This will save you time because you will never have to set Left or Top properties or use the Format > Align menu option to ensure controls are lined up correctly. This feature provides visual confirmation that controls are horizontally or vertically aligned ( Figure 2). The new snap lines feature will be the next feature you notice. Figure 1: The Toolbox is organized into sections. Controls are grouped according to function into categories including Common Controls, Containers, Menus & Toolbars, and Data, to name a few ( Figure 1). A reorganized Toolbox will be one of the things you notice when you create your first Visual Studio 2005 Windows Form application. The Visual Studio IDE and Windows Form teams have been busy adding or improving features that increase your productivity. I chose to code the samples in Visual Basic and I am sure that will not adversely hamper a C# programmer from learning about the new Windows Form features in Visual Studio 2005. This article touches on some of the new enhancements made to the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE), new controls, and new components. Of course Web-based applications will always have their place on the Internet, but I think the pendulum is about to swing back in favor of developing rich, user-centric, Windows applications for internal corporate applications. For more information, see “ClickOnce: Bringing Ease and Reliability to Smart Client Deployment” by Patrick Darragh in this issue of CoDe Magazine. Microsoft has addressed the Windows application deployment issue with the new ClickOnce technology introduced with Visual Studio 2005. I think the pendulum is about to swing back in favor of developing rich, user-centric, Windows applications for internal corporate applications. For years now, IT departments have been willing to sacrifice the user experience in order to take advantage of the deployment advantages offered by Web-based applications. Web-based applications have had the upper hand primarily because they are easier to deploy. It is no secret that Windows applications provide a richer and better user experience than Web-based applications. Part of what makes working with Windows Forms so exciting these days is Microsoft’s renewed emphasis on smart client development. However, that cliché accurately communicates the idea that building Windows Forms applications in Visual Studio 2005 is better, makes you more productive, and provides you with more fun than doing the same in Visual Studio 2003, not to mention VB6! “Don’t do it! Don’t do it!” the little voice in my head shouted as I contemplated using the worn out cliché “Good things come to those who wait” to describe the experience of designing Windows applications with Visual Studio 2005.
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