Visual Studio Changes for the ASP.NET MVC Developer

Visual Studio 2015 - Jul 20, 2015 #

What strikes me most about VS2015 is how eagerly javascript/html/css frameworks and build tools are being incorporated and supported by Visual Studio. These tools change so rapidly that I think it will be hard for Microsoft to keep up with them, but it is a welcome change. Definite shift in attitude towards bring-your-own, instead of our-way-or-the-highway.

Significant Changes for ASP.NET Developers #

Significant improvements in every area. Especially note: CodeLens, Git, Lambdas in Debugger Windows, Conditional Breakpoints, improved Editor features for javascript/html/css, NuGet Gallery, Diagnostic Tools Window.

Editor Improvements #

• Lightbulb next to line numbers with suggested improvements
• Refactoring: Inline temporary variable, and Introduce local
• Renaming now highlights all instances, and renames all at once
• Live code analysis and automatic fixes as you type (FxCop)
• Watch and Immediate windows support LINQ and lambda expressions
• Find in Files enables appending results
• Touch support for scrolling, pinch-to-zoom, selecting a whole line, selecting words, and invoking editor context by pressing and holding
• Can save custom window layout by clicking Window -> Save Window Layout
• Use CTRL + . to find and install NuGet packages for unresolved symbols in your C# code
• Support for additional frameworks and tools: AngularJS, NPM, Grunt/Gulp, Bower
• Support for ES6 javascript language features, and better javascript Intellisense
• Expand/Collapse javascript code, Task List support for javascript

Debugging Improvements #

• Ability to set a conditional breakpoint (i.e. break when x == 5)!
• PerfTips to see how long code took to execute when using breakpoints
• Lambda expressions in debugger windows
• Edit and Continue lambda and async task support
• Allow edit and continue when attaching to process of .NET apps
• New Diagnostic Tools Window when you start debugging
  • Allows you to see CPU, memory usage of your app in real-time along with Events with Intellitrace
  • Shows “Just My Code” by default
  • New Network Diagnostic Tool for analyzing app’s HTTP network operations

ASP.NET Tooling Updates #

• JSON Editor - much improved Intellisense, validation for JSON files, especially Bower, NPM, and supporting JSON schemas
• HTML Editor - #region support, Task List support (//TODO), better validation, recognition of Angular, Handlebars, Mustache using {{…}} notation, and Bootstrap
• CSS Editor - Task List support, better support for CoffeeScript/LESS/Sass
• CSS is automatically synchronized for Browser Link
• JSX files (React.js) now supported for Intellisense, Formatting, and Validation

Git and Team Explorer #

• Better branch management, creates hierarchy of branches based on prefixes used, allows rebase
• Better history view
• More feature-complete

Major New Tools #

• CodeLens
  • Displays above methods and classes in a subtle, gray color
  • Shows references, unit tests, authors, changes, bugs, work items
  • Hovering shows rich information about each of these to visualize how the code has changed or been impacted over time
• IntelliTest added: explores your code and generates unit tests
• Code Maps show relationships and dependencies, making it easier to understand and navigate an unfamiliar/legacy code base

Other Changes #

• NuGet Manager shows all NuGet packages across the entire solution instead of just per-project
• Improved NuGet Gallery performance
• Improved Release Management system able to integrate with Visual Studio Online
• Support for High-res icons
• Menus appear in Title Case instead of ALL CAPS from VS2012
• Ability to easily submit feedback to VS team via the improved “Send a Frown” feature
• Visual Studio Add-Ins are gone, add-in developers should repackage as a Visual Studio Extension
• Xamarin Starter included free

Full List of Changes #

Visual Studio 2015

Visual Studio 2013 - Oct 17, 2013 #

Much smaller release than VS2012, and more targeted at Windows 8.1 application development. Minimal changes for ASP.NET developers.

• First release of CodeLens
• Replacement of the icons used in 2012 with something more readable
• New Performance and Diagnostics hub
• Enable edit and continue for 64 bit applications
• Streamlined project templates for ASP.NET applications
• Expanded ALM featuers (agile, sprints, work items as part of TFS)
• Support for Windows 8.1 App Development

Full List of Changes #

Visual Studio 2013