And Drop from Windows Explorer, but you won't be able to attach to processes run by other users (e.g. IIS)
If you run VS as administator, instead drag n drop, do copy (either ctrl+c, context menu "copy") the file selection in explorer and paste (ctrl+v, context menu) on selected node in VS
This was driving me nuts. In my Visual Studio solution I have two Web Application which use IIS as web server so because of this I have to always start my Visual Studio in Administrator mode. After starting as Admin I wasn't able to drag and drop files from Explorer to Visual Studio.
Solution:
Open Command Prompt as Administrator (Shortcut for Windows 8.1 is ⊞ Win + X + A)
Type "explorer" this would open Windows Explorer with Admin privileges.
And now you should be able to drag and drop any file from explorer to Visual Studio
If you disable UAC completely you can drag & drop from anywhere again. To do this you can't use the slider in the Control Panel because that only brings the UAC level down to 1. Make this registry change, reboot, and you can again use your computer like god intended.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"EnableLUA"=dword:00000000
I think the main goal of this question is how to add many folders and files to your project in a comfortable way. Drag and Drop files into your project is one solution, which fails under certain circumstances.
Another very easy way is:
Copy the new folders and files where you physically want them in your project
Open the project explorer in VS and click the button "Show all files"
All the folders and files, which are now not part of your project yet appear white
Select the the white folders or files, right-click and choose "Bind to project"
Done
This is also possible, if you run VS as admin.
Have some fun!
By the way: I found this question, because I had the same issue with drag and drop. I understand the security issues, but it is an annoying feature.
I'm using this easiest approach. When you run Visual Studio in Administrator Mode. When you need to drag and drop, just press CTRL+O to open up a file browser within visual studio, and use that file browser as an Elevated Explorer to do your drag and drop.
I had a similar problem but my issue was a bit different. I was trying to drag and drop a file from inside a zipped folder. Once I unzipped the folder drag & drop started working again.
I had this problem as well because I was opening VS in admin mode and the file explorer by default is not in admin mode.
Ended up creating a PowerShell and bat script to start explorer in admin mode every time the computer start.
admin.bat file:
#ECHO OFF
PowerShell.exe -Command "& {Start-Process PowerShell.exe -ArgumentList '-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ""%~dpn0.ps1""' -Verb RunAs}"
admin.ps1 file:
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start-process explorer.exe
The files just have to be in the same folder. Doesn't matter what they are called. Run the .bat file to restart explorer in admin mode or just create a shortcut to the .bat file in the startup folder ;) the script and ps1 file can be hidden.
On windows 8.1, change the registry key: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\EnableLUA and set value = 0.
Certain non-project files that I use Visual studio for (.build, .xml, free-roaming html and css files) are already associated with visual studio and open in it when i double click them.
How can I get them to open in an existing instance of visual studio? Right now If i double-click the same file twice, it will open two instances of visual studio, I'd like it just to basically ignore the second open attempt if there is already an instance of VS open.
Windows 7 vs2010 answer;
Because "Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program" is so useless, use regedit.
Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\VisualStudio.XXX.10.0\shell\Open\Command and add /edit to the end of the open with line, where XXX is the filetype you wish to affect.
Example .reg file for .cpp;
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\VisualStudio.cpp.10.0\shell\Open\Command]
#="\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\\Common7\\IDE\\devenv.exe\" /dde /edit"
Ok Richard helped point me in the right direction a bit, but I think I found exactly what I want.
from an explorer window, go to Tools->Folder Options->File Types tab
find the extension you wish to change.
If there is a restore button click it.
Click Advanced
Click New... to create a new action.
I set the following:
Action: Open in VS 2008
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe" /dde
check use dde
DDE Message: Open("%1")
Application: VisualStudio.9.0
DDE Application Not Running: (left blank)
Topic: System
Hit Ok
Set the new action as the default.
Hit Ok, Hit Ok
Now that extension will behave exactly as described in the question. The file will open in an existing VS if visual studio is already open.
I also used this to fix a few extensions that got broken when I reinstalled VS 2005 after 2008.
Win 7/ VS 2012
You can right click a file, go to properties.
Then there is an "Opens With" line and a change button. But I don't see a way to force other command line options. VS2012 seems to use the open instance by default.
Which version of VS?
For 2003, there's VSEdit.
In 2005, well, that's the way it works for me out-of-the-box. A quick Google search found something that may help.
Hope that helps.
Later versions of Visual Studio also seem to have problems opening files via DDE from certain applications (e.g. in SSHCommunications' Secure File Transfer Client; Winzip and explorer seem to work fine). This still happens with the solutions given previously.
When IDE already loaded, the IDE focuses but gives error 'The template specified cannot be found. Please check that the full path is correct'
When IDE not loaded, it intermittently gives error 'The file cannot be opened because it is being used by another process. Please close all applications that might access this file and try again'. Trying again proceeds as 1)
You can get it working in all situations using a combination of all the previous posts!
Install the VSEdit application (as suggested by Richard/Jeff for .Net 2003), regardless of the version (or versions) of msdev that you use: the post by Sara Ford to which they refer recommends VSEdit for command line operation in VS2005 - it also seems to work for later versions.
Alter the DDE (Tools->Folder Options->File Types) as Jeff proposes but to open via VSEdit.exe instead of devenv.exe directly. Specifically:
Action: Open "C:\Program Files\PowerToys for Visual Studio .NET
2003\VSEdit\VSEdit.exe" /c "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio
9.0\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe /Edit """%1"""" "%1" use dde: (checked) DDE Message: (left blank) Application: VSEdit DDE Application Not
Running: (left blank) Topic: System
N.B. The triple/quad quotation marks are deliberate - they add the first opened file (quoted) to the end of the launch command to prevent msdev complaining about the command line usage of the /Edit mode if launched. Obviously command paths will need changing for different installations.