Recommended add-ons plugins for Microsoft Visual Studio

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Can anyone recommend any good add-ons or plugins for Microsoft Visual Studio  Freebies are preferred  but if it is worth the cost then that s fine

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Here a few I didn t find  or spot  mentioned    ASPXEditHelper  a must have for ASP NET devs    MouseGestures   CodeKeep   KNOCKS   Git Extensions     Someone mentioned SQL Prompt so I ll add SQL Assistant  similar price  but does a lot more   Very few people mentioned DPack which is free and absolutely awesome   Also  really get ReSharper or something similar  it will pay many times over   Bare VS just does not  compare   -   Enjoy your coding

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Ghost Docs        GhostDoc is a free add-in for Visual Studio that automatically generates XML   documentation comments for C   Either by using existing documentation inherited   from base classes or implemented interfaces  or by deducing comments from   name and type of e g  methods  properties or parameters

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1 Visual Assist   It s unfortunate that you need a plugin to get really good intellisense but it s definitely worth paying for

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definetly   1 for VisualAssistX  cannot work without it anymore  amp  it s worth all the money  and  1 for VisualSVN

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VS Command Shell Command shell in the Output pane  Far from perfect  but often very  very useful  Faster and easier to get to than a separate cmd and has easier copy paste support

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We ve covered this on this question  What is your favorite Visual Studio add-in setting

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If you use SVN for source control  definitely get VisualSVN   It enables TortoiseSVN interactions from within the Visual Studio IDE   I also echo the Resharper comment   Retail price is a little steep  but if you re a student or otherwise educationally affiliated  it s actually pretty cheap

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one that I wrote http   www codeplex com lazy

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A lot of the mentioned Addins are used by me on a regular basis  Here are just a few I I estimate  too    Auto Versioning Controlled Build Resource Refactoring Tool Smart Paster   All three are free and highly recommended  by me

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In addition to the refactoring and source control tools listed here  AQTime is a great windows profiler  It can run as a plugin or stand-alone and it works with  NET and native code

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Quick Open File is a plugin that  coming from an Eclipse background  I can t live without  http   kutny net vsopen   No more digging through the solution explorer trying to find files

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I 2nd VisualAssist  been using it since V6  can t live without it     I see no one has mentiond CoolCommands  http   geekswithblogs net brians archive 2007 03 04 107922 aspx  Great set of time savers

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Visual Assist  you cannot live without it

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RockScroll is awesome  and free     Addendum  As  Andrei points out  MetalScroll is a better alternative  It s Open Source  and corrects some annoying things about RS

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Refactor  Pro - Commercial  Free version available  GhostDoc - Free Comment Reflower - Free Versioning Controlled Build - Free

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MZTools is great too

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Guidance Explorer  Guidance packages integrate into VS as Snippets  projects  and project templates  They provide a way to collect and reuse patterns  code  and How To answers  You can create guidance for your team and you can download the guidance packages coming out of the Patterns and Practices group at MS

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Source Code Outliner Nice alternate view of your source files  It s the outliner from the code pane  but without all the code getting in the way of the structure

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Here is my list    Microsoft StyleCop  code analysis  JetBrains dotTrace  application profiling  Typemock Isolator  mocking in unit tests  Roland Weigelt s GhostDoc  code documentation

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Build Version Increment  GPL  gives you  nearly  everything you need for controlling the version of your assemblies   Some Features  copied from the site     Different auto increment styles can be set per major  minor  build or revision number   Supports C   VB NET and C   NET projects  Not required to be installed by all project members  Configuration is shared via properties in the solution and project files  Developers who don t have the addin won t feel a thing  Automatically checks out required files if under source control  Can be configured per solution and or per project  Can be configured to update only on certain configuration builds  debug  release  any or custom  Can update assembly attributes in an external source file instead of the default AssemblyInfo

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I just found this rather large list of addins   http   geekswithblogs net brians archive 2008 05 12 122087 aspx

