EDI
accessibility test
Visual Studio now has a built-in accessibility checker that detects many common accessibility issues for XAML-based desktop applications. The Accessibility Checker uses the same Axis Windows engine as Accessibility Insights, which is the same accessibility testing tool that the Visual Studio team uses for its own accessibility tests. Accessibility Checker supports WPF, UWP, WinUI and MAUI (via WinUI). To access the Accessibility Checker, make sure XAML Hot Reload is enabled on the Options page, then click the Check for Accessibility Issues button on the XAML Live Visual Tree toolbar.
When the Accessibility Issues button is clicked, the Axis Windows engine scans the running application for accessibility issues and displays them in the Accessibility Checker window. The window lists the automation ID, rule, description and a brief explanation of how to fix the specific issue for each item detected by the Axis Windows engine.
spell check
Developers take pride in their code, and a misspelled word can be embarrassing. 17.5 Preview 3 includes the first preview release of the code document spell checker, which allows users to detect misspelled words in comments, strings, and identifiers for C#, C++, and Markdown files. The feature is on by default, but can be turned off by turning off “Spell Check Text” under Manage Preview Features. There is also a Toggle Text Spell Checker button on the main toolbar and a Toggle Text Spell Checker in the main menu under Edit\Advanced.
If an error is found in a comment or string, the spell checker will offer to correct the specified instance, but if the error is in an identifier, the correction will be refactored, ensuring that the resulting code reflects the code correction in the solution receives. The spelling checker uses the EN-US dictionary and the dictionary that corresponds to the Windows display language you are using.
Improvements in debugging external sources
Microsoft has made many updates to improve the performance of decompilation scenarios. As a result, decompilation is significantly faster in 17.5.
Microsoft took an example where an exception occurred in a WPF application and the developer wants to decompile some framework methods on the stack for debugging. The example shows a comparison of the same decompilation in 17.4 and 17.5: As you can see, we were able to decompile multiple modules on the stack in 17.5 in less time than decompiling a single module in 17.4, Microsoft says and presents a video.
Markdown now available as the default editor
The Markdown editor that Microsoft made available in 17.5 Preview 2 is now available to all users and is now enabled by default.
Intent-based VS suggestions
Microsoft has introduced Intent-Based VS Suggestions, a new feature in Visual Studio that provides inline suggestions in the editor based on recent changes. This feature uses machine learning algorithms to understand the context of your code and suggests relevant changes based on the changes you make. This helps to code more efficiently and accurately. Microsoft recommends trying it out to experience the power of intent-based suggestions in your development workflow.
Connect to SQL Server using the Microsoft.Data.SQL.Client data provider
With Visual Studio 2022 17.5 Preview 3, you can now connect to SQL Server databases in Server Explorer and the Data Source Configuration Wizard using the Microsoft.Data.SqlClient Data Provider. When adding a connection, you can use the new provider by selecting Microsoft SQL Server from the list of available data sources and Microsoft SqlClient Data Provider for SQL Server from the list of data providers in the Select Data Source dialog box.
.NETWORK
Support for HTML code actions in Razor files
You can now view HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code actions in your code files, including your Razor* files! New code actions include the following*:
- Delete tag (and leave content)
- Base64-encode the image
- Insert image height and width
Razor and Roslyn performance improvements
Microsoft has received a lot of feedback from developers about performance issues and has taken steps to address several performance-related issues in the Razor and Roslyn spaces to make them more productive. Aside from some minor performance improvements for Razor, some of Roslyn’s improvements include the following*:
- Change in project configuration
- Faster code analysis
- Keystroke performance improvements to reduce UI delays in Visual Studio
Build Acceleration for faster incremental builds
With Build Accelerator, you can complete incremental builds faster, speeding up the creation of your projects while also speeding up other actions that depend on builds, such as: B. Debugging, running unit tests and publishing applications.
The tool identifies situations where Visual Studio might be copying files to disk instead of scheduling a build. For solutions with many project references, Microsoft claims that build times have been reduced by up to 80*%.
Build acceleration is currently optional and can be enabled by setting the AccelerateBuildsInVisualStudio property to true in your projects. It works best when it is enabled for all projects in your solution, which can be done by setting the property in a Directory.Build.props file.
C++
Coloring of bracket pairs for C++
You can now visually distinguish each set of opening and closing braces for your C++ code, making it easier to see the entry of your code or find missing braces. This is currently only available for C++. Microsoft is also working on coloring bracket pairs for C#.
Open container in the terminal
Microsoft added the ability to open your dev container in Visual Studio’s built-in terminal. With your project open in a development container, right-click the devcontainer.json file and select “Open container in terminal”.
This will open the built-in terminal and run the docker exec command to open an interactive shell in your dev container.
Source: microsoft