VISUAL STUDIO .NET IDE Appendix C 883
ing in the project.In Visual Studio .NET IDE, Solution Explorer provides a hierarchical view of all files, solutions, and projects. To open Solution Explorer, you need to select the Solution Explorer command from the View menu. The Solution Explorer window in the Visual Studio .NET IDE is shown in Figure C-4.
FIGURE C-4 The Solution Explorer window in the Visual Studio .NET IDE
The Solution Explorer window is displayed, which shows a listing of the projects, files, and references present in the solution. You can open a file by double-clicking on the file name in Solution Explorer.
The Solutions Explorer also contains a toolbar that displays the buttons that are specific to the selected file. View Code, Show All Files, and Properties are a few commonly displayed buttons. Figure C-5 shows the toolbar in the Solution Explorer window.
884 |
Part X |
APPENDIXES |
|
|
|
FIGURE C-5 The toolbar in the Solution Explorer window
The Class View Window
You can view the hierarchical structure of solutions and projects by using the Class View window provided in the Visual Studio .NET IDE. You can open the Class View window by selecting either the Class View tab on the Visual Studio .NET IDE or the Class View command from the View menu. The components are organized in the Class View window based on the project in which they are contained. The Class View window also provides a structured view of the code that helps in understanding the organization of the components within a project. A logical view provided by the Class View window helps in understanding the interrelationships between various components and objects. The Class View window is shown in Figure C-6.
VISUAL STUDIO .NET IDE Appendix C 885
FIGURE C-6 The Class View window
An icon represents each type of component in the Class View window. Each icon represents different types of components, such as namespaces, classes, and interfaces.
You can navigate through the projects in a solution by using the Class View window. You can also view the properties or code for a component by using the Class View window. Consider an example: To view the code associated with a method, right-click the method name in the Class View window and select the Browse Definition command from the context menu. The corresponding code for the selected method is displayed.
A toolbar is also displayed in the Class View window, which displays the Sort By and New Folder buttons. Using the Sort By button, you can sort the files in the order of the alphabet by type. You can use the New Folder button to create virtual folders.
886 |
Part X |
APPENDIXES |
|
|
|
The Properties Window
The Properties window displays the properties of a component. By selecting the Properties Window command from the View menu, you can open the Properties window. To display the properties associated with the selected components, you need to select the component or object in the Solution Explorer window. You can also view, edit, and modify the components of projects and solutions by using the Properties window.
The Properties window displays different properties for different controls. Various buttons, such as Categorized, Alphabetic, and Property Pages, are also displayed in the Properties window.
To view and modify the properties of a Button control, for example, you open the Solution Explorer window and select the Button control. The properties of the Button control are displayed in the Properties window, as shown in Figure C-7.
FIGURE C-7 The Properties window for a Button control
The Dynamic Help Window
The Dynamic Help window in Visual Studio .NET provides access to the information that is relevant to perform a particular task. The Dynamic Help window is displayed when Visual Studio .NET IDE is opened. Alternatively, you can access this command by selecting the Dynamic Help command from the Help menu.
VISUAL STUDIO .NET IDE Appendix C 887
Various links related to the current window or current task are also displayed in the Dynamic Help window. The Dynamic Help window displays information depending on the selection in IDE.The information is organized categorically in the D ynamic Help window. By default, the Dynamic Help window displays the Help, Samples, and Getting Started categories.
Consider an example: When you work in the Class View window, the information related to the Class View window is displayed in the Dynamic Help window. Similarly, if a Button control is selected while working in the designer, the information related to the Button class is displayed in the Dynamic Help window, as shown in Figure C-8.
FIGURE C-8 The Dynamic Help window for a Button control
The Server Explorer Window
In Visual Studio .NET, the Server Explorer window enables server management. You can access the Server Explorer window by selecting the Server Explorer tab displayed on the left margin of the IDE. Alternatively, you can select the Server Explorer command from the View menu to open the Server Explorer window.
The nodes Data Connections and Servers are displayed in the Server Explorer window. The Data Connections node lists the database connections for the databases that are created using the Server Explorer window. The Server node lists the