I am experiencing this weird problem with Visual Studio 2022.
I created the skeleton of a new web application using individual accounts.
I have run the first migration, created some default accounts in the aspnet identity tables and
finally launched the application to test if everything was correctly setup in my PC.
Visual Studio compiles the application without problems and launch the defaul browser (Edge).
The standard Welcome page appears but immediately Visual Studio pops to the front doing nothing.
No errors, no messages nothing wrong. Just the code window here to obscure the browser window.
Now, I switch to the browser window and click on the Login link.
Again, the login window briefly appears in the browser but it is immediately obscured by Visual Studio.
Switch again to the browser, compile the required fields and click on login.
Again Visual Studio thinks that he is the best app on the planet and brings itself on the foregroud.
I have tried to switch to another browser, but the results are the same.
I have tried with an existing application written with Visual Studio 2019, but again the "pop in front of everything" still happens.
I have tried to search for this problem but probably I haven't find the right keywords to represent this problem correctly to a search engine.
I think that probably I have something wrong in the Visual Studio configuration, but it is practically impossible to find something there if you don't know what to look for.
The only option that seems to be related is "Bring Visual Studio to the foreqround when breaking in the debugger" but even after uncheking the option the "pop to front" persists.
So my question is simple. Has anyone experienced a similar behavior? If yes how have you fixed it?
Well, probably this situation is so messed that none will ever see this post.
Nevertheless I would like to share how I have finally resolved the question and leave here a warning for future readers.
The cause of Visual Studio 2022 hiccups is, probably, the import of Visual Studio 2019 settings.
I thought that it was a good idea to set 2022 with the same options used in the last 3 years so, after installing VS 2022
I used this very useful menu (Tools->Import Export Settings) to export all the Visual Studio 2019 Settings in an XML file and I reimported it in 2022.
I thought, if the file is not compatible with VS2022 surely it will abort the import. Right?
No, Visual Studio 2022 doesn't complain during the import of 2019 settings.
But something in that exported file should be very broken.
I have resolved the problem with these steps
Close Visual Studio 2022
Open a command prompt window with administrator rights
Change to the install folder for Visual Studio 2022 and then change dir to subfolder "Common7\IDE"
Finally execute the command
devenv /ResetSettings
After this everything started to work as expected without problems.
I have saved the broken VS2019 setting file and tried to compare it with one produced after the reset,
but they have too many differences to extract something useful to identify the specific problem area
Every time I close a solution, or start debugging, or stop debugging, everything except the main code tab auto-hides.
This includes anything docked to the right - like the Solution Explorer, Properties, etc. (for me at least). It also includes everything docked to the bottom - like the Find Results, Output, Immediate Window, Error List, etc. (again, for me at least).
I cannot find a setting that keeps these docked items open. I find it very annoying that I have to keep re-opening them and would like to find a more permanent solution.
I recently updated from VS 2013. It did not do this.
Is there a setting? Is it something else? I am running on Windows Server 2012 R2. I open Visual Studios as the Administrator.
To Optimize Visual Studio Startup Time, VS2017 has introduced new feature Manage Visual Studio Performance under help menu. Using this option, one can override startup behavior of tool window like error list, package manager console etc.
For more information, refer Optimize Visual Studio Startup Time.
Just installed Visual Studio 2013 (it seems there was no choice - tried to download vs 2012 from Microsoft but they automatically redirect me to 2013...).
I noticed that all those things that used to be colored in turquoise - like classes, types, attributes - are now plain black! I mean all those things that trigger the little blue "smart tag" thingie that when you press ctrl+dot you get a little option to add the appropriate "using" statement.
I've looked through and through in the tools > options > fonts and colors. In vs 2012, under "display items", there were entries such as "user types - XXXXX" which were colored turquoise. But in 2013 they're gone too! :-(
Productivity power tools is not installed...
Anyone?
For others who run into this, where the accepted answer doesn't work: try closing your project and deleting your suo file.
