Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 User Manual

Name: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
Brand: Microsoft
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Microsoft ®

Visual Studio

A Beginner’s Guide

2010

About the Author

Joe Mayo started his software development career in 1986, working on an RCA Spectrum 70 mainframe computer, programming in assembly language where input was via Hollerith card, output was a line printer, and the debugging experience was a light panel where you had to push buttons to load registers and step through commands. Since then, Joe has worked with various mini-computers, workstations, and PCs. The operating systems he’s worked on include proprietary, UNIX-based, MS-DOS, and Windows. Besides assembly and dozens of scripting languages, Joe has worked professionally with C, C++, VBA, Visual C++, Forte Tool, Java, VB.NET, and C#. In addition to software engineering, he has worked in many positions, including team lead, supervisor, manager (even running a 24×7 computer operations center with over 50 people). Today, Joe runs his own company, Mayo Software, providing custom software development services and specializing in Microsoft .NET technology. He is the author of LINQ Programming (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2008) and other books. Joe is also the recipient of multiple Microsoft MVP awards. You can follow Joe on Twitter: @JoeMayo.

About the Technical Editor

Roy Ogborn has worn almost every hat one time or another during his interesting and continuing career in the Information Technology field. He was systems manager and developer for Texaco Europe Research, Inc., in Moscow, USSR, during the attempted coup. Back in the United States, he has designed and implemented a GIS system for managing oil and gas wells and leases, and has architected and implemented an enterprise workflow system that managed the business process of taking wells from conception to completion. He architected a system for Forest Oil in Denver that linked disparate accounting, lease management, and production tracking systems for business intelligence for senior executives’ daily and strategic decisions. Recently he architected and designed a SharePoint-, Silverlight-, and CSLA-based greenhouse gas emissions evaluation, prediction, and decision tool for a multinational environmental engineering firm using the new Visual Studio 2010 Architecture Edition tools. Roy is an independent software architect consultant in the Denver Metro Area specializing in custom solutions that leverage SharePoint. In January 2010 he presented SharePoint 2010 for Developers at the Denver Visual Studio .NET User Group.

Microsoft ®

Visual Studio

A Beginner’s Guide

Joe Mayo

2010

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To my son, Kamo.

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Contents at a Glance

PART I Understanding Visual Studio 2010 Essentials

1 Introducing Visual Studio 2010 . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . . 3

2 Learning Just Enough C# or VB.NET: Basic Syntax . .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . 35

3 Learning Just Enough C# and VB.NET: Types and Members . .. . . .. . . .. . 67

4 Learning Just Enough C# and VB.NET: Intermediate Syntax . . . .. .. . . . . 89

PART II Learning the VS 2010 Environment

5 Creating and Building Projects . . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . 113

6 Debugging with Visual Studio . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . 143

7 Working with Data . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . 181

PART III Building Programs with VS 2010

8 Building Desktop Applications with WPF . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . . 217

9 Creating Web Applications with ASP.NET MVC . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . 249

vii

10 Designing Silverlight Applications . . . . .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . 285

11 Deploying Web Services with WCF . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . 299

PART IV Enhancing the VS 2010 Experience

12 Customizing the Development Environment . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . 341

13 Extending Visual Studio 2010 . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . 371

PART V Appendixes

A Introduction to XML . .. .. . . . .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . 403

B Introduction to XAML . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . 409

Index . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . 417

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . xvii INTRODUCTION . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . xix

PART I

1 Introducing Visual Studio 2010 . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . . 3

Understanding Visual Studio 2010 Essentials

What Is Visual Studio 2010 About? . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 4

Automatically Generated Code . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. . 4 Rapid Coding Experience . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 5 Everything at Your Fingertips . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 5

Customizability and Extensibility . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . 5 Installing Visual Studio 2010 . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. 6 Navigating the Visual Studio 2010 Environment . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 13

The Menu . . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 14

Toolbar . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 15

Work Area . .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 15

Toolbox . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . 16

Solution Explorer . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . 16

Status Bar . . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 16 Managing VS Windows . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 16

