.NET Framework


Fit, Finish Features Are Highlights in Visual Studio 15 Preview 4

Many of the new features previewed in the IDE -- setup engine, revamped the Start Page, quick launch from clone, etc. -- have been enhanced and improved. Dozens of language-specific improvements are also embedded in this fourth preview.

Reduce Trips to the Database Service with EF.E's Future Queries

One way to slow down your application is to make multiple trips to the database. Here's a way to cut those trips in half (at least) and it has to do with the EntityFramework.Extended library.

SharePoint Framework To Hook In Developers

Web Parts support is a highlight of this for-testing-only developer preview, and Visual Studio tooling and "modern page editing experiences" are also in the works.

PowerShell on Linux? It's About Time

Microsoft is open sourcing its popular scripting language and porting it to the Linux and Mac OSX platforms. PowerShell capabilities will also reach into the cloud via extensions for Microsoft Operations Management Suite.

It's All About Character in C# and Visual Basic

How C# and Visual Basic handle characters and single-character strings is a bit inconsistent. There's no tidy solution, but it's something you do need to know.

17 New Extensions for Visual Studio 2015

Here's a round-up of the most recently released extensions for Visual Studio. There's something here for everyone, from starting a new project to deploying your code.

Visual Studio 2015 Approaching Single Sign-On Nirvana

It's not quite there yet, but Visual Studio 2015 has improved the authentication process so that developers aren't forced to sign into it more than twice a day.

Making Your Data Updates and Deletes More Efficient

By adding one open source library to your application (and adding two methods to your LINQ statements) you can cut the time spent on database updates and deletes in half.

Running Custom Code in SharePoint? Not For Long...

As the end approaches for code-based sandbox support in SharePoint sites, Microsoft and third parties point to a few resources for inventorying sites that use it.

Test Out Code Variations at Runtime Using a Static Variable

Recompiling source code while debugging is possible, but sometimes your C++ project might not be configured to use it.

DevOps is In The Details, Says Microsoft's Brown

How can developers gain the trust of the operations side? As Microsoft's Donovan Brown explains in a Visual Studio Live! keynote, automation is key in gaining that trust. He then live-demoed a DevOps pipeline within an Azure environment to prove his point.

What's In Xamarin for Visual Studio Developers?

Developer evangelist James Montemagno explains the benefits that developers will derive in the coming months as a result of the company's acquisition by Microsoft earlier in the year (one hint: open source). He also doesn't hide his affinity for a certain mobile platform.

R Language Basic Data Structures

Vectors, lists, arrays, matrices and data frames -- a look at five of the most fundamental data structures built into R.

Progress Report: The Open Microsoft Developer Platform

At Visual Studio Live! on Tuesday, Microsoft's Amanda Silver offered up a state of the Microsoft development stack, noting the gains made by open sourcing its tools.

Team Foundation Server 15 RC1 Trots Out New UI

A release candidate for TFS '15' comes with UI changes on the Web side and a slew of improvements to Agile planning capabilities, Git, Build, and Release Management, to name a few (as well gobs of bug fixes).

A First Look at Visual Studio Code

If you're looking for a lean, mean, cross-platform, desktop code editor then Visual Studio Code might be just your cup of tea. However, if you're used to the level of functionality you get with Visual Studio, it's important to set your expectations appropriately.

LINQ Query Enters the Age of Big Data

Integrating distributed, in-memory computing with distributed caching can easily extend LINQ semantics to create important new capabilities for real-time analytics on fast-changing data.

3 .NET Experts You Oughta Know

You can get lost looking for good .NET blogs among the several dozen good ones online right now. Here are three -- from Nick Chamberlain, Thomas Levesque, and Tony Sneed -- that are worthy of your attention right now.

Channel 9 To Live-Stream Visual Studio Live!

Amanda Silver's opening keynote on the Open Microsoft Developer Platform, along with a slew of other selected developer sessions, will be live-streamed during next week's conference at the Microsoft campus.

.NET Framework 4.6.2 Ready for Prime Time

The .NET team has released a production-ready incremental update to .NET Framework that sports a number of improvements to the innerworkings of the Base Class Library, Common Language Runtime, and ClickOnce technology.

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