I tried devenv.exe /setup (as an admin, in a VS command prompt), I tried changing and restoring themes, I tried rebooting, etc. Nothing worked, but deleting my suo file fixed it.
I had the same issue in VS2013, fixed that with devenv.exe /setup
See
How can I get user type C# syntax highlighting working again in VS 2012 RC?
If you've installed the preview of Roslyn, unintstall it. This worked for me.
Disabling and then enabling Productivity Power Tools 2013 extension resolved the issue for me.
Somehow part of my syntax highlighting for C# code has disappeared in the VS 2012 IDE. Uninstalling, rebooting, and reinstalling does nothing, nor does resetting the colors in the options dialog.
Here are some examples of items which all appear in default (black) that normally have color which don't:
Attributes
System classes
My own classes
And here are some keywords that still have color:
using
public
void
var
for
Has anyone else experienced this and managed to fix it?
Here is a simple solution. Go to the directory where devenv is (for 2012 RC), and type devenv.exe /setup. It will fix your problem.
devenv.exe is usually in something like C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE.
Edit: It has been suggested that you do this from the Visual Studio command prompt (Start>Microsoft Visual Studio>Tools>Visual Studio Command Prompt), and/or make sure your command prompt has administrator permissions.
Note for others: This has a very good chance of working for many other versions of Visual Studio, including 2008, 2010, 11 beta, ...
My problem was limited to having the "DateTime" type not showing up in light blue like other class names. I fixed it by simply switching back-and-forth between VS Themes. Discovered by accident. Much quicker than reset settings or repair install...
VS menu Tools -> Change Color Theme
This is what worked for me:
1 - delete all in C:\Users\userNAme\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\11.0
2 - open vs console as administrator, and run:
devenv.exe /setup
devenv.exe /ResetSettings
This will reset all your environment settings.
If none of the above work for you, delete all GUID-named folders under this registry key (make sure your Visual Studio instance is closed):
If you're using Visual Studio 2012:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\11.0\FontAndColors
If you're using Visual Studio 2013:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\FontAndColors
If you're using Visual Studio 2015:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0\FontAndColors
Restart Visual Studio, and you should see a few various "User Types" to configure. You can then import your Fonts and Colors that you backed-up, and everything will be good to go. This may also work for previous and future versions of VS, but I have not tested.
Disclaimer: Make sure you export/backup your current Fonts and Colors settings before making these registry adjustments. I cannot be held responsible for you losing your configs :)
If you still have this issue try ResetSettings (worked for me)
NOTE: this will reset the Visual Studio 2012 settings :)
1) close vs.
2)open cmd (as administrator).
3) go to devnev.exe folder (something like "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE" ).
4) type "devnev.exe /ResetSettings"
5) open vs and look at the beautiful colors
Found the source of the problem:
If you have the "Productivity Power Tools 2012" installed,
you should go to Tools -> Options -> Productivity Power Tools
and turn off the "Colorized Parameter Help" option.
This fixed the syntax highlight problem.
If anybody runs in to the same problem for Visual Studio 2013 as I did, the only solution that worked for me was to first close VS2013 and then delete the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\FontAndColors
After reopening VS2013, my syntax highlighting for types was restored.
Prior to deleting the registry key, I noticed that all of the "User Types..." settings in the Fonts and Colors section of Tools > Options were missing. Deleting the registry key restored them. They attained their default values which gave me the syntax highlighting colors I was looking for.
This was the only solution that worked for me. Switching themes, resetting my personalized settings to defaults, running devenv.exe with various command line switches to setup/reset Visual Studio did not work.
I also created the following bug report with Microsoft on their Connect site:
http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/details/810985/incorrect-syntax-highlighting-for-c-types.
For me "Productivity Power Tools 2012" was the cause. Nothing suggested here helped. After removing the Power Tools the colors came back.
I did all the things listed here and still nothing (VS2013 Update 3). I tried /setup, /resetsettings, deleting the stuff in AppData, deleting the registry keys. Still, User Types wouldn't be highlighted even in the default color scheme.
