> I'm still struggling to find a keyboard shortcut that sets the input focus back to the code window after doing a ctrl+alt+O or ctrl+alt+K

Answering my own question, F7. I could have sworn I tried this earlier and it didn't work.

I should have also mentioned ctrl+PgUp and ctrl+PgDn which I use all the time. That switches between "tabs" at the bottom of whatever pane you're on, fex, between the HTML designer and the code view.

Very nifty, thanks!

One addendum... in VS 2005 Beta 2, I had to declare all functions/subs and the _p variable as "shared" before I was able to execute List from the Visual Studio IDE.

I recall that VS 2003 allowed the direct execution of non-shared macro functions without first instantiating the class. Apparently that's no longer possible now.

Hmm, that's interesting, it runs fine as-is on my Beta 2. It's version 55603-000-0000016-00696, whatever that means.

I would like this macro to write the HTML keyboard shortcut summary content to a new html browser window in the IDE (instead of the output console), but I lack the technical chops to do so..

Macro overview tips (from PowerToys team):

http://blogs.msdn.com/powertoys/archive/2004/04/26/120763.aspx

Macro samples:

http://blogs.msdn.com/powertoys/archive/category/4817.aspx

Google search macro:

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/articles/20040423.asp

code Spellcheck macro:

http://www.codeguru.com/Cpp/V-S/devstudio_macros/article.php/c5981/

Great tips. F7 doesn't work for me though in VS.NET 2003.

My favorite VS shortcuts:

Ctrl-W (select current word under the cursor)
Ctrl-F3 (Search for current word under the cursor)
F3 (Find again - I use this all the time)
Ctrl-Tab (Next open document, you can also use this to toggle between documents like Alt-Tab does for windows)

And of course all the num keypad combinations: Ctrl-Pgup, Ctrl-Pgdn, Ctrl-Home, Ctrl-End. Can't live without them. Also I still use the num keypad instead of the arrow keys.

I've gotten used to Ctrl-Shift-B to build the current project in VS 2003, but I think the shortcut is different in the new versions I still prefer the old Ctrl-F7 (?) way of building code.

How about some useful IE shortcuts:

Alt-D (go to url address bar)
Alt-A (Favorites menu)
Backspace/Ctrl-Left (back to previous url)
Ctrl-Right Arrow (forward url)

Once you get used to certain shortcuts it becomes entirely second nature and you never go back to using the mouse.

> Ctrl-F3 (Search for current word under the cursor) F3 (Find again - I use this all the time)

Let me introduce you to my little friend CTRL+I! I rarely use F3 after finding out about this little gem known as "incremental search".

>Hmm, that's interesting, it runs fine as-is on my Beta 2. It's version 55603-000-0000016-00696, whatever that means.

Looks like you got a newer version than me. Mine is the one that came on the MSDN Pro subscription DVD, and the version of Visual Basic and the other products is 55603-000-0000016-00460. The Visual Studio version is 8.0.50215.44.

If these jokers have actually updated the MSDN download compared to the DVD distribution I guess I'll have to download the Team System install, after all...

Ctrl-I - Nice, I like the way your fingers never have to leave the keyboard while doing the search, and you can also do Ctrl-Shift-I to search backwards. Only problem is I use other editors other than VS.NET (notepad2 for one) and Ctrl-I doesn't work on the rest without additional remapping.

"I'm still struggling to find a keyboard shortcut that sets the input focus back to the code window after doing a ctrl+alt+O or ctrl+alt+K."

Shift+ESC should close the Output or any other "smaller" window and return the focus back to the code window.

CTRL+- and CTRL+SHIFT+- for navigate backward and forward. I remapped them to ALT+LEFT ARROW and ALT+RIGHT ARROW so they work like every other application that has back and forward buttons.

Ctrl+- for back and Ctrl+Shift+- for forward? Isn't that the most illogical shortcut ever? Why not use Ctrl++ for forward? Semantically it makes far more sense.

