Visual Studio

Gotchas!

Gotchas

Local

• Add-ins, Programming them
• "Cannot Write ... dll" problem with COM and .NET Interop
• Command Line
• Configuring a New install of Visual Studio
• Console App Debugging
• Debugging, Don't step into
• Debugging info
• DebugBreak
• Debug Heap
• Debug Symbols
• Dependancies, Program
• Exceptions, breaking when they are thrown
• Filename Extensions
• HTML Editor Setup
• Intellisense for custom XML files
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Link Warnings and Errors
• Macros
• Open any file quickly in Visual Studio
• Output, putting it elsewhere checklist
• Parenthesis Matching
• Precompiled Headers, turning them on in a project that doesn't use them
• Release builds be Debug, Making
• Setting up a New install of Visual Studio
• Sound Scheme
• Source Control
• Stepping into, how to disable it for specific things
• Unit test gotcha
• Visio
• Watch Window
• Windowed to Consoled, converting a project

External

• CollapseAll Macro http://www.codeproject.com/macro/collapseall.asp
• GREAT: Tips and Tricks http://www.highprogrammer.com/alan/windev/visualstudio.html
• Generating .NET Code Using Visio Enterprise Architect's UML
• Visual Studio.NET newsgroup @ msdn
• Avoid stepping into certain funcs http://www.codeguru.com/Cpp/V-S/debug/article.php/c1281#NoStepInto
• Microsoft Visual C++ Tips and Tricks http://www.highprogrammer.com/alan/windev/visualstudio.html

Other

• FileSystem Watcher (notifies about changes) http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=132273
• Building Speech-Enabled Applications with ASP.NET http://www.code-magazine.com/Article.aspx?quickid=0511041
• Visualizers (Visual Studio 2005 debugging) http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=133855

Making Release builds be Debug

Sections in project configuration to change

Keyboard Shortcuts

Gotchas

Visual Studio Locks up in HttpSendRequest

This happens due to a problem with getting debug symbols. To get around the problem, turn off automatic loading of symbols. You can do this by going to Tools | Options... | Debugging | Symbols and checking the box Search the above locations only when symbols are loaded manually. You may be able to disable it more completely, but I like to be able to get symbols, and this allows me to still get them when I need to. NOTE: there is some obscure env variable that can ? override this ?, it is _NT_SYMBOL_PATH, make sure it is not set either. I guess this problem happens due to the symbol lookup and HttpSendRequest trying to do something with wininet.dll at the same time.

DebugBreak()

DebugBreak() in c++ can be replaced with:

Debug Symbols

Visual Studio 2005

1. Goto To Tools | Options | Debugging | Symbols
2. Add the 'directory' http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
3. Make sure the symbol cache directory is set to whereever you feel like putting it.

Intellisense for custom XML files

http://www.radsoftware.com.au/articles/intellisensewebconfig.aspx

Debug Heap

Good info was found at http://www.nobugs.org/developer/win32/debug_crt_heap.html

Command Line

• http://www.ansi.edu.pk/library/visual_studio_donet/book6/0735618747_idadkiv.html
• Visual Studio 6 http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vcug98/html/_asug_building_a_project_from_the_command_line.asp

Visual Studio 6

SET VS6="C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\MSDev98\Bin\MSDEV.EXE"
%VS6% test.dsw /MAKE all /OUT log.txt

// Visual Studio .NET (aka: Visual Studio .NET 2003)
// background building
devenv.exe MySolution.sln /build DEBUG
// foreground building
devenv MySolution.sln /build DEBUG
// alternate foreground building
devenv.com MySolution.sln /build DEBUG

Unit test gotcha

Unit testing in some cases copies the executable to another directory before running it. There is a way to flag other files in the project so they get copied as well if they are needed at runtime.

Here is more detailed information on this, the page is titled "More VSTS Unit Testing learnings" http://www.agileprogrammer.com/oneagilecoder/archive/2005/06/30/5281.aspx

Precompiled Headers, turning them on in a project that doesn't use them

1. Add #include "stdafx.h" to the top of each .cpp file. An example cygwin bash script can be seen HERE
2. Add a file named stdafx.h to your project and add the headers you want to have precompiled into it.
3. Add a file named stdafx.cpp to your project and put this one line in it:
   #include "stdafx.h"
4. Get to the Property dialog of your project Solution Explorer pane | context menu | Properties and do the following:
   1. Choose the Configuration: of All Configurations
   2. set C/C++ | Precompiled Headers | Create/Use Precompiled Header to Use Precompiled Header (/Yu)
   3. With the Property dialog still open, in Solution Explorer select the file stdafx.cpp
   4. Back in the Property dialog set
      C/C++ | Precompiled Headers | Create/User Precompiled Header to Create Precompiled Header (/Yc)
   5. Close the Property dialog
5. Clean your project
6. Build your project

Example cygwin bash script to add #include "stdafx.h"

Note: Run this from a !! SUBDIRECTORY !! of where the .cpp files you want to convert are.

#!/usr/bin/bash.exe

files=`(cd ..; ls *.cpp)`

#echo $files

for ITEM in $files
do
        echo $ITEM

        echo "#include \"stdafx.h\"" > "$ITEM.u"
        cat "../$ITEM" >> "$ITEM.u"

        u2d < "$ITEM.u" > "$ITEM"

        rm "$ITEM.u"
done

Filename Extensions

Debugging info

What's New in the Visual Studio 2005 Debugger http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/01xdt7cs

Debugging a crash with that doesn't show any useful stack information

I used this to find a problem in a dll that was unloaded at the time IE was calling it, during IE shutdown (I was working on an ActiveX project).