What helped in the end was opening the Fonts and Colors dialog, selecting Identifier, and making it Bold. Then removing the Bold. Instant fixage!
I had the same issue....just uninstalling and re-installing alone did not correct the problem. After I un-installed, deleted all remnants of VS 2012 in program files, removed all related registry keys, and deleted the VS 2012 folder from My Documents, then re-installed, user types showed up in the display items in fonts and colors and everything went back to normal. My guess is that it was an issue with one or more of the registry keys but I can't be sure of that.
exit devenv
go to below path
hkey_current_user\software\microsoft\visualstudio!
remove 9.0 , 10.0 , 10.0_config (i mean to say all other folders except 11.0 and 11.0_config)
Now start devenv and see the magical colors get back normal
1 - delete all in C:\Users\userNAme\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\11.0
2 - open vs console as administrator, and run:
devenv.exe /setup
devenv.exe /ResetSettings1 - delete all in C:\Users\userNAme\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\11.0
2 - open vs console as administrator, and run:
devenv.exe /setup
devenv.exe /ResetSettings
This is what helped me...
delete all in C:\Users\userNAme\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\11.0
open vs console as administrator, and run:
devenv.exe /setup
devenv.exe /ResetSettings
This solution worked for me. Thanks alot Gaz Winter
If you've installed the preview of Roslyn, unintstall it. This worked for me.
After trying several of the solutions listed here, I eventually found that my issue was caused by a very large (488000+ characters) string variable. Highlighting was working up to that line, but not after it. Once I reduced the length of the string, highlighting in the rest of the file resumed working normally.
I already had VS 2012 Pro installed on my machine. I then installed VS 2013 Pro and started facing this color issue. I then deleted the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\FontAndColors key and opened VS 2013. This approach solved my issue and the colors were back.
If the windows desktop is configured with a high contrast theme the syntax coloring seems to disappear completely from Visual Studio. If this is the case, select a normal windows theme and set a solid background color (if you don't want a background pictures) to restore syntax coloring in VS.
Problem : Class name and Syntax showing in black color
Solutation:
Step 1: Remove Key :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\FontAndColors
Step 2: Remove folder :
C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0
Step 3: Open command prompt (admin mode) and run below command line :
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0\Common7\IDE>devenv.exe /setup
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0\Common7\IDE>devenv.exe /ResetSettings
It work for download this "Productivity Power Tools 2012" and install, after install this tool get this steps go to Tools -> Options -> Productivity Power Tools and turn off the "Colorized Parameter Help" option.
This fixed the keyword as syntax ActionResult is not set for default black color and highlight problem resolved.
I have a blank property window that I can not get rid of in Visual Studio 2008 SP1. I have tried every thing to get rid of it.
If I close it it shows right back up after going into debug mode or restarting visual studio. I have tried every thing to fix all the way to reinstalling VS with no luck.
Does any one have a solution for this?
Use the following fix:
Close all instances of Visual Studio Navigate to the following directory (I am using 2008 – for a different version change the 9.0 to reflect the correct version number/folder)
"%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\VisualStudio\9.0".
You should see four files:
toolbox.tbd
toolbox_reset.tbd
toolboxIndex.tbd
toolboxIndex_reset.tbd
Move these files to another folder (or, if you are very brave, delete them altogether. Note, this is very much a case of “Worked on my (colleague’s) PC” – do this at your own risk. Restart Visual Studio and hey presto, your Toolbox should be back to where it needs to be. The user in question did not have any custom items in his toolbox so I can only assume that the fix reverted the toolbox to the original Visual Studio state.
Click Window, Reset Window Layouts.
If that doesn't help, click Tools, Import and Export Settings, Reset all settings. (But backup your current settings)
One thing to try is via the Visual Studio 2008 command line you can run the following command.
devenv /resetsettings
This will restore to factory settings, this could clear up the issue, re-install wouldn't do this for you.