Video: Quick Tour of the Visual Studio 2008 Integrated Development Environment

Take a tour of the new features and changes to the IDE in Visual Studio 2008. See the updated web page editor, WPF form designer, CSS editor, and more.

The following text is a software generated transcript of the video. Click on a minute link to jump to a location within the video


Minute 0

Hi this is Chris tells in his video to take a look at some of the changes and additions to the Visual Studio 2008 ID most the settings from Visual Studio five can be imported into a way and when you first install a weight if it s on the same machine is so fine point he started out to be prompted as to whether or not you want to migrate euro five development settings forward in this case have already installed only previously so we wouldn t get that prompt but there is a way to manually import settings from all five let s take a look at it do that It sheer over 205 and we cooked tools menu select import and export settings export and you can then select which of the settings you would like to import or rather export in this case is take the monster comics

Minute 1

Selected then prompts us as to where we want to store the settings file which think that default safe with exported settings were all set here in 05 foot back over 208 to a similar process but in this case will import tools import and export settings import counts is whether we want to save the current settings that ideas will take that and here we have to select which settings we want to import in this case we won a court that 05 settings file right here that we exported and it will select that file next and then brings in all the settings you could alter those settings here meaning that we could choose not to import some of the ones that we exported from all five Java that you just click finish and it will import all the settings

Minute 2

Final thing to note here is that any third party add ins or code snippets will not be automatically migrated forward and you will have to migrate to manually the community menu in TSO five here has been removed in the away diversion and surly options have been migrated forward in two new options in a way he asked a question and check questions status are now in an MSDN forums option and send feedback has been renamed to report about the other options in a community menu are no longer available for switchover to await here and just take a look at where these options live now and so the community menu is known here as I just mentioned and under help we have MSDN forms which is previously in a Senate question and check on a question and that these

Minute 3

Feedback as this it is now report about several general IDE improvements here in 08 and to demonstrate a few these are done is created based solution here with a single website and class library and open up several of the classes and pages here is also what does config file now in previous versions when hit control tag you just been shown a list of the open windows so you can move them in this one when I hit control temple we get is a nice summary window that shows us an early that names the active files but the tool windows that we currently have open in a new CSI cycle through the files it gives us a little thumbnail on the right side which shows us the contents of that window which makes a little easier for selection you can then honestly migrate nor move to that particular window you selected

Minute 4

You can also click on any one of the active tool windows to move to that another feature has do with docking tool windows and dinosaurs below bit problematic for me is to wear a tool window might end up winning the docket let s take a toolbox here is an example of the sort to float the toolbox can see we get indicators as to potential locations for docking and if we highlight or over over over one of those indicators we get a high lace to highlight showing us where the window would end up his case within this container this is the potential locations for size plus if it was tabbed to as another window here with a start page gets antitakeover another tool windows associate the solution Explorer and we get the same sort of visual indicator that shows us potential locations for our toolbox window

Minute 5

Their small but useful setting is up here under the tools menu in the options and four fonts and colors we ve always been able to set the settings for various things like text editor and printer now there s a new choice environment font and what this does is it covers the font for anything that you have not set specifically here in this drop down list so if you don t see the specific

Minute 6

Five for a Windows form application and once you ve created the project you can also go up to the project settings here in the case of Visual Basic go to the advanced compile settings and down here you can see we can change it as well from 23 or 3 5 and see sharp you ll find the settings under the build settings rather than the advanced compile settings Windows presentation foundation applications are fully supported in Visual Studio a way we could add a new project type to see we have both a WTF application as well as the VP of browser application templates and his case will create a debut PF application can be is now editor a year with a split screen view on the top we get the graphical representation is now on the bottom of the tort

Minute 7

Can think if we were to resize this window here you ll see the sample code in the editor below is automatically changed we also have full IntelliSense in sample soap start tag or we get all the potential s MO elements that we could adhere to think we would if we were typing ASP war visuals in Visual Studio or see sharp or Visual Basic also have the ability to set what type of WTF application project you are creating here so Up to the properties of the application under the application tab you see there s an application type which has the application class library and console the application visual COAs has the Web application project type that was added in service pack one of Visual Studio

Minute 8

05 list to show you where that is in case you not familiar with it and add its new project not new website and under the project template types there s an ASP net Web application project type and if we create one of those we get a project structure very similar to we had in Visual Studio three and there is a couple of changes here to note 1 is this no longer requires FrontPage server extensions and it s also not limited to IIS you can use the local Web server that was introduced in 05 when the things that happens here is that when you compile it would get here is a single DLL representing the website so if you re migrating a website from both three appear to await you may find it whether

Minute 9

Issues is a nice new editing feature for webpages the ID a cyclic default aspx here in our sample website at the traditional source view and designed you to now there s also a spread to hear what shows us the graphic on the bottom source on the top crew to take an element such as a checkbox here and put it in to the diff in a graphical view will see that source you is updated in the reverse is also true let s put a button near and harrowing owl and will see that a getting a message that the sources out of sync with the design view switches click here and there we have both been sick another area the idea has some nice group

Minute 10

Sees the management and editing of cascading style sheets at the pump sample webpage your default ASP act s party didn t split view and the first tool window that s been added which want to show you is called managed styles that s up here on the format menu under CSS styles managed styles in this particular style window provides us with a summary of all the styles that are available in the current page does in this case shown are in a default CSS which is linked into the page as well as a local style definition in the page for this new style want and notice as I hover over any one of the styles that shows me in the tool tip window to complete definition of the style in addition there is a circle around some these elements in that indicates that those particular rules are used in the current page you can edit any of the

Minute 11

A styles directly by either double clicking on it and it goes right to style definition and we can alter something here that s put this in as font weight will make bold care since we synchronize the graphical view may get our change back over here in new style in the tool to Windows you are late pope is there as now as well the other addition is a CSS properties window which is appear under the view menu CSS properties for this shows us is the current applied rules for the key for the active element in this case they haven t selected any element in the designer so the body element is being selected and shown as showing us the rules are applying to that compass like to go to mistake the second line item element here see that that is added to the applied rules and also noticed down here in the sea is

Minute 12

At properties window that this rehab repeating properties in this case font family and font size in the first instance has a red line through it and what that means is that it s showing us we are overriding an instance of that particular property safe font size was medium higher up the inheritance tree and we have now overridden it with 20 pixels you can edit these values are right here so let s take this down that s to 15 pixels and we get that change automatically reflected in the design mode he over here on the right now are currently in the summary mode in the cascading style sheet properties window here so if we turn off to some remote and then we see not just the properties or that are currently applied for use in this case font family font size etc

Minute 13

Who see the complete list of CSS properties and we can change any of these here as we did with the font size will have the ability like the regular property windows that you use to to sort of the way to have an alphabetical sort of all the CSS properties files on an off night auctioneer that she says she ll set properties on top saloon at the scroll through the list on a FindWhat properties have been said and what have not been sent even though they are bold as compared to normal text

Minute 14

On various areas such as the ID but many other areas as as Chris Pelz thanks for you time

Click here to go to original video page