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Code Style Enforcer Lets you define a  NET code style  with some degree of flexibility  and underlines violations  Has context-menu options to change the code to match the style  Requires DXCore  which is linked from the Code Style Enforcer page  Both are free

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PInvoke NET addon Menu to search for pre-written P Invoke code  Much easier than working out the marshalling code yourself  especially when there are nasty unions and alignment requirements

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For C  development I use    ReSharper  heavily customized and with a couple dozen custom actions I wrote  not to mention weird but wonderful Live Templates  GhostDoc - very useful for postprocessing of generated code Source Code Outliner P factor  a set of internally developed code gen tools for VS  - see example here CodeGenUtils - another internal dev for code generation  available on CodePlex SharpWizard - a VS add-in for rapid prototyping  Supports advanced generation of interface support  operators  patterns  metadata  Dependency Analyser - a really nifty tool  another internal dev   for identifying dependencies between CLR properties  Useful for autogenerating change notifications based on dependency graphs    In addition to these  I also have a couple of DSL graphical designers for the particularly difficult scenarios - for example  I have a DSL for complex multithreaded operations that are implemented using Pulse  amp  Wait

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I know this is not a VS add-in but SSMS one anyway could be useful for anyone working with MSSQL    Just for the case you wanna see more like this one check this post  Actually from ssmstoolspack creator

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For the laptop bound or for those with vi vim key bindings burned into the brain I would recommend ViEmu   If you have not tried editing with vi key bindings here is why you may want to try  Why  oh WHY  do those      nutheads use vi

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Not really an addon inside VS  but one every VS use needs  Code Preview Handler Provides a preview handler with syntax highlighting for source files  The handler works in the Explorer preview pane and in the preview tab for attachments in Outlook

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PowerCommands is a Microsoft-created plugin that offers a variety of new features that one would think probably should have been in Visual Studio in the first place   These include   Copying Pasting project references   Open Containing Folder  to jump straight to the hard-drive location of a file or project Automatic reorganizig and sorting of using statements  Open Command Prompt Here  to open a command prompt in any of your project folders  Collapse Projects

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VSCommands 2010  from the website  Latest version supports    Manage Reference Paths  Prevent accidental Drag  amp  Drop in Solution Explorer Prevent accidental linked file delete Apply Fix  automatically fix build errors warnings  Open PowerShell Show Assembly Details Create Code Contract Cancel Build when first project fails Debug Output - custom formatting Build Output - custom formatting Search Output - custom formatting Configure WPF Rendering Configure Fusion Logs Configure IE for debugging Locate Source File Thumbnails in IDE Navigator Extended support for xaml  aspx  css  js and html files Disable Ctrl   Mouse Wheel Zoom Zoom to Mouse Pointer Configurability Attach to local IIS Copy Full Path Build Startup Projects Open Command Prompt Search Online Build Statistics Group linked items Copy Paste Reference Copy Paste as Link Collapse Solution Group items directly from user interface  DependantUpon  Open In Expression Blend Locate in Solution Edit Project File Edit Solution File Show All Files   and others  so try it now

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If you are looking for a better code editor  vim comes with VisVim  a plugin to replace the VS code editor with vim

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What about IncrediBuild  This is a nice distributed build system with visual studio integration

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VLINQ LINQPad is essential  but for quick stuff inside VS  VLINQ is great

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KingsTools is also a nice collection of macros containing   Run Doxygen Insert Doxygen comments Build Solution stats Dependency Graph Inheritance Graph Swap  h lt - gt  cpp Colorize   End of region  endregion for c    Search the web

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DevExtra - but I m biased cause I wrote it     http   www toptensoftware com devextra   It s a bit old now  has its origins in VC6  and mostly oriented towards C   developers but  its free and I still use it every day

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Resharper  Agree it sucks you have to pay extra to get this  but well work the money  GhostDoc  Takes away any excuse for not having comments in your code  PowerCommands for VS 2008  Forgot I even had this installed because it just adds a the little things that should have been there all along

