In Visual Studio, you are able to dock code windows in horizontal and vertical tab groups (something you can also do with tool windows).
However, when doing so you may end up with a lot of redundant screen space. What would be ideal would be if you could mix docking orientations for code windows. This is possible with tool windows in Visual Studio 2010. Here is an image showing the feature used for tool windows:
My question is: is it possible to get this same functionality with the code windows - i.e. being able to mix horizontal and vertical docking, like with the tool windows shown? I've heard rumours that its possible, but I've been unable to find any truth in that.
I too wish this was a naitive feature in visual studio, but there is one workaround by using the 'floating tab group' feature of visual studio
Move the visual studio main window out of the way (maybe to another monitor, or to smallest area of the monitor needed to see the tooling windows)
"Tear out" or Right Click > Float on the desired tab
Position the tab to your desire (I suggest using WinSplitRevolution, via codinghorror)
Repeat, note that you can move a tab to an existing 'floating' tab group
And voila!
There are some setbacks, some commands will pop up over the main tooling window instead of your current tab group etc. but its still pretty nice. I'm not sure if there's any changes coming in VS2012, but I haven't heard about anything related.
Related
So i'm using Visual Studio 2010 with a dual monitor setup and I like to have my Build/Team -explorer tab on my other screen.
But the the problem I am raging with is the following:
"sketch" of the problem: http://pastebin.com/X8K3ihGJ
If i'm coding and I switch to the word doc on screen 1 (it pops to the front (y) )
But if i then want to click on the build explorer on screen 2, the vs main screen on screen 1 goes to the front.
Is there anyway it's possible you can set the visual studio windows' on top state's independent from each other?
It's a minor issue but it's hurting me all day :)
Thx!
Try the Productivity Power Tools extension. Dock the build explorer in a floating tab well and enable the "enable independent floating tab well" option in the Document Tab Well settings. This will allow windows to be on top independent of each other.
I hear that Visual Studio 2010 has "Multi-Monitor Support". Yet now that I am using it, I see no difference from VS2008.
I still have to resize all my windows when switching from one monitor to two and back again.
Is there somekind of Profile or setting I am missing? For example, Delphi lets you save desktop profiles that record where you like specific windows. Switching from single to dual monitors is as simple as selecting a different desktop profile.
Is there something similar in VS2010 that I am missing?
Multi-monitor support refers to the ability for you to undock a code window and drag it to another monitor. Try dragging on the tab of a code window into your other monitor.
ScottGu has an excellent blog post on this subject
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2009/08/31/multi-monitor-support-vs-2010-and-net-4-series.aspx
Just drag the editor tabs out and onto your other monitor and witness the glory.
In VS2008 you could detach things like the solution explorer and put them onto a different monitor, but source code pages were forced to stay on one monitor.
I've got 2 displays with very different resolution (which makes just stretching a window over them not a good idea) and actively use both of them, usually looking at one when doing changes in another.
So I wonder if I could move a child window of Visual Studio 2010 from within the boundaries of it's main window an move it to another display. Nowadays I'd enjoy the way child windows behaved (each window, incl a toolbar and a properties pane worked as an independent window on a desktop) in Borland C++ Builder (while it was senseless the days when I actually was using it).
In Visual Studio 2010 Document Windows are (finally) detachable. For an how to, you can check this post:
Free your Document windows
Basically there are different ways you can achieve this:
Simply click and drag the tab for the Document window out of the IDE;
Go to Window -> Float on the Menu Bar.
I've finally joined the 21st century and got a second monitor. I can merrily undock all the side windows (Solution Explorer, ToolBox etc) and plonk them anywhere I like on either monitor. I can't though figure out how to undock a code window. Is it possible? (I'm using vs2008).
Multi monitor is a key functionality of the new vs 2010 as was requested by a lot of devs.
Actually there is a way to do that.
You just need to install a FREE addon from Exact Magic named StudioTools
It has this feature called "Tear Off Editor Window".
You just activate the tab you want to tear off and from the StudioTools manu select Tear Off Editor.
I also strongly recommend you check out the rest of the features, especially the "Smart Goto" which rocks!
Just for you (VS2010) ;-p
You could resize Visual Studio to cover both monitors, then right-click the code window and click New Vertical Tab Group
The "Tear Off Editor Window" feature in Studio Tools from Exact Magic is I think the only option if can't just extend the application over your monitors, if you have multiple monitors of different sizes or a mix of portrait and landscape orientation.
However you cannot download Studio Tools from the original site as they were bought by another company who no longer support the software. You can download it from the the Wayback Machine: Studio Tools Download Link
My install of Visual Studio 2008 does not support IE style back and forward navigation withe the mouse in the C# code editor.
Searches show that multiple people have run into this problem but I have yet to find a correct solution.
There's even a VS add-in hack just to work around the "bug".
Any idea why this functionality fails for some users and how to fix it?
You can mitigate the problem by AutoHotKey tool (free, open source).
Let's assume your Visual Studio 2008 has these editor commands and their respective shortcuts:
View.NavigateBackward = Ctrl+-
View.NavigateForward = Ctrl+Shift+-
You should be able to verify these shortcuts in keyboard options. Verified? Let's proceed.
So will you be just fine if your mouse will send these keyboard shortcuts if the Visual Studio's main window is active?
Then install the tool and add the following two mappings:
XButton1::^-
XButton2::^+-
These correspond to above keyboard shortcuts: ^ = Ctrl, + = Shift, - = -
Using AutoHotKey icon in notification area, reload definition file you just updated. Now your mouse buttons should produce the above shortcuts. Test them.
If they work for you in Visual Studio editor, you can limit them only to Visual Studio main window, otherwise they work across the entire desktop:
SetTitleMatchMode, RegEx
#IfWinActive, .*- Microsoft Visual Studio
XButton1::^-
XButton2::^+-
#IfWinActive
Feel free to adjust title-matching regex if needed.
Do not forget to reload definitions file to apply any changes you made.
Bonus:
And here are some other handy operations if you are holding Shift or Ctrl:
(You have those mouse buttons, let's use them... for commands across the entire desktop.)
+XButton1::^c
+XButton2::^v
^XButton1::^x
^XButton2::^z
(Letters must be lowercase, because uppercase means Shift+letter.)
(And always make sure you are running AHK elevated (as administrator.))
Enjoy!
Visual Studio 2008 is an editor and the apps built in it can also be built in any later version such as Visual Studio 2015. Not trying to be flippant, but the fix is to move to a later version of Studio. If money is a factor look into the Community version. (See Free Dev Tools - Visual Studio Community 2015)