Microsoft .NET Development Tools

VIsual Studio is not the only .NET development tool.working with laptop image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com

Microsoft's .NET platform consists of the .NET framework and Visual Studio, Microsoft's Integrated Development Environment. Developers use Visual Studio to create Web and desktop applications using C#, Visual Basic.NET and other programming languages. Third-party developers provide a rich assortment of additional tools that simplify a developer's job and increase productivity.

Visual Studio

You can create a .NET application using Notepad. However, most developers use Microsoft Visual Studio. Packed with an array of editors, toolboxes, templates and intelligent code assistance (IntelliSense), Visual Studio is the primary development tool used by .NET developers. Microsoft has a light version of the software called Visual Studio Express that users can download for free. As of May 2010, the latest version of the product was Visual Studio 2010.

No application is complete until a developer has thoroughly tested it. Some developers wait until a project is finished before testing---NUnit enables them to test the functionality of units of code as they develop them. NUnit also supports the retesting of existing software after developers create new versions. The program integrates with Visual Studio and functions independently as a stand-alone testing module. NUnit has an Open Source license, and developers can download it at no charge.

CodeSmith writes code for you. Developers have used code-generation software for years to handle the repetitive, cookie-cutter tasks associated with programming. CodeSmith is a popular code generator that interfaces with the .NET Visual Studio IDE. The program includes templates, but developers can create their own customized templates to automate repetitive tasks. One popular CodeSmith function is its regular expression search routine. Regular expressions make text searches faster and more efficient. Using CodeSmith, developers can search an online regular expression library from within Visual Studio.

Snippet Compiler makes it possible for .NET developers to execute tiny snippets of code without having to create an entire project within Visual Studio. By default, code cannot run inside Visual Studio unless it's running inside a class located inside a project. Snippet Compiler is an excellent tool for prototyping small programs or demonstrating ideas to others.

Visual Studio Color Theme Editor enables .NET developers to liven up their forms, menus and toolbars. Every element in a .NET application has a set of properties that developers can adjust. Themes are collections of property settings that developers update to change the look of groups of Web pages. Color Theme Editor simplifies the task of managing those themes.