> CTRL+- and CTRL+SHIFT+- for navigate backward and forward. forward. I remapped them to ALT+LEFT ARROW and ALT+RIGHT ARROW

You know, I totally agree with this, but.. I already use the alt+arrow combos to navigate the cursor around, so that's a showstopper!

Jeff,

Not sure why this is happening but in a later VS 2005 build, a command with the name "New Folder" breaks the parsing code in ParseBindings. Just changed the code slightly and everything works fine:

Dim sa() As String = Regex.Split(cmd.Name, "\.")
dr.Item("Category") = sa(0)
If (sa.Length > 1) Then
    dr.Item("Command") = sa(1)
Else
    dr.Item("Command") = ""
End If

Interesting. NewFolder is the *only* command like that-- it has a category but no command (?). This is new to the PDC build of VS.NET 2005.

Your bugfix is totally correct though. I'll update the code snippet.

Well, I found the CTRL+M - CTRL+O and CTRL+M - CTRL+M shortcuts quite handy to collapse to definition/expand region under cursor ...

Also for large blocks I'm using CTRL+K - CTRL - C and CTRL+K - CTLR - U fairly often for Comments, but the latter two differ in different language versions of VS.

The CTRL+- is something I really missed quite often after browsing through a big class and then searching for my last edit point ... and ended up using UNDO-REDO to find my way back ;)

Cant use CTRL+PgDn/CTRL+PgUp in VS2003 - for me is simply navigate between top of page and bottom. What I missing? Maybe because I use laptop.. Actialy I looked something for switch between editor tabs in next/prev order but not in history like CTRL+TAB/CTRT+Shift+TAB?

Thanks all for the tips.

So far in the release version of VS 2005, you can switch to code view from the HTML using F7, but from code view shift F7 no longer works to return you to HTML view, boo. You have to right click, select design, then Control + Page Up to get back.

Am keeping my fingers crossed for the service pack.

hth

I guess I'm a visual person so I think they broke Ctrl+Tab in 2005. I don't want to read a list of file names. I want to see the next in a series of forms and/or code and I want to do it quickly. I use Ctrl+F6 and Ctrl+Shift+F6 now, but it took me a while to find the new way to do things.

i am BE(info tech)student so plase send me samples of vb.net code and projects on it and i
want get codes on text to speech,and network monitoring tool

I mention this on another entry here but I made a program that makes it easier to remember keyboard shortcuts for Visual Studio and other programs too. So hope it helps someone here and always appreciate feedback on how we can improve. Thanks. <a href="http://www.ghostclip.com">http://www.ghostclip.com</a>
Curtis

In case anybody is interested, I created a Studio Shortcut Cribsheet that categorizes the most useful (IMO) Visual Studio shortcuts into one page. It's posted on my blog.

how to clear the contents of immediate window using a shortcut key ?

I've used Ctrl-Shift-B to build the current project in VS 2003,I prefer the old Ctrl-F7 way of building code.

omhoge:

I use this litlle macro to switch to markup from the code.
Just bind it to your favorite shortcut (like shift-f7 in the text editor).

Sub SwitchToMarkup()
If (DTE.ActiveWindow.Caption().EndsWith(".cs") Then
Dim FileName = DTE.ActiveWindow.Document.FullName.Replace(".cs", "")
If System.IO.File.Exists(FileName) Then
DTE.ItemOperations.OpenFile(FileName)
End If
End If
End Sub

Ctrl+F2 takes you to the navigation bar!
helps me a lot ...

I'm gonna try posting this here in the off-beat chance it might get a response. On previous vs.net installations, if I had several classes open, as I ctrl-tab'd through them or clicked on them manually with the mouse, the project explorer would automatically highlight the current item being edited. It doesn't happen anymore!! This behavior only shows on my work PC and my home PC. My work PC is a brand-new install of visual studio.net 2003 enterprise. I was surprised to see it happening on a brand new install.

