Microsoft has released Visual Studio 2022 17.9 Preview 2, the last release concluding development efforts for 2023. This update builds upon the foundation provided by Preview 1 in November. Preview 2 brings improvements and new features regarding C++, .NET MAUI, Remote Linux Unit Testing, Teams Toolkit and many more.
Regarding C++, notable improvements have been made to the #include Diagnostics. This enhancement ensures a more robust functionality, allowing developers to visualize the frequency of each #include directive in their code.
As explained specific references can be explored by clicking on the reference count atop the directive, and developers can navigate to any reference by a simple double-click. Furthermore, this feature extends to reveal the compilation time of #include directives post Build Insights, providing valuable insights into the codebase.
Another significant addition is the Auto Surround with Quotes or Brackets feature, enhancing productivity. Developers can now simply enclose a selection with bracket delimiters, including double quotes, single quotes, and parentheses. This feature can be toggled on or off through the Text Editor settings under Tools > Options inside Visual Studio.
The .NET MAUI development experience receives a boost with the introduction of the Live Property Explorer (LPE). This tool is designed to simplify development, allowing developers to inspect XAML properties while debugging. Live Property Explorer can be used in conjunction with XAML Live Preview and Live Visual Tree, providing a good solution for debugging, performance optimization, and property investigation.
To access the Live Property Explorer, developers need to start debugging their .NET MAUI app and navigate to Debug > Windows > Live Property Explorer. Once launched, the Live Property Explorer provides developers a way to explore and edit properties in a real-time during runtime.
(Usage of Live Property Explorer, Source: Visual Studio Release Notes)
As reported, responding to user feedback, Visual Studio 2022 now supports remote Linux unit testing. This enhancement enables the execution of unit tests for C++ projects targeting Linux on WSL or remote systems in the Test Explorer. Regarding the limitations it is stated that there are some with certain dev container scenarios which are planned to be fixed by 17.9 Preview 3.
(Usage of Remote Linux Unit Testing, Source: Visual Studio 17.9 Preview 2 Announcement Blog Post)
Other significant updates in this release include improvements in SQL/SSDT, such as the removal of the red warning icon for Username in ADDefaultAuthentication. Additionally, three new authentication types have been introduced: ActiveDirectoryManagedIdentity, ActiveDirectoryServicePrincipal, and ActiveDirectoryDefault aligning with Subsystem standards. Also, standard bug fixes and performance improvements have been implemented in this domain.
Visual Studio Enterprise and Professional Subscribers will now see a new Benefit Awareness Diamond icon next to the identity picker in the upper right corner of the Visual Studio IDE. As reported, this feature is designed to provide easy access to information about included benefits and facilitate updates for paid subscribers in the future.
Regarding productivity, the Git Repository Window, branch and tag labels now resize dynamically for improved visibility in the Git graph, offering a more user-friendly experience for developers.
Lastly, in the Microsoft Teams Toolkit improvements now include support for selecting the dotnet framework version in toolkit templates. Additionally, toolkit templates offer preview and debug capabilities for Outlook and Office.com, expanding the toolkit's capabilities and compatibility.
(Creating a new Teams app with dotnet framework options, Source: Visual Studio Release Notes)
Microsoft and the development team encourage users to provide feedback and share suggestions for new features and improvements, emphasizing their commitment to constantly enhancing the Visual Studio experience.
Lastly, developers interested in learning more about this and other releases of Visual Studio can visit release notes about other updates, changes, and new features around the Visual Studio 2022 IDE.