Expanding and Collapsing Windows . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 17

Docking Windows .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 18

Floating Windows . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 19

Tabbed Windows . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 20

Closing and Opening Windows . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. . 21 Modifying Environment Settings after Setup .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 22

Exporting Selected Environment Settings . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 23

Importing Selected Environment Settings . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 24

Resetting All Settings . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 28 Familiarization with Visual Studio Project Types . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 30

Windows Projects . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . 32

Web Projects . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 33

Office Projects . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . 34

SharePoint Projects . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 34

Database Projects . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 34 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 34

Learning Just Enough C# or VB.NET: Basic Syntax . . . . .. .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . 35

Starting a Bare-Bones Project . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 36 Examining the Code Skeleton .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . 39

The Main Method . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . 40

The Program Class . . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 41

The FirstProgram Namespace . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . . 42 An Overview of the VS Code Editor .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 43

Class and Member Locators . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 4

Bookmarks .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 44

Setting Editor Options .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 45

Saving Time with Snippets . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 47 Coding Expressions and Statements .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. 49

Making Intellisense Work for You . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 49

Running Programs . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 51

Primitive Types and Expressions . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 52

Enums .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 55

Branching Statements . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. 57

Loops . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 61 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 66

Learning Just Enough C# and VB.NET: Types and Members . .. .. . . .. . . . 67

Creating Classes . . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. . 68

Class Syntax . .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 68

Class Inheritance . .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 70

The class Snippet . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 71 Writing Methods . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 72

Declaring and Using a Method . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 72

Declaring Parameters and Passing Arguments . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 75

Contents xi

Returning Data and Using Method Results .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 78

Method Snippets . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 80 Coding Fields and Properties . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 81

Declaring and Using Fields . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . 81

Declaring and Using Properties . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 83

The Property Snippet . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 86 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 87

Learning Just Enough C# and VB.NET: Intermediate Syntax . . .. .. . . . .. 89

Understanding Delegates and Events . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . 90

Events . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 91

Delegates . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 94

Event, Delegate, and Handler Code Completion . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 95 Implementing Interfaces .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 96

Creating an Interface . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 97

Making Classes Implement the Interface .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 98

Writing Code That Uses an Interface .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 101

The interface Snippet .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 106 Applying Arrays and Generics . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 107

Coding Arrays .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . 107

Coding Generics . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 109 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 110

PART II

5 Creating and Building Projects . . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . 113

Learning the VS 2010 Environment

Constructing Solutions and Projects .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 114

Creating a New Project . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 115

Navigating the Solution Explorer . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . 116 Examining Property Settings .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 118

Assembly Name . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 119

Default Namespace . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 119

Target Framework .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. 119

Output Type .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 119

Startup Object .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 120

Icon and Manifest . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 120

Assembly Information .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 121 Referencing Assemblies .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 122

Adding a .NET Assembly Reference .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 123

Managing Assembly References . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 124

Referencing Your Own Class Libraries . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 125

Using Code in Class Libraries . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 126

Compiling Applications . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 129

Building Solutions/Projects .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 129

Rebuilding Solutions/Projects .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 130

Cleaning Solutions/Projects . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 130

Managing Dependencies and Build Order . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. 131

Managing Compilation Settings .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 133 Navigating a Project with Class View .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . 136 Using the Class Designer . . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 137

Class Designer Visualization . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 137

Class Designer Code Generation . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . 138 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 141

Debugging with Visual Studio . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . 143

Example Code for This Chapter .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 144 Development-Time Code Tools . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 148 Configuring Debug Mode . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 150 Setting Breakpoints . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 155

Creating a Breakpoint . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . 156

Customizing a Breakpoint . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . . 157

Managing Breakpoints . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 158 Stepping Through Code . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 158 Inspecting Application State . . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . 160

Locals and Autos Windows . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . 16

Watch Windows . .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 161

The Immediate Window . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 162

The Call Stack Window . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 163

The Quick Watch Window . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . . 163