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I m always amazed that more people don t know about use NDepend - it shows all dependencies at every level of your code  and will even draw pretty box and arrow pictures showing how confused your architecture really is     Together with TestDriven Net  I can t imagine working without it any more  Free cheap

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ViEmu  vi vim support inside VS

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If vi vim editing is your thang   ViEmu for Visual Studio  If you want color-coded control-flow syntax-highlighting and graphical outlines   Codekana  I m the developer of these commercial tools

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Spell Checker for comments is a godsend   GhostDoc is great for making well documented APIs

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I find Ghost Doc to be very useful       GhostDoc is a free add-in for Visual Studio that automatically generates XML   documentation comments for C   Either by using existing documentation inherited   from base classes or implemented interfaces  or by deducing comments from   name and type of e g  methods  properties or parameters

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I use a  lot the Fogbguz plug in but well you need to use Fogbugz first

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CodePlotter and CodePlotter Remixed

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LinqPad is great for testing linq to objects xml sql  Free download

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JustDecompile from telerik    Now that Reflector is no longer free  Its a necessity when digging through supplied libraries

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1 for CodeRush  amp  Refactor Pro  I ve been using CodeRush since its Delphi incarnations  and it s utterly wonderful  The mantra of  Code at the speed of thought  is very close to reality

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A better Addin Manager

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1 for VisualSVN being better than AnkhSVN  having tried both  and  1 for the FogBugz Add-in

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While Visual SVN costs  50 or so  I strongly prefer it over AnkhSVN  which I last tried about a year ago - it may have improved since    It s one of the easiest to sell to your boss if funding is an issue    Thankfully we don t have to scratch and claw to get good tools where I work

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Clipboard Manager  Maintains your clipboard data through removal of lines  a few other nice items but that one alone makes me happy   Regionerate  While some have problems with regions I think if you use them  this tool is for you  Automatically region izes your code into appropriate region blocks  Fully configurable for custom items etc

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I found Code Rocket to be very useful - http   www getcoderocket com   From their website   Code Rocket is an innovative tool that reveals the inner workings of C       and C C   code  for Visual Studio    It makes documentation a seamlessly integrated part of the software development process  plugging directly into your development IDE with minimal overheads  delivering powerful benefits from day one

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Resharper Resharper MbUnit Test Runner Add-On SQL Prompt for Database Projects  works inside your SQL Management Studio as well  Ankh SVN 2 0  for free SVN support  v1 x pales in comparison  TeamCity plug-in to monitor your builds  personal builds  and bug tracking

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Consolas font  Free font from MS designed for reading code

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Sonic File Finder for when you have loads of files in your solutions and searching for them in the solution explorer becomes a pain in the wrist   You might also find DPack interesting  Several tools and enhancements rolled into one neat package

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Microsoft StyleCop provides code style checking for C   we use it all the time and love it  free  Axialis IconWorkshop has a Visual Studio add-in which is now free for VS2008 users  Resharper Yes another vote  because I can t upvote everyone who suggests it    Workspace Whiz for C    I used to live by Workspace Whiz but haven t used it in VS2008 as I hadn t realised there was an update  Will have to give it a try again

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I m a big fan of CodeRush and Refactor  Pro by DevExpress   I ve been using them for a number of years  and without a doubt it makes me a faster developer   Also  both are built on a free framework called DXCore that allows you to develop your own plug-ins for Visual Studio  and the sky is the limit there

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http   trolltech com products qt   Qt Cross-Platform Application Framework  Qt is a cross-platform application framework for desktop and embedded development  It includes an intuitive API and a rich C   class library  integrated tools for GUI development and internationalization  and support for Java    and C   development  They have a plug-in for Visual Studio that costs a bit of money  but it is worth every penny

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It s not a Visual Studio add in  but it is a tool that I couldn t use Visual Studio without it      ClipX - it s works with the normal clipboard  but saves the entries to a searchable list  you can use copy and paste as ususal  but you can hit CTRL SHIFT V and the list pops up  It works with images  text  etc  It even persists after you reboot your computer

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Definitely Resharper

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TracExplorer is cool for integrating Trac with VS

