Code Snippet Shortcut

Note to self: to quickly insert a code snippet in Visual Studio, just type the name of the snippet and hit the tab key. This is much easier than hunting through the multi-nested context menus to find the snippet. ;)

Markup/Code Behind Switcher

I can't live without this macro. I literally use it hundreds of times a day. The code below, once added to a macro in Visual Studio and assigned a hot key, allows me to quickly switch from markup to code behind, or vice versa, regardless of the current file I am viewing.

Sub SwitchToMarkup()
   Dim fileName As String
   Dim docName As String
   Dim docFullName As String

   docName = DTE.ActiveWindow.Document.Name.ToLower()
   docFullName = DTE.ActiveWindow.Document.FullName.ToLower()

   If (docName.EndsWith(".cs")) Then
       fileName = docFullName.Replace(".cs", "")
   ElseIf (docName.EndsWith(".aspx")) Then
       fileName = docFullName.Replace(".aspx", ".aspx.cs")
   ElseIf (docName.EndsWith(".ascx")) Then
       fileName = docFullName.Replace(".ascx", ".ascx.cs")
   ElseIf (docName.EndsWith(".master")) Then
       fileName = docFullName.Replace(".master", ".master.cs")
   End If

   If (fileName.Length() > 0) Then
       If System.IO.File.Exists(fileName) Then
           DTE.ItemOperations.OpenFile(fileName)
       End If
   End If
End Sub

Long Lost Friend Found: SelectCurrentWord

In versions previous to Visual Studio 2008, there was a keystroke that I used all the time: CTRL + W. This selected the current word that your cursor was on in the code. However, once I upgraded to Visual Studio 2008, they remapped that keystroke. After a lot of Google searching, I finally stumbled upon the new keystroke: SHIFT + CTRL + W!

I feel like I've found my long, lost friend.

IE8 Compatibility View Icon Proposal

I can never tell if the compatibility view button in Internet Explorer 8 is activated or not. Therefore, I propose this newly designed icon to make it more clear. What do you think, Microsoft?

Cleaning Visual Studio Recent Projects

If you have ever changed the path of a Visual Studio project, you have probably discovered that a broken link remains in the "Recent Projects" section on the start page. If you click the broken link, Visual Studio informs you that the project is missing and asks if you would like to remove it from the list. This works fine for one project, but if you have moved several projects, the Recent Projects list becomes polluted with broken links.

I wanted to find a way to clean up that list, so that only valid projects were displayed. Fortunately, there is a way--by using the good, ol' registry.

The project links are stored under this path in the registry: (the 8.0 part may be different depending on your version of Visual Studio):

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\8.0\ProjectMRUList

If you navigate to this path in regedit, you can manage the list. I ended up just deleting all of the entries to give me a clean slate. After doing that, when I loaded up Visual Studio, the Recent Projects list was cleared. I was then able to open each project manually, which repopulates the list with the correct project paths. You could also modify the paths for each entry, but I was too lazy for that. ;)

MeasureIt Firefox Plug-in

One thing I love about Firefox is the broad range of available developer-friendly plug-ins. The other day, a co-worker of mine told me about MeasureIt, a handy plug-in that allows you to measure sizes of things on a web page, similar in concept to the IE Developer Toolbar's ruler.

Once installed, the plug-in displays at the bottom of your browser:



When you click on it, the current page you are viewing fades and you are given a cross-hair cursor. You can then click and drag a rectangle to measure heights and widths right on the page.

Typedef in C#

Note to self (and to anyone else interested):

A typedef in C++, such as

typedef short SmallNumber; // C++

can be translated in C# as

using SmallNumber = System.Int16; // C#

This example is trivial, but it's very handy to be able to create an alias for long type names, especially when you start getting into generics.