Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio
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4.3 / 5 (175 votes)

1. Main Features

  • Software editing, building, debugging, and unit testing tools
  • Support for C/C++, C#, Visual Basic, F#, SQL, CSS, JavaScript, and other languages
  • Program deployment to Windows, web, cloud, and SharePoint platforms
  • Live Unit Testing, Run to Click and Exception Helpers debugging and testing tools
  • Direct management of team projects hosted on providers such as GitHub and Team Foundation Server
  • Customizable environment

2. Software Overview

Visual Studio is a software development tool used for creating Windows programs and web applications. The development kit includes an integrated development environment (IDE) and testing tools for all stages of the software development process.

Visual Studio includes the following components:

  • Code Editor: Used for writing source code; supports syntax highlighting, bookmarks, background compilation, search functionality, and code completion using Microsoft’s IntelliSence technology.
  • Debugger: Used for locating and fixing program errors; includes source-level and machine-level debugging, as well as breakpoints and step-through execution.
  • Designer: Provides visual tools for creating GUI applications and connecting them to data sources; includes the Windows Forms Designer and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Designer, as well as a web designer, class designer, data designer, and data mapping designer.
  • Extensions: Extends the functionality of Visual Studio; supports macros, add-ins, and extension packages.

The Visual Studio IDE includes multiple built-in perspectives for accomplishing different tasks. Unique interfaces are provided for source code programming, debugging, and creating visual forms. Developers can use one of these pre-built layouts or customize their own perspectives. The Visual Studio software package contains Microsoft Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual C#, Visual F#, Visual web Developer, and Team Foundation Server. The software supports a wide variety of programming languages, including C, C++, VB.NET, C#, F#, XML, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.

Microsoft Visual Studio provides developers with a customizable IDE and supports a wide array of popular programming languages. It is a good tool for professional software developers looking to create commercial software programs. Microsoft Visual Studio is also useful for web developers who want to create dynamic websites and interactive web applications for the .NET framework.

