Tools, tips, and techniques for software developers.
Microsoft is making some great improvements to Intellisense for Visual Basic .Net in Visual Studio 2008. Most of the new features are based around the language enhancements for VB 9, such as LINQ, anonymous types, etc. Though there are many other improvements as well.
- Filtering - Filters the list as you type so only items that start with the characters that you have typed will be displayed. This is not as useful as Visual Assist X which will include all items that contain the characters you typed in the order you typed them without having to be contiguous (allows you to type the acronym for a member or find all members that contain a certain word).
- Transparent mode - The Intellisense dropdown becomes semi-transparent when you press the Ctrl key. This allows you to see the code behind the dropdown without having to close Intellisense.
- Smarter Intellisense - In many cases, only items that are valid are displayed in Intellisense. This includes keywords. This is a very handy mechanism for learning the language as well as remember syntax.
There are many other improvements as well. If you are interested in learning more, check out this Ch 9 video: Visual Basic Intellisense Improvements in VS 2008.
About Brian Brewder
I'm a software engineer in Kirkland, WA. I have been developing with .Net since 2002. My main area of focus has been designing and implementing a UI framework for an ERP system. Before I got into .Net, I developed for several years in a variety of languages and platforms including mostly ASP, though I've also developed applications for both Palm and Pocket PC devices.
I received my degree in Computing and Software System from the University of Washington in 1999. I have also completed a certificate course in Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Using UML, also from the University of Washington, in 2005.