How to switch view modes in built-in Diff viewer of Visual Studio 2012 and 2013? - visual-studio

Currently, this is how Visual Studio displays the differences between files:
I would like it to display the two files separately (including the red/green notations), as I believe is the default settings. How do I change the way it displays the differences?

Check the 'Compare Files' toolbox, there is a button for it.
Or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+\, Ctrl+2.

Related

where are visual studio 2017 dialog editor tools and controls?

I'm a complete newbie to Visual Studio 2017 and now need to update a old windows application. I down loaded VS 2017 community, found my .RC files and used it to open one of my dialog designs. It displays correctly but my problem is how do I get the VS to display the tools such as grid lines, alignment tools, etc? And how do I display the menu of the various controls (boxes and items) that one can add to the dialog design?
Those are in the toolbox pane/sidebar/thingie on the side. If you don't see it, go to the View menu and select "Toolbox" to turn it on.

Visual Studio files association in Windows

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.

Class names not coloured in Visual Studio 2012

I am evaluating Visual Studio 2012 and am having some problems with the color schema.
Sure enough I was able to overcome the initial discomfort by setting my color for the text editor.
One thing I have not been able to set corrent are the color for the class names.
Say you have a line like below.
Class name = new Class();
the entire line is in the same color, expect the new keyword.
I want the word 'Class' to be in a different color like in earlier versions of Visual Studio.
I am not able to set the color for this from the Option.
I have tried chaning color for all fields like plain text, literals, identifier, etc under
Tool -> Option -> Environment -> Font & Colors
but still I am not able to fix this.
I have also applied custome themes, those are also not helping.
I wouldn't want to install a productivity power tool for such basic preference right ??
Edit:
I'm on Windows 7 x64 and Visual Studio Professional 2012, Version 11.0.50727.1 RTMREL
The solution I found is a combination of the suggestions found in a mish mash of related threads:
Close Visual Studio and open the VS command prompt as an administrator. Navigate to the devenv.exe file (in Express versions it is titled something along the lines of *express.exe) usually located in C://Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0/Common7/IDE.
Type devenv.exe /setup
Reopen Visual Studio. If everything is all colored now, great! If not, close the tabs and reopen them.
Performing all of step 3 is what has got my coloring to come back to normal.
Here is where I got the suggestions:
Visual Studio 2012 - Intellisense sometimes disappearing / broken
How can I get user type C# syntax highlighting working again in VS 2012 RC?
If you're using Productive Power Tools, go to => Tools -> Options -> Productive Power Tools. In main menu, TURN OFF the option: Colorized Parameter Help.
I solved my problem, I'm on Windows 8 Pro, Visual Studio 2012 Ultimate.
You're on the right track. Under Tools -> Options -> Environment -> Fonts and Colors, you want to change "User Types", first making sure at the top of the dialog that you are viewing the settings for the "Text Editor"
Although, by default with my install of Visual Studio 2012 these were already set, so you may want to try the "Use Defaults" button, unless you've made other changes that you want to keep.
go to the tools >Option click on enviroment navigation and click on import and export setting and copy the url and open directory from the url and delete all font and color file .which you got setting folder
The workaround provided by Donatas on Microsoft Connect works without having to turn off any option of Productivity Power Tools:
There is a workaround without turning off "Colorized Parameter Help".
Go to Tools > Options > Environment > Fonts and Colors in Display
items select "User Types (Value types)" click Custom next to Item
foreground color and in the color picker change Red, Green or Blue by
1, i.e. to make a custom color which basically looks the same. OK on
all the dialogs and problem solved.

VS2010 Only show file names in tabs

My website has several nested folders and sometimes long file names, so sometimes only 4 tabs can be opened at a time.
Can vs2010 be made to show only file names and leave out any path information?
Can the max displayed length for tabs be set?
I know the window can be split so top and bottom both have their own tabs.
For example (using the "Visual Studio 2010 Pro Power Tools"):
Showing the files:
...r.aspx.cs
...s.aspx.cs
...s.aspx.cs
...s.aspx.cs
...s.aspx.cs
For example (not using the Visual Studio 2010 Pro Power Tools):
Showing the files:
Adminstration/...quests.aspx.cs
Adminstration/...tUsers.aspx.cs
Adminstration/...ctions.aspx.cs
Adminstration/...eBanks.aspx.cs
Try installing the "Visual Studio 2010 Pro Power Tools" extension from the Extension Manager in VS. It adds a new section to the standard option dialogue that allows you to customise what they call the "Document Tab Well."
It doesn't let you truncate the filename, but you can change the way they draw and scroll, which might be enough to help.
It does allow more tabs at a time, but it severly shortens the amount of file name you see. So while it allows editing more files, you won't know what file you are editing.
For now I'm using the trial version of Tab Studio
In VS2010, go to Tools - Extension Manager. Go to the online gallery and search for this extension:
Visual Studio 2010 Pro Power Tools
This extension, once installed, gives you extensive control over the document well, including setting a max tab width and much more. I love this extension, and have had zero issues customizing tab behavior to suit my preferences. Hope this helps.
Fixed in Visual Studio 2012
This has finally been fixed in Visual Studio 2012:
So i see:
PendingRequests.aspx (rather than ...r.aspx.cs)
ImportUsers.aspx.cs (rather than ...s.aspx.cs)
SearchTransactions.aspx.cs (rather than ...ctions.aspx.cs)
ImportTimeBanks.aspx.cs (rather than eBanks.aspx.cs)
Now if we could just get the entire Visual Studio ecosystem to:
return to the use of Left, Right arrows to navigate overflow tabs
open new tabs on the right
just like Windows has been doing in 1994, and Visual Studio would start to almost become a user-friendly Windows application.
I have been using this excellent extension for VS2010 that solve your problems: Visual Studio 2010 Pro Power Tools.
It is a bundle of several extensions, but the most notable for you is the Document Well 2010 Plus. It allows you to configure the document tabs: to be the constant width, colour-coded by project, pinned, etc...
You can toggle the extensions that you do not want by editing the manifest file in:
~\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\VisualStudio\10.0\Extensions\Microsoft\Visual Studio 2010 Pro Power Tools\
#IanBoyd: I agree, it doesn't solve the problem 100% however it helps (which is why most of the answers to this question suggest it). With the Visual Studio 2010 Pro Power Tools add-on you can a) set the maximum tab width using one tab options, b) setup some colour categorizing rules to help differentiate between projects/file types.
In VS2010, my workflow relies upon several add-ons and keyboard shortcuts to manage my workspace; for example I use CTRL + Tab to switch between active documents, use the pin-tab feature and colour coding from Power Pro Tools, the open solution file dialog from Visual Assist X, and re-open last edited file from Resharper.
This has been answered already here:
Remove path from tab name in Visual Studio 2010
Install the productivity power tools extension and it should do it by default!
Cheers.

Per-filetype "View whitespace" setting in Visual Studio

Is there a way to enable/disable the "View Whitespace" feature in Visual Studion on a per-filetype basis? I'd like to be able to edit python files with visible whitespace, but not other types.
Unfortunately, there is not a way to do this. The 'View White Space' setting (available from the Edit|Advanced|View White Space' menu option) is stored in the registry, which means the setting is applied to all files and all sessions of Visual Studio.
The next best thing is learn the shortcut key and toggle the feature on and off as necessary. For Visual Studio 2008, the shortcut is Ctrl+E, S.

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