A lot of the code that developers write follows common patterns. For
example, when you create a new property, you follow four steps:
- Declare a private variable.
- Declare the public property with a public name of the same type.
- Declare the Set logic, which sets the private variable to the parameter
value.
- Declare the Get logic, which returns the private variable's value.
These four steps are common to every property you want to place in a
class. Manually typing all that information is not only repetitive but also
time consuming and error prone (mainly typing errors).
Visual Studio 2005 lets you avoid all that hassle. Its new code snippet
feature lets you include code without typing it. For example, to include code
that creates a property, you simply type "prop" if you're using Visual C# or
"property" if you're using Visual Basic (VB) 2005, then press the Tab key. In
your source code, you'll find a template that includes all the generic code
you would normally type. The sections that you need to edit in your new
property declaration (e.g., variable name, property name, type) are all
highlighted. After you edit the contents of a highlighted section, you press
the Tab key to go to the next section. The changes are reflected across the
entire declaration for consistency. This constitutes an important difference
between using this feature and uploading stock code. With this feature,
you're literally pulling in a code template with active tags that specify the
initial customizable properties in that template.
Most all the keywords in VB 2005 or Visual C# have been associated with a
code snippet. Can't remember the exact syntax of the For loop? No worries.
Type "For", press the Tab key, and--poof--the necessary code appears. Can't
remember the keyword you need to use? No problem. Right-click somewhere in
your edit window and select Insert Snippet. Visual Studio 2005 first inserts
a placeholder in the location where you want to include a snippet, then
provides a list of snippet categories in the Code Snippet Picker.
Visual Studio 2005's code snippet feature goes well beyond just providing
templates for common language elements. Templates are also provided for
common tasks, such as pinging a remote computer or connecting to a database.
In addition, a template contains more than just source code. The template
also includes additional information, such as the snippet's author, the
namespaces that need to be imported (if applicable), a display title,
keywords the user needs to edit, and which keyword should be edited first.
For general information about code snippets, you can check out the Visual C#
help files at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-US/library/f7d3wz0k.aspx.
The good news is that Visual Studio 2005 shipped with hundreds of code
snippets. The bad news is that the snippets are, as you might expect,
language specific and therefore not interchangeable. For example, some of the
VB 2005 snippets leverage the "My" namespace, which doesn't exist in Visual
C#.
The code snippets have their own schema, which is documented at
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms171418(VS.80).aspx. As a result,
you can create your own custom snippets. Step by step instructions for doing
so are available at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms165392(VS.80).aspx.
Snippet files are XML files. So, to create snippets, you must edit an XML
file, which isn't much fun. Fortunately, if you use VB 2005, there's a GUI
called the Visual Basic Snippet Editor that you can use. This free editor is
currently in the release candidate (RC) stage. For more information, visit
the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web page at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vbasic/downloads/tools/snippeteditor. Or for the
most recent version, bypass MSDN and look in the GotDotNet Workspace at
http://www.gotdotnet.com/Workspaces/Workspace.aspx?id=a927f4e7-8e7f-45ce-8b72-f3b9384a3eab.
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