Tips

Tip #1 How to behold the power of incremental search

Command: Edit.IncrementalSearch

Shortcut: Ctrl+i

Tip #2 Ctrl+F3 to search for currently-selected word

Command: Edit.FindNextSelected

Tip #3 F3 to search for last thing you searched for

Command: Edit.FindNext

Tip #4 Customize what files to find in

Find In Files – Look in – Choose Search Folders

Tip #5 You can use a reg hack for customizing search results

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\9.0\Find String Find=$f$e($l,$c):$t\r\n

Editing Tips

Tip #6 How not to accidentally copy a blank line

Tools – Options – Text Editor – All Languages – General, Uncheck Apply cut or copy to blank lines

Tip #7 How to cycle through the Clipboard ring

Command: Edit.CycleClipboardRing

Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+v

Tip #8 How to use box/column selection in the editor

Command: Edit.LineUpColumnExtend, Edit.LineDownColumnExtend, Edit.CharRightColumnExtend, Edit.CharLeftColumnExtend

Shortcut: Shift+Alt+Arrow

Tip #9 You can copy a file’s full path / open windows explorer from the file tab channel

Command: File.CopyFullPath

Tip #10 Drag and drop code onto the toolbox’s general tab

Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+x

Tip #11 You can use Ctrl+. to show a smart tag

Command: View.ShowSmartTag

Tip #12 You can insert a snippet by pressing Tab Tab

Type in snippet shortcut, then press Tab Tab

Customizing Tips

Tip #13 You can create temp or throw away projects

Tools - Options - Projects and Solutions - General, uncheck Save new projects when created

Tip #14 Change text editor font size via keyboard (Accessibility macros)

Command: Macros.Samples.Accessibility.DecreaseTextEditorFontSize

Command: Macros.Samples.Accessibility.IncreaseTextEditorFontSize

Tip #15 How to open a file without any UI

Ctrl+/ (or whatever Tools.GoToCommandLine is bound to)

alias fo file.openfile

fo

Tip #16 Guidelines in the editor registry key hack

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\9.0\Text Editor String RBG(128,0,0) 5, 20

Tip #17 You can create a macro for your import/export settings

Tools – customize – commands – macros – drag and drop macro to toolbar

Tip #18 How to not show the start page (or have the last loaded solution open)

Tools - Options - Environment - Startup, At Startup

Tip #19 File tab channel registry hack

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\9.0 key, you can create a DWORD UseMRUDocOrdering = 1

Tip #20 How to show Misc Files Project to keep your files around

tools - options - environment – documents, show miscellaneous files in Solution Explorer

Tip #21 Edit project file from within IDE (unload project)

Unload project, edit project, reload project

Debugging Tips

Tip #22 You can use tracepoints to log stuff in your code

Right-click in indicator margin, select breakpoints, select Insert Tracepoint

Tip #23 How to get the find source dialog back

Solution Properties, under Common Properties - Debug Source Files, Delete Do no look for these source files edit box contents

Tip #24 You can disable the exception assistant

Tools – Options – Debugging – General, uncheck Enable the Exception Assistant