• Run your code in the debugger.
• Note where the crash occurs (look at the call stack and note the address).
• Display the modules pane Debug | Windows | Modules...???
• Rerun your code, the modules pane will populate and depopulate as things load and unload.
• Look to see what modules address range includes the point where the crash occured. That is the module in which you need to find the code it was trying to run.
• Put a breakpoint somewhere in that module, and make sure when you rerun it all, that the address range of that module includes address of the crash.
• Add code like the following to get to the place the crash happens at: (but substitute the address you saw the crash happening at for crashAddress
  

  int x = 0;
  if ( x) {
  	void(*pf)(void) = (void(*)(void))crashAddress;
  	pf();
  }

• Put a breakpoint at the line if ( x) {
• Run to the breakpoint.
• Open the disassmbly window.
• Step to where the jump goes to. (it may not be exactly the correct position due to the way that c++ calls functions)
• Look at the info in the debugger, and you should be able to tell at what function the crash is happening at.
• You should now be able to figure out how to fix the problem.

Open any file quickly in Visual Studio

Use the toolbar control for find in file, type in a command like this: >open {filename} and yes you must type the >

Windowed to Consoled, converting a project

Source Control

Howto Remove Annoying Source Control Message

1. Edit the solution file
2. Delete the Section GlobalSection(SourceCodeControl)

Link Warnings and Errors

LINK 4096 settings to cut and paste

Parenthesis Matching

1. Place the cursor to the left of the parenthesis you want to find the mate to.
2. Type control   ]

Things that can be matched

• ( )
• [ ]
• { }
• #if
• #else
• #endif
• < >

Debugging, Don't step into

• Using Visual Studio.NET
• Using Visual Studio 6

Debugging, Don't go into [Visual Studio.NET]

Note: The values are reread every time the debugger is restarted.

1. Make sure to use 7.0 for Visual Studio.NET 2002, and 7.1 for 2003
2. Add Registry Keys down to
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\7.0\NativeDE\StepOver
3. Things to step over are String values there, with the name of the value being a number.
4. The rules are executed in highest number to lowest number order
5. Restarting the debugger picks up rules changes.

Example String Values for the Registry

# operator new()
operator new=NoStepInto

# It was impossible to stop it from debugging into:
# FXString& FXString::operator+=(const FXchar* s)
# until I did this:
.*FXString.*=NoStepInto

Some Values

Things can be turned back on as well, by using StepInto. Since higher numbered rules happen last you can disable stepping into all of a class except what you set to 'StepInto' in a higher numbered rule.

Examples

Don't go into new in Visual Studio.NET 2002. Use this .reg file:

Which creates the following (or you can do this by hand)

Or change the 7.0 to 7.1 for Visual Studio.NET 2003

Undigested info on this:

• How to Not Step Into Functions using the Visual C++ Debugger
• http://www.codeguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=292148

Debugging, Don't go into [Visual Studio 6]

1. Edit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio .NET\Common7\Packages\Debugger\AutoExp.dat
2. Edit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\Packages\Debugger\AutoExp.dat
3. Find or create a section named [ExecutionControl]
4. Add lines as described below

Avoid commands

Examples

[ExecutionControl]
    CString::CString=NoStepInto
    CString::~CString=NoStepInto
    CString::operator==NoStepInto

Console App Debugging

• If run without debugging Debug | Start Without Debugging it will ask you to hit any key to exit when the program is done.
• If run in the debugger, it will exit the program when it finishes, so put a break point at the end of main to keep the console window open.

Setting up a New install of Visual Studio

• HTML Editor Setup
• Turn on outlining, check Tools | Options | Text Editor | C/C++ | Formatting | Enter outlining mode when files open

Dependancies, Program

Use depends.exe it get it as part of
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools

Exceptions, breaking when they are thrown

Use  Debug | Exceptions  to modify the exception processing behavior

Output, putting it elsewhere checklist

Watch Window

Format Specifiers

Memory Display Specifiers

pMem,10  // shows it as an array of 10 elements
pMem,100m  // shows it as an array of 100 elements in memory dump format

Custom display of Objects

Note: The file is reread every time the debugger is restarted.

Modify the autoexp.dat file as shown HERE

autoexp.dat file locations

Examples to use in autoexp.dat

; These must go in the [AutoExpand] section of the file
[AutoExpand]

NameSpaceHere::ClassnameHere =DescToShow=<field.subfield>
; the above makes the value display like the followning:
; 0x12345678 DescToShow={value at field.subfield}

Visio

• Visio will create UML from Visual Studio (they call it 'reverse engineer').
• You must have SR1 of Visio (?service pack? ?service release?).
• In visual studio check 'visio uml' at { Tools | Customize | Toolbars }

Visio will work from Visual Studio

HTML Editor Setup

• Turn Tools | Options | Text Editor | HTML/XML | General | Navigation bar off
• Under Tools | Options | Text Editor | HTML/XML | Format turn everything off, and set tags to "Lowercase"
• Choose Tools | Options | HTML Designer | General | Start HTML pages in | HTML View

"Cannot Write ... dll" problem with COM and .NET Interop

Seems to only happen when there are connection points in the COM dll

It seems to keep the COM dll open when it builds the InteropFile

To make things work, add a custom build step to the COM dll (at midl compile time, or at the end of everything), that does this:

And in the .NET project add a Reference to the Interop.{name}.dll that is created in the custom build step above.

Sound Scheme

• Visual Studio .NET (2002) - scheme name 'Microsoft Development Environment'
• Unknown (maybe VS 6) - scheme name 'Microsoft Developer'
• Unknown (maybe VS 6) - scheme name 'Microsoft Visual Studio Macros'