Visual C# Express - How to work with the IDE

Microsoft .NET Framework, ASP.NET, Visual C# (CSharp, C Sharp, C-Sharp) Developer Training, Visual Studio

When you create a new project, or open an existing one, the IDE will look similar to the next screen shot. In this example, the Forms Designer window is displayed showing a new empty windows form. You use this window to develop the user interface of the application. The Code Editor window is opened by right-clicking on the form and selecting View Code, alternatively you can use the keyboard shortcut F7 or select Code from the View menu. This allows you to edit the code behind the objects that you place on the form. To view the code that the designer creates, you need to open the associated '.Designer.cs' file.

To change from the Code Editor window back to the Forms Designer, either right-click on the code window and choose View Designer, use the keyboard shortcut Shift+F7, or choose Designer from the View menu.

The screen shot also illustrates some of the other windows that you use to develop applications, and how these windows can be manipulated. On the left hand-side and the far right-hand are collapsed windows that can be opened or closed as needed to allow more room in the Forms Designer and Code Editor windows.

The Forms Designer window allows you to edit the user interface of the windows application that you are developing. Objects such as buttons and textboxes may be added quickly allowing you to rapidly create an application with only needing to add a few lines of code yourself.

The standard toolbar, like any other windows application, allows you to perform a variety of operations without the need to navigate through the menu system. The usual buttons for New, Open and Save are accompanied by the likes of Build and Run. The most common features of the application appear on the toolbar.

The properties window allows you to easily edit the properties of controls when developing windows applications. We will look at this in more detail when we create some windows applications.

Figure 3: Visual C# Express - Components of the IDE

Summary

• The main area of the IDE contains one or more tabbed windows. These can be Form Designer or Code Editor windows, as well as the start page or web pages.

• Windows can be collapsed to use less of the screen.

• The properties window displays the properties of controls when developing windows applications allowing easy modification.

• The standard toolbar contains shortcuts to the more commonly used features of the C# Express IDE.

• The Code Editor window is opened by right-clicking on the form and selecting View Code, using the keyboard shortcut F7 or by selecting Code from the View menu.

• You can create Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's) quickly using the Windows Forms Designer.