3. Supported File Types

Primary file extension:
.SLN - Visual Studio Solution File
Other file extensions used by Microsoft Visual Studio:
# File Extension Name
1 .A Static Library
2 .ACCDB Access 2007 Database File
3 .ADDIN Visual Studio Add-in Definition File
4 .AML Microsoft Assistance Markup Language File
5 .APPLICATION ClickOnce Deployment Manifest File
6 .APPREF-MS Microsoft Application Reference File
7 .APPX Windows App Package
8 .APPXBUNDLE Windows App Bundle
9 .APPXMANIFEST Windows 10 App Manifest
10 .APPXSYM Windows 8 App Package Symbols File
11 .APPXUPLOAD Windows 8 App Upload Package
12 .APS Visual C++ Resource File
13 .ASAX ASP.NET Server Application File
14 .ASCX ASP.NET User Control File
15 .ASM Visual Studio Assembler Source Code File
16 .ASMX ASP.NET Web Service File
17 .ASP Active Server Page
18 .ASPX Active Server Page Extended File
19 .AXD ASP.NET Web Handler File
20 .BAS BASIC Source Code File
21 .BROWSER ASP.NET Browser Definition File
22 .BSC Visual Studio Source Browser Information File
23 .C C/C++ Source Code File
24 .CD Visual Studio Class Diagram
25 .CFB Compound Binary File
26 .CLS Program Class File
27 .CLW Visual C++ ClassWizard File
28 .COD Compiled Source Code
29 .COMPOSITEFONT Windows Composite Font File
30 .CONFIG Configuration File
31 .COVERAGE Visual Studio Code Coverage Report
32 .CS C# Source Code File
33 .CSHTML ASP.NET Razor Webpage
34 .CSO Compiled Shader Object File
35 .CSPROJ Visual Studio C# Project
36 .CSS Cascading Style Sheet
37 .CSX Visual C# Script
38 .CTC Visual Studio Command Table Configuration File
39 .CTO Visual Studio Binary Command Table Output File
40 .CTSYM Visual Studio Command Table Output File
41 .DBML Visual Studio OR Design File
42 .DBPROJ Visual Studio Database Project File
43 .DEF Module-Definition File
44 .DGML Visual Studio Directed Graph Document
45 .DGSL Visual Shader Graph File
46 .DIAGSESSION Diagnostics Session File
47 .DISCO DISCO Discovery Document
48 .DISCOMAP DISCO Discovery Output File
49 .DLL Dynamic Link Library
50 .DLX Renamed DLL File
51 .DMP Windows Memory Dump
52 .DSP Visual C++ 6 Project
53 .DSW Visual C++ 6 Workspace File
54 .DTD Document Type Definition File
55 .EAZ ArcGIS Explorer Add-in File
56 .EDMX ADO.NET Entity Data Model Designer File
57 .EXD Control Information Cache File
58 .EXP Symbols Export File
59 .FEATURE SharePoint Feature File
60 .FILTERS Visual C++ Project Filters File
61 .FRM Form File
62 .FRM Visual Basic Text Form
63 .FS Visual F# Source File
64 .FSI Visual F# Signature File
65 .FSPROJ Visual F# Project File
66 .FSSCRIPT Visual F# Script
67 .FSX Visual F# Script File
68 .FX Direct3D Effects File
69 .GENERICTEST Visual Studio Generic Test File
70 .H C/C++/Objective-C Header File
71 .HDMP Windows Heap Dump
72 .HLSL High Level Shader Language File
73 .HPP C++ Header File
74 .HTML Hypertext Markup Language File
75 .HXX C++ Source Code Header File
76 .I Visual Studio Intermediate File
77 .IDB Visual Studio Intermediate Debug File
78 .IDL Interface Definition Language File
79 .ILK Incremental Linking File
80 .INC Include File
81 .INL C++ Inline File
82 .INSTALLLOG .NET Assembly Installation Log
83 .INSTALLSTATE .NET Assembly Uninstaller File
84 .IPCH Intellisense Precompiled Header File
85 .IPP Inline Guard Macro File
86 .JS JavaScript File
87 .JSX React JavaScript File
88 .L Lex Source File
89 .LICENSES Visual Studio Licensed Classes File
90 .LICX Visual Studio License File
91 .LOADTEST Visual Studio Load Test File
92 .LSPROJ Visual Studio LightSwitch Project
93 .LST Data List
94 .MANIFEST Windows Application Manifest File
95 .MASTER ASP.NET Master Page
96 .MDB Microsoft Access Database
97 .MDF SQL Server Database File
98 .MDMP Windows Minidump
99 .MDP Visual C++ 5 Workspace File
100 .MDX MDX Source Code File
101 .MFCRIBBON-MS MFC Ribbon Definition XML File
102 .MJS Node.js ES Module File
103 .MK Makefile
104 .ML ML Source Code File
105 .MRT Stimulsoft Report File
106 .MSHA Microsoft Help Asset File
107 .MSHI Microsoft Help Index File
108 .MSIXBUNDLE Windows 10 App Bundle
109 .MSIXUPLOAD Windows 10 App Upload Bundle
110 .MSL Mapping Specification Language File
111 .MSM Windows Installer Merge Module
112 .MYAPP Visual Studio Application XML File
113 .NATVIS Natvis VC++ Debugger Visualization File
114 .NCB Visual C++ IntelliSense Database
115 .NUPKG NuGet Package
116 .NUPROJ NuGet Build Project
117 .NWDB Neat Database File
118 .OCX ActiveX Control
119 .ODL Object Description Language File
120 .OLB OLE Object Library
121 .ORDEREDTEST Visual Studio Ordered Test File
122 .P7X Packed Digital Signature File
123 .PCH Precompiled Header File
124 .PDB Program Database
