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How to navigate around the VS dotNET IDE

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This topic expects that you have already installed VS.NET. See how to install VS.NET.

To navigate around the VS.NET IDE

The Microsoft Development Environment Graphical User Interface

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Solution Explorer Window

Solution Explorer provides you with an organized hierarchical tree view of your projects and their files showing the logical relationship of the solution to projects and solution items. A solution shown in bold font indicates that the option to run multiple projects when the debugger starts is enabled. A project shown in bold font is selected as the Startup Project for running and debugging purposes. Only buttons specific to the item selected in the list appear on the Solution Explorer toolbar.
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Contents Window

With the Contents window, you can browse a tree view display of the Help collections installed on your system and navigate to specific topics in those collections. Select a filter for narrowing the scope of topics included in the Contents, Index, and Search windows. Only filters for the current Help collection appear in the list and not all Help collections offer filters. Use the previous topic and next topic arrow keys on the Web bar to move vertically through the TOC. Use the Sync Contents button on the Web bar to open the Contents window and highlight the currently displayed topic's location in the TOC.
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Index Window

The Index Window displays the alphabetical list of keywords associated with topics in the selected filtered Help collections. The filter reduces the documentation set based on the categories and values selected for the filter. Select a filter for narrowing the scope of topics included in the Contents, Index, and Search windows. Only filters for the current Help collection appear in the list and not all Help collections offer filters.
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Search Window

The Search Window provides the facility for a filtered full-text search to locate every occurrence of a word or phrase in the currently selected help collections. Select a filter for narrowing the scope of topics included in the Contents, Index, and Search windows. Only filters for the current Help collection appear in the list and not all Help collections offer filters.
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Properties Window

The Properties window is used to view and change the design-time properties and events of selected objects that are located in editors and designers. The Properties window displays different types of editing fields, depending on the needs of a particular property. These edit fields include edit boxes, drop-down lists, and links to custom editor dialog boxes.
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Dynamic Help Window

Displays one or more Help topics and provides basic navigation between topics. The Dynamic Help window provides links to information based on the portion of the integrated development environment (IDE) that currently has focus. Typically, the links that appear are related to the current task you are trying to accomplish or the current portion of the IDE that you are using.
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Favorites Window

The Favorites window displays the current logged in user's IE favorites list consisting of links to topics that have been previously saved to their favorites list.
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Document Window
The Document Window is the main topic display window in MS Developer Environment IDE. Displays one or more Help topics allowing open multiple document windows at the same time. The title of each window's topic is shown on a tab attached to each overlapping document window.

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Results Window

Displays the results of full-text or index searches, and allows you to sort these results based on their rank, Help topic title, or the location of the Help file that contains the information.

You can change the appearance and behavior of the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE) in many ways. For customization techniques, see the VS.NET IDE help.

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See Also

Lotech Solutions' Tips, Tricks, and Procedures | What is XML Help | How to create an XML Help project

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