Watching Variables with Pin To Source .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 164

Working with IntelliTrace . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 165 Solving Problems with VS Debugger . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . 166

A Program with Bugs .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . 167

Finding the Bug . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 171

Fixing the First Bug . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 174

Debugging and Resolving NullReferenceException Problems .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 175 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 180

Working with Data . . .. .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . 181

Working with Databases .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 182

Introduction to Server Explorer . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . 182

Creating a Database . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. . 183

Adding Tables . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . . 185

Relating Tables with Foreign Keys . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 187

Adding Stored Procedures . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 192

Configuring Database Options .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 193

Contents xiii

Learning Language Integrated Query (LINQ) . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 194

Querying Object Collections with LINQ . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 194

Creating a LINQ Projection with Anonymous Types . .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 198

Using LINQ to Sort Collection Results . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . 199 Handling Data with LINQ to SQL .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 200

Setting Up LINQ to SQL . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 200

Working with the LINQ to SQL Designer . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 201

Introduction to Querying LINQ to SQL . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 203

Performing Queries on Multiple Tables . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 205

Inserting Data with LINQ to SQL .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 210

Updating Data with LINQ to SQL .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . 211

Deleting Data with LINQ to SQL . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 212 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 214

PART III

8 Building Desktop Applications with WPF . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . . 217

Building Programs with VS 2010

Starting a WPF Project . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 218 Understanding Layout . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 220

Grid Layout . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 220

StackPanel Layout . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 222

DockPanel Layout . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . 223

WrapPanel Layout .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 224

Canvas Layout . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 225 Using WPF Controls

Managing Windows for Controls . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. 226

Setting Properties . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . 228

Handling Events . . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . 228

Coding Event Handlers . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. . 233 Working with Data in WPF . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 234

Setting Up a Data Source . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. . 235

Configuring a ComboBox . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. . 241

Reading and Saving Data .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 243

Using the DataGrid .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 244 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 247

.. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 226

Creating Web Applications with ASP.NET MVC . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . . 249

Understanding ASP.NET MVC .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. 250 Starting an ASP.NET MVC Project .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 251 Creating the Models . .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . 254 Building Controllers . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 254 Displaying Views . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. . 256

Looking Inside a View . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 256

Organizing View Files . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 258

Assigning MasterPage Files . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 258

Partial Views (a.k.a. User Controls) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 260 Managing Routing . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 262 Building a Customer Management Application . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 264

Creating a Repository .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . 265

Creating a Customer Controller . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 268

Displaying a Customer List .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 269

Adding a New Customer .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 274

Updating Existing Customers . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 279

Deleting a Customer . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . 281 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 284

Designing Silverlight Applications . . . . .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . 285

Starting a Silverlight Project .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . 286 Navigating the Silverlight Designer . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . 290 Using Silverlight Controls . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 290 Running Silverlight Out-of-Browser (OOB) . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 294 Deploying Silverlight Applications . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 297 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 298

Deploying Web Services with WCF . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . 299

Starting a WCF Project . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 301

Specifying a Contract with WCF Interfaces . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . 302

Implementing Logic with WCF Classes . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. Hosting a WCF Service . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 314

Following General Hosting Procedures . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. 315

Installing IIS 7 on Windows 7 .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 315

Creating a Web Site on IIS 7 on Windows 7 . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 317

Deploying the WCF Service to IIS . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . 321 Communicating with a WCF Service . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . . 326

Creating a Service Reference . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 326

Coding Web Service Calls . .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 329

Deploying a Client That Consumes a Web Service . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 336

Creating a Web Service in a Web Site . .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. 337 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 338

308

PART IV

12 Customizing the Development Environment . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . 341

Enhancing the VS 2010 Experience

Implementing Custom Templates . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . 342

Creating New Project Templates .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . 343

Creating New Item Templates . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 347 Creating Custom Snippets . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 353

Creating a New Snippet . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 353

Managing the Snippet Library . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . 358