Does anybody have any ideas what might be wrong and how I can fix this? It is so much easier to keep track of where I am when the project explorer window automatically highlights the selected file :-(

To "stand on the shoulders" of Mikael H's great little macro, I've extended it to toggle back & forth between markup & the source code. Coming from a Delphi background, if you bind the macro to F12 you'll feel right at home and developing with speed!!

Sub SwitchToMarkup()
Dim FileName

If (DTE.ActiveWindow.Caption().EndsWith(".cs")) Then
' swith from .aspx.cs to .aspx
FileName = DTE.ActiveWindow.Document.FullName.Replace(".cs", "")
If System.IO.File.Exists(FileName) Then
DTE.ItemOperations.OpenFile(FileName)
End If
ElseIf (DTE.ActiveWindow.Caption().EndsWith(".aspx")) Then
' swith from .aspx to .aspx.cs
FileName = DTE.ActiveWindow.Document.FullName.Replace(".aspx", ".aspx.cs")
If System.IO.File.Exists(FileName) Then
DTE.ItemOperations.OpenFile(FileName)
End If
ElseIf (DTE.ActiveWindow.Caption().EndsWith(".ascx")) Then
FileName = DTE.ActiveWindow.Document.FullName.Replace(".ascx", ".ascx.cs")
If System.IO.File.Exists(FileName) Then
DTE.ItemOperations.OpenFile(FileName)
End If
End If
End Sub

Also, regards alt-tab being "broken" by Microsoft, did you know you can go to the Tools/Options/Keyboard and remap Alt-Tab from being bound to "NextDocumentWindowNav" to plain old "NextDocumentWindow" and it'll be how it was before (no pop-up window on alt-tab)

Andres..

Go to Tools->options->Projects and Solutions->General and check "Track active item in solution explorer

I find it very useful too...its turned off by default not sure why?

Another one I use - Ctrl-Shift-F9 for clearing all breakpoint. After you've been debugging something down a looong path and you're ready to move on.

Absolutely incredible... It ll help me lot.

One thing that seems to be missing (unless I'm just reading over it) is a way to jump to the end of an XML tag. When using the XML documenting in VS 2005, if I'm working on a list of things, it's a real pain to have to grab the mouse when I'm finished in a tag.

thank advance. Now i try find short cut key using in visual studio.

how to clear the contents of immediate window using a shortcut key ?
Vinod on May 8, 2006 06:25 AM

"> cls" does it in vs2005.

how to clear the contents of immediate window using a shortcut key ?
Vinod on May 8, 2006 06:25 AM

">cls [enter]"

To collapse all blocks Ctrl-M-O very helpful.

Also with keyboard to expand a block #Region xyz [...] Press Space and right arrow and it will expand.

You should use Resharper :)

Anyone know the shortcuts to trigger the class or method dropdowns in the c# editor?

Some of the most used.. just in case some one is refering http://sumtechstuff.blogspot.com/

I like the CTRL+M, CTRL+M. I use regions extensively. This opens and closes the region on the cursor.

I use CTRL+R,CTRL+E a lot, too.

I use ctrl + M, ctrl + O quite often (to collapse code) so that I can see where I am.

Organize organize.

I also use ctrl + M, ctrl + O quite often, but I would really like to know the reverse shortcut (expand all). I have to scan visually and expand manually. This is very tedious, since an expanded block can itself containned a collapsed block.

Ctrl-k-k (hold down Ctrl and press k twice) - Inserts a bookmark on your cursor's line

Ctrl-k-c (hold down Ctrl and press k then c) - Comments out the current or selected lines

I would like to know if there's a shortcut to disable the current breakpoint--for times where you just want to disable the breakpoint on the fly

To Reverse collapse of your regions (expand all), you can use CTRL+M, CTRL+P.

Hi.
Do you know what the syntax for ALT+TAB would be in C++? Sort of like browsing through your windows applications.