125 .PKGUNDEF Visual Studio Shell File
126 .PLG Visual Studio Build Log File
127 .PRI Package Resource Index File
128 .PROJ Visual Studio Project File
129 .PSESS Visual Studio Performance Session File
130 .PYPROJ Visual Studio Python Project
131 .RC Resource Script
132 .RC2 Visual Studio Resources File
133 .RCT Visual Studio Resource Template
134 .RDLC Visual Studio Client Report Definition File
135 .REFRESH Visual Studio Refresh File
136 .RES C++ Complied Resource Script
137 .RESJSON Windows JavaScript Resources File
138 .RESOURCES Visual Studio Resource File
139 .RESW Windows Resources File
140 .RESX .NET Managed Resources File
141 .RGS Registry Script
142 .RLL Microsoft Resource Library
143 .RPT Crystal Reports File
144 .RULESET Visual Studio Code Analysis Rule Set File
145 .S Source Code File
146 .SBR Visual Studio Source Browser Intermediate File
147 .SCC SourceSafe Source Code Control File
148 .SDF SQL Server Compact Database File
149 .SDL Service Description Language File
150 .SHPROJ Visual Studio Code Sharing App Project
151 .SHTML Server Side Include HTML File
152 .SITEMAP ASP.NET Site Map File
153 .SKIN ASP.NET Skin File
154 .SLL Static Link Library
155 .SLN Visual Studio Solution File
156 .SNIPPET Visual Studio IntelliSense Code Snippet
157 .SNK Strong Name Key File
158 .SOL Solidity Script
159 .SQLPROJ Visual Studio SQL Server Project
160 .SRC Source Code
161 .SRF Server Response File
162 .SSC SourceSafe Status File
163 .SUO Visual Studio Solution User Options File
164 .SVC WCF Web Service File
165 .SVN-BASE Subversion Base File
166 .TARGETS MSBuild Targets File
167 .TBD Visual Studio Toolbox Data File
168 .TCC C++ Source Code File
169 .TESTRUNCONFIG Visual Studio Test Run Configuration File
170 .TESTSETTINGS Visual Studio Test Settings File
171 .TLH Typelib Generated C/C++ Header File
172 .TLI Typelib Generated C/C++ Inline File
173 .TRX Visual Studio Test Results File
174 .TS TypeScript File
175 .TSX React TypeScript File
176 .TT Visual Studio Text Template
177 .UDL Microsoft Universal Data Link File
178 .USER Visual Studio Project User Options File
179 .V11.SUO Visual Studio 2012 Solution User Options File
180 .V12.SUO Visual Studio 2013 Solution User Options File
181 .VB Visual Basic Project Item File
182 .VBHTML ASP.NET Razor Web Page
183 .VBPROJ Visual Studio Visual Basic.NET Project
184 .VBPROJ Visual Studio Visual Basic Project
185 .VBS VBScript File
186 .VBSCRIPT Visual Basic Script
187 .VCP eMbedded Visual C++ Project File
188 .VCPROJ Visual C++ Project File
189 .VCW eMbedded Visual C++ Workspace File
190 .VCXITEMS VC++ Project Items File
191 .VCXPROJ Visual C++ Project
192 .VDP Visual Studio Deployment Project
193 .VDPROJ Visual Studio Setup and Deployment Project
194 .VJP Visual Studio J++ Project
195 .VJSPROJ Visual Studio J# Project
196 .VSCONTENT Visual Studio Content File
197 .VSCT Visual Studio Command Table
198 .VSDISCO DISCO Dynamic Discovery Document
199 .VSHOST.EXE Visual Studio Hosting Process File
200 .VSI Visual Studio Content Installer File
201 .VSIX Visual Studio Extension
202 .VSIXMANIFEST VSIX Manifest
203 .VSMACROS Visual Studio Binary Macro Project
204 .VSMDI Visual Studio Test Metadata File
205 .VSMPROJ Visual Studio Text Macro Project
206 .VSP Visual Studio Performance Report File
207 .VSPF Visual Studio Performance Filter File
208 .VSPROPS Visual Studio Project Property File
209 .VSPS Visual Studio Serialized Performance Report
210 .VSPSCC Visual Studio Project Source Control File
211 .VSPX Visual Studio Performance Report Data File
212 .VSSETTINGS Visual Studio Settings File
213 .VSSSCC Visual Studio Solution Source Control File
214 .VSZ Visual Studio Wizard File
215 .W32 Win32 Makefile
216 .WAPPROJ Windows Application Packaging Project File
217 .WEBTEST Visual Studio Web Test File
218 .WID Visual Studio Widget File
219 .WIDGET Microsoft Windows Mobile Widget
220 .WINMD Windows Metadata File
221 .WIQ Visual Studio Work Item Query File
222 .WIXPROJ WiX Project File
223 .WSC Windows Script Component
224 .WSDL Web Services Description Language File
225 .WSF Windows Script File
226 .WSP SharePoint Solution Package
227 .X Lex Source Code File
228 .XAML XAML File
229 .XAMLX Visual Studio Workflow Service File
230 .XBAP XAML Browser Application File
231 .XBF XAML Binary File
232 .XML XML File
233 .XOML Windows Workflow File
234 .XSC Visual Studio Dataset Internal Info File
235 .XSD XML Schema Definition
236 .XSLT XSL Transformation File
237 .XSS XML Style Sheet
238 .XSX Visual Studio XML Schema Layout File
239 .Y Yacc Source File

Updated: March 16, 2020

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