Contents xv

Writing Macros . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . 360

Recording a Macro . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 360

Saving a Macro . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. 364

Editing Macros .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . 365 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 370

Extending Visual Studio 2010 . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . 371

Creating a Visual Studio Add-In .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . 372

Running the Add-In Project Wizard . . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 372

Examining an Add-In Wizard Solution . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . 377

Drilling into the Connect Class . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 378 Adding Functionality to an Add-In .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 383

Reviewing the OnConnection Method . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 384

Implementing the Exec Method . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 391

Setting Status with QueryStatus .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 395 Deploying an Add-In . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 397 Where to Go Next . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 399 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 4 00

PART V

A Introduction to XML . .. .. . . . .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . 403

Appendixes

VS 2010 XML Editor .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . 404 XML Prefixes .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 404 XML Elements . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 405 Attributes . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . 405 Namespaces .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 406 The XML Menu . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 407 Configuring XML Options . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . 407 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 407

Introduction to XAML .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . 409

Starting a WPF Project . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 410 Elements as Classes . .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 411 Attributes as Properties . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 411 Executing the XAML Document .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 411 Property Elements .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. 412 Markup Extensions .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 414 Summary . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. 416

Index .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. . 417

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Acknowledgments

work of this magnitude is never the ramblings of a single author, but a successful combination of dedication from a team of highly skilled professionals. I would like

to personally thank several people who helped make this book possible.

Jane Brownlow, Executive Editor, helped kick off the book and got it started on the right path. Megg Morin, Acquisitions Editor, took the reins from Jane and led the rest of the way. Joya Anthony, Acquisitions Coordinator, helped keep the flow of chapters moving. Madhu Bhardwaj, Project Manager, and Patty Mon, Editorial Supervisor, helped coordinate copy edits and final layout. I would really like to thank you all for your patience and assistance. There are many more people at McGraw-Hill who helped put this book together, and I am appreciative of their contributions and professionalism.

Roy Ogborn was the technical editor for this book. I’ve known Roy for several years and was delighted when he agreed to tech edit the book. Besides catching many of my errors, Roy provided valuable insight that made a difference in several areas, continuously asking the question of whether a beginner would understand a concept, what is the proper application of the language to accomplish a goal, and perspective on what parts of a technology needed emphasis. Thanks to Roy for outstanding technical editing and advice.

xvii

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Introduction

isual Studio has been the primary integrated development environment (IDE) for Microsoft software development for several years. Visual Studio 2010 (VS), the

subject of this book, is therefore a mature evolution, building upon the success of its predecessors. This book will show you how to leverage Visual Studio 2010 to your advantage, increasing your skill set, and helping you become more productive in building software. The software you will learn to write will be for .NET (pronounced “Dot Net”), which is a Microsoft platform for writing different types of applications.

As the title suggests, this is a book for beginners. However, there are many opinions about who a beginner is, so let’s discuss what beginner means in the context of this book. You should probably have some understanding of what programming is from a general perspective. It would help to have at least written a batch file, macro, or script that instructed the computer to perform some task. A beginner could also be someone who has written software with technology, such as Cobol, Dreamweaver, or Java, but who is unfamiliar with Visual Studio. Whatever your background, this book provides a gradual on-ramp to developing applications with Visual Studio 2010.

xix

This book has 13 chapters and is divided into four parts and a couple of appendixes as reference material. The following provides an overview of each section:

● Part I: Understanding Visual Studio 2010 Essentials Chapter 1 begins with an

explanation of what VS is, its benefits to you, and what type of applications VS will

help you build. Hands-on guidance starts at the point of installation, giving you tips

as to what is being installed and where it goes on your computer. Chapters 2 through

4 are an introduction to C# and VB, two of the most widely used programming

languages supported in VS. Notice that the titles of these chapters include “Just

Enough,” indicating that you will learn the language features you need throughout

this book. As you progress through the book, you’ll be exposed to all of the language

features discussed and see how they are used. Even if you already know how to

program, you might want to peruse the programming language chapters anyway

because I’ve sprinkled in dozens of valuable tips that will make your coding

experience in VS much more pleasurable.