Thanx

Any idea on how to remove what seems to be an "embedded" keyboard command when you are in a SQL Server query designer? The undocumented keyboard "shortcut" is Shift-Space which moves the cursor focus to the first column of the row and selects the row.

I ask because if you are typing CAPS and hit the spacebar, this "shortcut" becomes unproductive! Any ideas on how what this shortcut is or how to remove it? Not in the keyboard mapping within Visual Studio, at least not showing.
Thank you!

For ages I searched for a key to set focus to the heading style combo (block format combo) when editing in VS's html editor. Couldn't find one but here's a macro that does it. Bind a keystroke to it and it works great...

Imports System
Imports EnvDTE
Imports EnvDTE80
Imports Microsoft.VisualStudio.CommandBars
Imports System.Diagnostics

Public Module Module1

Public Sub FocusToSyleCombo()

' Get the formatting commandbar and make sure its visible
Dim cb As CommandBar = DTE.CommandBars("Formatting")
cb.Visible = True

' Set focus to the block format combo
cb.Controls("Block Format").SetFocus()

End Sub

End Module

Here is a nice cheat sheet (PDF) of VS keyboard shortcuts.

http://iamacamera.org/default.aspx?section=home&id=43

Marius, ctrl+tab works in vis studio, at least in c#, wouldn't think it'd be dif for c++.

Hi guyz, tnx alot for all the info, but could anyone tell me how can I navigate between functions definitions in C++ in vs2005? I mean something like to go to next function body and go to previous function body.

tnx.

Ctrl - (hyphen) is good for navigating back to where you were in your code, Ctrl Shift - to go in other direction. Ridiculously useful.

Ctrl Shift R to record a series of keystrokes, Ctrl Shift R again to stop recording... Ctrl Shift P to play

Ctrl ] (square bracket) is useful to find matching brace in Javascript

May 27, 2007

Good work!

The major mistake was made by IBM and Microsoft over 20 years ago, moving function keys on the standard keyboard from a two-column, left-side pod to a row above the main pod, adding clutter with the redundant navigation pods and "Windows" keys. Making the function keys hard to use was followed by gradual abandonment of function-key mappings by software products.

We retained several high-quality keyboards from prior years, and we map to them, providing, for example, single-stroke, non-chorded keys for the most frequently used functions: copy, cut and paste. That alone brings a typical 1-2 percent productivity increase.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c15d210d-a926-46a8-a586-31f8a2e576fe&displaylang=en

in the editor...

1)Instead of deleting back to the period...

Ctrl+Space brings up list of an object's properties and methods

Instead of deleting back to the parentheses...

Ctrl+Shift+Space brings up list of an function's parameters

Ctrl + Right : Autocomplete the current member via intellisense. Do it just after a dot to see all available choices.

Keyboard shortcuts are the best. Once you start using them, you really can't stop. Since I've even been implementing them into my ie surfing, it's quite a breeze using ie quickly. Generally, I'll open up a number of tabs and use

ALT D – to get to the url bar, then type in the address
CTRL TAB – to switch between tabs

Then I can also just use the arrow keys to move up and down the page. Only problem is, that if you're commenting on someone's blog (like here) TAB generally doesn't work the most efficiently. You really have to use the mouse in that case. But otherwise, it's great not having to use the mouse for everything – especially on my laptop, as the plastic fades away easily.

stumbled on this whilst trying to find a keyboard shortcut to get back to the code window since f7 doesnt work anymore.

try ctrl-tab.

A few nifty shortcuts i love are:
ctrl + . to bring up that code smart tag which adds in missing using statements or fully qualified names.

another great one is if you highlight a class field and hit ctrl + r, e (the chorded style shortcut). It makes that field a property. :D

Thanks, Rob, for the Control-M-O thing, I was going crazy looking for the NUM key on my laptop because the references I read said it was num - .
You really saved me lots of effort!

I just learned Ctrl-. (or Shift-Alt-F10) today.

That is the coolest one ever.