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Source Monitor code analysis tool  Direct download link

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My favorite would be the one I work on - Goanna      http   www redlizards com   C C   static analysis - it helps find bugs

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I ve been using Visual Assist X for nearly two years now  and I find it so useful I can honestly say that if my employer didn t provide it  I d have to pay for it myself  I also use Cool Commands and SlickEdit  the free version   whose File Explorer and Command Spy tools are quite useful

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Whole Tomato s Visual Assist X  I absolutely swear by it  I would like to see a better plug in for Lint than Visual Lint by Riverblade  but since that will eventually be moved onto the build server I don t mind running it every couple of days manually

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I don t fancy the Visual Studio bookmarks so I use DPACK to get the same kind of bookmarks as the Delph IDE provides   http   www usysware com dpack

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I like ReSharper  too  It s affordable if you re a student or otherwise connected to an university   For interaction with SVN I ll prefer AnkhSVN      and of course for connecting to TeamFoundation Server there s the Visual Studio Team Explorer

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Try MetalScroll   It s better than Rockscroll

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I love CopySourceAsToHTML as a cool little addin   It s great if you want to copy code blocks for blogging and the like while maintaining your syntax formatting   I think this is still the url   you have to do some manual work to set it up with 08  http   www jtleigh com people colin software CopySourceAsHtml

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Project MRU editor

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1 for Visual Assist And I will add VLH  Visual Local History  which provides a kind of local source control system  Every time you save a file  the plugin add a copy in the local repository

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Dispatch for FTP is what Copy Web Site should have been   This just came out but I like it a lot  Mindscape File Explorer  VisualSVN is excellent for SVN integration  Much better than Ankh  have not tried Ankh 2  though   SonicFileFinder for looking up files or classes quickly  Supports searching just the upper case parts of a camel-cased type name  Web Deployment Projects by Microsoft for precompiling web site projects

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XPathmania is a good little tool for writing and testing XPath queries

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SmartPaster -  FREE  Copy Paste code generator for strings  AnkhSvn -  FREE  SVN Source Control Integration for VS NET  VisualSVN Server -  FREE  Source Control  ReSharper - IDE enhancement that helps with refactoring and productivity  CodeRush - Code gen macros on steroids  Refactor - Code refactoring aid  CodeMaid  FREE  - Code cleanup  organization and complexity analysis  CodeSmith - Code Generator  GhostDoc -  FREE  Simple code commenting tool  DXCore  FREE  and its many awesome plugins  DxCore Community Plugins  CR Documentor  CodeStyleEnforcer  RedGreen  TestDriven Net -  FREE PAY  Unit Testing Aid  Reflector -  PAY  Feature rich  Net Disassembler Reflector AddIn s  Web Deployment Projects - Provides additional functionality to build and deploy Web sites and Web applications  source    StudioTools -  FREE  Navigation assistant  code metrics tool  incremental search  file explorer in visual studio and tear off editor windows   Moved from old site  archive org  to new site and discontinued

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I found this site called Visual Studio Gallery - it has a lot of visual studio add-ins  I m browsing it right now and I recommend everyone to visit it

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If you re doing C   coding  hands down Visual Assist

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AtomineerUtils Pro Documentation - automatic DocXml Doxygen JavaDoc Qt doc-comment generation updating  similar to GhostDoc  but more powerful  amp  flexible  and supports C   C    C   CLI  C  Java and Visual Basic code    The style of the generated comments is very configurable  and automatic re-formatting  such as whitespace control and word wrapping  can be optionally applied to keep the comments as readable as possible  It also has many helpers to allow users to read and convert most legacy doc-comments into any of the above formats    I m the author  but I believe the above is an accurate and objective description  This add-in was free when this answer was first added  but to cover the costs of hosting  supporting  and continuing to improve the addin in monthly releases  it is now  10 with a 30-day free trial

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Resharper   It s the best productivity tool for any software engineer   TestDriven Net is pretty good too   and GhostDoc

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Not free  but ReSharper is definitely one recommendation

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