● Part II: Learning the VS 2010 Environment There are a few universal tasks most

developers perform every day, which include working with projects, debugging code,

and manipulating data. While Chapter 5 is titled “Creating and Building Projects,”

there is much involved when working with projects. Pay particular attention to the

guidance on assemblies and class libraries, as they tend to become more prominent

as your development activities progress beyond simple programs. Regardless of your

development philosophy, the need to fix bugs has always existed and will continue

to be important in the future. Chapter 6 is designed to help you use the many tools of

VS to find and fix bugs. Another common task you’ll have is working with data. VS

allows you to create databases, add tables, and much more. When the database is ready

to use, you’ll learn how to write code that works with the database. I chose to cover

LINQ to SQL because it’s one of the simpler database technologies, yet powerful

enough for professional application development.

● Part III: Building Programs with VS 2010 With the foundations of programming

languages and a feel for the VS environment, you’ll be ready to use VS to build

applications. The .NET platform supports various technologies, and this book takes

a forward-looking approach, choosing technologies that were the most recently

introduced. The focus in these chapters is not to teach you everything about these

technologies, which can fill entire books themselves, but rather to show you how to

leverage VS in building applications. You’ll get the foundations that will give you a

head start in building your own applications. Both Chapters 8 and 10 use a form of

Introduction xxi

Extensible Markup Language (XML) called XML Application Markup Language

(XAML). Considering that this is a beginner’s book, I added a couple of appendixes

that cover XML and XAML. I recommend that you read the appendixes before

reading Chapters 8 and 10. Additionally, you should read Chapter 8 before reading

Chapter 10, because many of the same concepts used to work with Windows

Presentation Foundation (WPF), a technology for building desktop applications,

are applicable to Silverlight, a technology to build Web applications. The other two

chapters in this part will show you how to build Web applications with ASP.NET

MVC and how to create Web services with Windows Communications Foundation.

● Part IV: Enhancing the VS 2010 Experience In addition to all of the wizards,

tools, and editing help that VS offers, you can extend VS to make it work even better.

Chapter 12 shows you how to create your own project and project item wizards, how

to create code snippets that automatically generate code, and how to create macros

that automate the VS environment. If the macro capability you learn about in VS

isn’t powerful enough, read Chapter 13, which shows you how to build an Add-In,

a program that you can install to add new features to VS.

From installation to customization of the IDE, VS is a helpful and powerful tool. I hope you enjoy this book and that it helps you learn how to make VS work for you.

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Part I

Understanding Visual Studio 2010 Essentials

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Chapter 1

Introducing Visual Studio 2010

4 Microsoft Visual Studio 2010: A Beginner’s Guide

Key Skills & Concepts

● Learn What Visual Studio 2010 Can Do for You

● Install and Choose Among Installation Options

● Understand What Types of Applications You Can Build

our first experience with Visual Studio (VS) 2010 is often installation. As with most software, VS is rather easy to install; this chapter describes the installation process

and gives you tips to help understand available options. Once installation is complete, you’ll open VS for the first time and need to know how to navigate the VS environment; this chapter gives you a high-level view of how VS is organized, how to find the features you need, and how to work with windows. Finally, you’ll learn how to find the different application types that VS helps you build. At this point, you know that VS will help you build .NET applications, but let’s start off with a more detailed explanation of what VS will do for you.

What Is Visual Studio 2010 About?

Visual Studio 2010 (VS) is an integrated development environment (IDE); a set of tools in a single application that helps you write programs. Without VS, you would need to open a text editor, write all of the code, and then run a command-line compiler to create an executable application. The issue with the text editor and command-line compiler is that you would lose a lot of productivity through manual processes. Fortunately, you have VS to automate many of the mundane tasks that are required to develop applications. The following sections explain what VS will do for you and why VS is all about developer productivity.

