Visual Studio Settings

Visual Studio has multitudinous settings and it is not always easy to find the ones you use.  So today, I am going to start a reference, for myself, of where to find the less-than-obvious settings that I like to use whenever I am starting with a fresh install of VS:

Have the open file shown in Solution Explorer:

• Tools -> Options -> Projects and Solutions -> Track Active Item in Solution Explorer

Show line numbers:

• Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> C# -> General -> Line Numbers

Document tabs listed vertically to the left:

• Tools -> Options -> Productivity Power Tools -> Document Tab Well -> General -> Tab Well UI: Show Tabs vertically

Disable document float on tab double-click:

• Tools -> Options -> Productivity Power Tools -> Document Tab Well -> Advanced Options -> Floating Tab Well: Enable float on double-click
  

Switch the document scroll bar to Map Mode (shows text at the scroll bar location) or Full Map Mode (shows entire document)

• Tools -> Options -> Productivity Power Tools -> Document Tab Well -> Enhanced Scroll Bar -> Display Mode
• or right click on the scroll bar
  

Additions to the Standard Toolbar:

• Tools -> Customize -> Commands -> Toolbar: Standard -> Add Command… -> Categories: Edit, Commands: Outline Collapse To Definitions
• Tools -> Customize -> Commands -> Toolbar: Standard -> Add Command… -> Categories: Edit, Commands: Outline Toggle All

Make the Brace Matching and begin-end constructs pop-out:

• Tools -> Options-> Commands -> Environment->Fonts and Colors (sic) -> Brace Matching (Rectangle): change the background colour to Lime

I’ll keep adding to this as more of these come to mind.