Enable word wrap—Tools > Options > Text Editor > All Languages > Word Wrap
Choose default settings for language environments—Click Tools > Import and Export Settings Wizard > No, just import settings, overwriting my current settings
Class View or Class Designer—If you want to look at objects in your own code
Comment Code—Ctrl+E, Ctrl+c (c for comment)
Comment syntax for task list—//TODO
Context-sensitive Help—Highlight something and press F1
Create a click-once installer—In the Solution Explorer, double click on the Properties node. Go to the Publish section. Click on the Publish Wizard.
Complete a code snipet: Press tab twice (i.e. after typing if for an if statement
Complete a code property snippet—Type "prop" and then tab twice and you'll get a getter and setter stub.
Complete intellisense—Ctrl+Spacebar
Create a release build—Change the menu from Debug to Release
Create regions—Type #region and #endregion around code
Find all references—Right click on a method and select Find all References
Find matching braces— Change their color: Tools > Options > Environment > Folds and Colors > select Brace Matching (Rectangle) and change its color
Format document—Edit > Advanced > Format Document (Ctrl+E, Ctrl+d)
Generate method or field stubs (on undefined items)—Ctrl+Period
Go to matching brace—Put cursor on an opening brace and press Ctrl + ]
Install a 3rd party extension—Tools > Extension Manager
Navigate to a declaration—Put your cursor on a label and press F12
Refactor code in VB—Install CodeRush Xpress
Remove unused using statements (on top of your code page)—Right click on using statements. Organize Usings > Remove and Sort
Restore a window to its former position—Ctrl + Double click the window's title bar
Restore all windows to their original position—Click Window > Reset Window Layout
Show all windows—Ctrl-Tab
Show line numbers—Tools > Options > Text Editor > All Languages > Line Numbers
Split a view or create another visual copy of your open file—Open a file in a tab. Click Window > New Window
Toggle breakpoint—F9
Uncomment Code—Ctrl+E, Ctrl+u (u for uncomment)
Unsplit a split view—Double click on the top line
View call hierarchy (see all the calls to a method)—Right click on a method and select View Call Hierarchy
Zoom in and out—Ctrl + mouse wheel
You generate XML comments. Visual Studio stores these comments in a separate XML file. This XML file is used by the Help tools to generate documentation.
To documement a method, you type three commment slashes.
Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar activates the new Help for the method your cursor is on.
To generate your Help file, double click on Properties in the Solution Explorer. Click Build. In the Output section, click the XML documentation file checkbox. Next time you Build your project it will generate an XML file. Run the Sandcastle Help File Builder Gui program. File > New Project. Name your project and save it. Change the Project Properties > WorkingPath so it is a folder other than your Desktop that won't be erased. Load your XML file (). Next, tell it where to find the XML file. In the Project Explorer, right click on Documentation Sources. Click Add Documentation Source. Select your XML file. Click Open. Click Documentation > Build Project. It generates a .chm file for you.