Automatically Generated Code

VS includes a suite of project types that you can choose from. Whenever you start a new project, VS will automatically generate skeleton code that can compile and run immediately. Each project type has project items that you can add, and project items include skeleton code. In the next chapter, you’ll learn how to create projects, add project items, and view

Chapter 1: Introducing Visual Studio 2010 5

automatically generated code. VS offers many premade controls, which include skeleton code, saving you from having to write your own code for repetitive tasks. Many of the more complex controls contain wizards that help you customize the control’s behavior, generating code based on wizard options you choose.

Rapid Coding Experience

The VS editor optimizes your coding experience. Much of your code is colorized; you have Intellisense, tips that pop up as you type; and keyboard shortcuts for performing a multitude of tasks. There are a few refactorings, features that help you quickly improve the organization of your code while you’re coding. For example, the Rename refactoring allows you to change an identifier name where it is defined, which also changes every place in the program that references that identifier. VS introduces even more features, such as a call hierarchy, which lets you see the call paths in your code; snippets, which allow you to type an abbreviation that expands to a code template; and action lists for automatically generating new code.

Everything at Your Fingertips

You’ll really want to learn how to navigate the VS environment because a plethora of tools are available to aid you in your quest to rapidly create quality software. Y the Toolbox jam-packed with controls, a Server Explorer for working with operating system services and databases, a Solution Explorer for working with your projects, testing utilities, and visual designers. By the way, there are compilers too.

ou have

Customizability and Extensibility

You can customize many parts of the VS environment, including colors, editor options, and layout. The options are so extensive that you’ll need to know where to look to find them all. If the out-of-the-box VS development environment doesn’t offer a feature you need, you can write your own macros to automate a series of tasks you find yourself repeating. For more sophisticated customization, VS exposes an application programming interface (API) for creating add-ins and extensions. Several third-party companies have chosen to integrate their own applications with VS. For example, Embarcadero’s Delphi language and development environment is hosted in Visual Studio. The rich and customizable development environment in VS helps you work the way you want to.

As you move through this book, keep these important concepts in mind and look for all of the tips that will help you use VS to your advantage. Your first step in using VS will be installation, which is discussed in the next section.

6 Microsoft Visual Studio 2010: A Beginner’s Guide

Installing Visual Studio 2010

Hopefully the preceding discussion whets your appetite on what VS can do for you. If you haven’t already installed VS, this section walks you through the setup process. The guidance along the way will explain how to choose among available options to customize the installation to your needs. The following steps explain how to install VS:

System Requirements

As of this writing Microsoft recommends you have a 32-bit x86 or 64-bit (x64) CPU, at least 1GB RAM, a 5400 RPM hard disk drive, 3GB hard disk space, DVD-ROM, DirectX video at 1280 × 1024 resolution, and a 1.6 GHz processor. Recommended operating systems include SP2 or later (all versions except for Starter), Windows 7 (only Ultimate at the time this chapter was written), Windows 2003 (SP1 or R2 or later), and Windows 2008 (SP1 or R2 or later). Be sure to check Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) online, as system requirements can change over time.

Windows Vista (all versions except for Starter), Windows XP

1. When you first place the VS DVD into the drive, you’ll see the Microsoft Visual Studio

2010 window, shown in Figure 1-1. Available options are to Install Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Check For Service Releases. Click Install Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.

Figure 1-1 Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Setup window

Chapter 1: Introducing Visual Studio 2010 7

Figure 1-2 Setup Welcome window

2. The next window you’ll see, Figure 1-2, is the welcome window, titled Microsoft Visual

Studio 2010. Figure 1-2 shows that I’m installing the Ultimate version. Installation for other versions is similar, but the number of features available to install varies.

If you check the box on this page in the Help Improve Setup section, the installer

will gather logs produced during the setup process and send them across the Internet to Microsoft after the setup is complete. To help you make an informed choice as to whether to check this box, there is a Privacy Statement link under the check box to click and read if you would like more information about what Microsoft does with setup information. When you’re ready, click Next. After setup components are loaded, you’ll see the licensing screen in Figure 1-3.

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