Software Update: Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 16.5.0

Microsoft has released version 16.5.0 of Visual Studio 2019. This popular programming development environment has useful options to make programming easier in Visual C++, Visual Basic, C#, F#, Python and R, among others. The complete list of the changes in the 2019 edition can be found in the accompanying release notes. Below are the improvements Microsoft has made in this version:

Visual Studio IDE

• On-hover a close button appears for each document in the tab group overflow list
• Multi-selection of Azure directories
• Implemented user suggested improvements in vertical tabs

Debugging

• Decompilation of C# code
• Attach to processes running in Docker Windows containers
• Open Enclave debugging for Azure Confidential Computing
• Improvements to Allocation view in .NET Object Allocation Tracking tool
• View which managed thread is holding a .NET object lock
• Open Enclave debugging for Azure Confidential Computing
• Pin properties in DataTips and the Autos, Locals, and Watch windows in C++

Azure Tools

• Productivity Improvements | Now provides .NET Core Worker Server support.
• Support was added for Azure Functions v3. This gives a new option during project creation to use v3 instead of v2.
• When publishing to App Service Linux, Visual Studio now waits until the app is running before opening the browser window.|

C++

• IntelliCode Team Completions model & member variables support
• IntelliSense improvements
• Connection Manager over the command line
• Debug/deploy for WSL
• Support for FIPS 140-2 compliance mode
• Language services for CMake Language files & better CMake project manipulation
• Visual Studio Linux projects now have more accurate IntelliSense and allow you to control remote header synchronization on a project-by-project basis.

F# language and tools

• Performance improvements for large solutions
• Preview FSharp.Core features are now guarded by the LangVersion flag
• Various bug fixes and enhancements

.NET Productivity

• Refactoring to turn a fragment of code from an existing method into a local function
• Refactoring to make members static
• Refactoring to simplify string interpolations
• EditorConfig option to exclude analyzers to run on generated files or folders
• Analyzer authors can now distribute custom code refactorings as a NuGet package
• Ability to convert if to switch statements or switch expressions
• IntelliSense completion for unimported extension methods
• Ability to use System.HashCode to implement the GetHashCode method when System.HashCode is available

Testing

• Profile a unit test in .NET Core
• Default processor architecture ‘Auto’ setting
• Performance improvements in memory consumption and load time
• Better diagnostics for Live Unit Testing

JavaScript/TypeScript

• Code Search for JavaScript/TypeScript
• ESLint for TypeScript files
• TypeScript 3.8 Beta compiler and language service for JavaScript and TypeScript.
• Experimental: Faster syntax highlighting engine that uses the syntax tree instead of TextMate grammars

SQL

• Unable to view or open SQL Table Designer from SQL Server Object Explorer and Server Explorer.|

UWP/WPF Tooling

• Enabled support for the 1909 version of Windows 10 as a UWP target platform.
• Dragging an image from project into the XAML editor generates an Image tag
• Changing “Artboard Background” color for the XAML Designer now works with WPF .NET Core projects
• XAML Designer now supports loading .NET Core 3.x Projects that include PublishSingleFile, RuntimeIdenfier and PublishTrimmed settings

Xamarin

• Use XAML Hot Reload on multiple emulators, simulators, and devices at once
• Document Outline for Xamarin.Forms XAML UIs
• Android Apply Changes
• Custom Profiles with Startup Tracing
• Kotlin support for Xamarin.Android generator
• Improved AndroidManifest.xml Merging
• Custom Control Quick Changes for Android Layouts
• Improved Android IntelliSense