Datasheet

Along the top of the Solution Explorer window is its own toolbar containing six commands. The first is
simply a shortcut to the Properties window so you can easily get to the properties for an individual file,
rather than the properties for an element on a form. The second is labeled Show All Files. Clicking this
for the sample project will reveal many more associated files for this project (see Figure 1-9).
The Show All Files button is a toggle button, so to hide the additional files that you don’t need most of
the time, simply click the button again to deactivate the functionality. The structure and layout of pro-
jects and solutions is discussed at length in Chapter 8.
Figure 1-9
The Refresh button sits next to the Show All Files button, and repopulates the Solution Explorer window
with the correct file structure. While Visual Studio 2005 will automatically keep the project structure cur-
rent based on what you do within the IDE, sometimes additional files are created or added to the project
via external means. These files may not be automatically shown without either using the Refresh button
or closing and re-opening the project — which one do you think is easier?
The remaining three buttons on the toolbar provide quick access to different aspects to an individual file.
From left to right, they display the code window, the graphical design of forms and such, and the Class
Diagram.
Code view and Design view have been carried over from previous versions of Visual Studio, but the
Class Diagram is a new addition to Visual Studio 2005. It offers a visual representation of the form or
module and its associated classes, and is discussed in more detail in Chapter 14.
Docked to the right-hand side of the IDE directly underneath the Solution Explorer is the Properties
window (see Figure 1-10). The Properties window gives you easy access to individual settings related to
a specific form, file, or individual class or control.
9
A Quick Tour of the IDE
05_598465 ch01.qxp 7/17/06 3:36 PM Page 9