"Pop Catalin" got it right. Controlling the definition based on the type of build provides a great deal of flexibility. For example, you can have a "DEBUG", "DEMO", and "RELEASE" configuration all in the same solution. That prevents the need for duplicate programming with two different solutions.
So yes #if RELEASE
or #if (RELEASE)
works the same as #if DEBUG
when the RELEASE Conditional compilation symbol is defined.
The following is taken from "Pop Catalin" post: If you want to define a RELEASE constant for the release configuration go to: * Project Properties -> Build * Select Release Mode * in the Conditional compilation symbols textbox enter: RELEASE