Type Regex and hit Ctrl-. and <Enter>.

using System.Text.RegularExpressions;

was automatically added to your using section.

Do you know how many times I went to the help to try to remember what object things were under (like Path.[System.IO] or Process.[System.Diagnostics] or Color.[System.Drawing]?

Anyone who knows how to collapse all nodes of the Solution Explorer and vice versa.I have 50-60 projects and collapsing/expanding them one by one is a pain.
Thanks

raj:
http://geekswithblogs.net/scottkuhl/archive/2007/04/09/111195.aspx

@raj:
Search for CoolCommands 3.0 . The macro that is presented on http://geekswithblogs.net/scottkuhl/archive/2007/04/09/111195.aspx is quite slow.

Finding matching End If in VB.net (Equivalent c # find matching brace)

Hi people - in short there is no such functionality in VB.NET. So here a little macro I wrote to do the Job !

Put the cursor on the 'end if' and it finds the 'if'. Put it on the 'if' and it finds the 'end if'
I simply re- map 'CTL ]' to the marcro with 'Use New Shortcut In:' setting to text editor

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Private Function CleanLine(ByVal sLine As String) As String
sLine = sLine.ToUpper
sLine = sLine.Replace(vbTab, "")
sLine = sLine.Trim()
Return sLine
End Function
Sub FindBrace()
Dim bFoward As Boolean
Dim bIfCount As Integer = 1
Dim o As TextSelection = DTE.ActiveDocument.Selection
Dim sLine As String
o.DTE.SuppressUI = True
o.StartOfLine(vsStartOfLineOptions.vsStartOfLineOptionsFirstText)
o.SelectLine()
sLine = CleanLine(o.Text)

Select Case True
Case sLine.StartsWith("IF ")
bFoward = True
Case sLine.StartsWith("END IF")
Case Else
Exit Sub
End Select

Do
If bFoward Then
o.LineDown(False, 0)
Else
o.LineUp(False, 1)
End If
o.SelectLine()
sLine = CleanLine(o.Text)

Select Case True
Case sLine.StartsWith("IF ")
If bFoward Then
bIfCount += 1
Else
bIfCount -= 1
End If

Case sLine.StartsWith("END IF")
If bFoward Then
bIfCount -= 1
Else
bIfCount += 1
End If
End Select
Loop Until bIfCount = 0
o.StartOfLine(vsStartOfLineOptions.vsStartOfLineOptionsFirstText)

o.LineUp(False, 1)
o.StartOfLine(vsStartOfLineOptions.vsStartOfLineOptionsFirstText)

End Sub

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Use Ctrl + numpad * to 'pop' a goto definition location jump (i.e. takes you back to where you were when you did a 'goto definition' (F12)

is there any keyboard short cut to select multiple lines?

Lancer asked this question a long time ago, and i have the answer.
------------------------QUESTION------------------------------
Anyone know the shortcuts to trigger the class or method dropdowns in the c# editor?

Lancer on October 24, 2006 12:12 AM

-------------------------ANSWER--------------------
CTRL+F2+TAB
CTRL+F2 highlights the Types dropdownlist and then the tab moves your to the Members dropdownlist.

I was going mad not knowing a shortcut for this one so i decided to use the god old Trail and Error.

thanks for the complete list of keyboard shortcuts!
COOL!! :))

In Visual studio.net, Microsoft seems to have taken away the ability to map the NUM keys to commands, which I have previously used extensively while debugging. I was forced to map all my commands, for example, to use ALT+NUM+ instead of simply NUM+. This is very annoying since I must now hold down the ALT key continuously while debugging.

Does anyone know how to get access to the NUM keys for assignment?

specified your codes.
make it applicable.
thanks...
-kristian

If you want to be listing of visual studio 2008 Keyboard Shortcuts than go through this URL

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=E5F902A8-5BB5-4CC6-907E-472809749973&displaylang=en

:)

Many thanks for this informations