Windows App Development

Universal Windows apps One platform, one store Use your favorite language–C#, VB, C++ or JavaScript–to deliver amazing apps across the broadest set of Windows devices including PC, mobile, Xbox, HoloLens, IoT, and Surface Hub.

  Opportunity One platform, many devices Windows 10 opens up new revenue opportunities, providing a unified store to reach every device running Windows 10. Windows runs on a single, unified core across devices – mobile, desktop, Xbox, or elsewhere. You can reach them all with one codebase and adapt it at runtime as needed.  

Leverage expertise C#, VB, C++, HTML, JavaScript Leverage your existing skills in C#, Visual Basic, C++, and HTML/JS to take advantage of the power of Windows 10 to build the next generation of apps.

Code with confidence Get help right where you need it Get code completion assistance that helps you learn more about the code you’re using, keep track of the parameters you’re typing, and add calls to properties and methods with just a few keystrokes. Choose from a list of code completion suggestions that appear as you type, seeing quick info on each suggestion before you insert it. These suggestions help you complete the rest of variables, commands, and function names quickly and accurately.

Navigate in context Don’t lose your place as you explore Finding your way around in a large code base can be challenging. Visual Studio helps you find your way around more easily, without losing the context of the code or the markup you started from, with capabilities like Peek to definition, and the improved GoTo which lets you filter down easily, and choose to look just for one kind of item. Find All References lets you easily group, filter, and search within your results, and keep as many result sets as you like. Enhanced Scrollbar’s 10,000 foot structural view of your code file lets you quickly pinpoint issues, and Structure Visualizer means you always know where you are in your code’s block structure. See the object structure of your code easily with inline object browsing in the Solution Explorer, and quickly search for files in your solution.

Fix issues quickly Get to the heart of issues and find fixes Light bulb icons alert you to common coding issues so you can take quick actions to fix them as you type. Easily refactor, generate, or modify code with a single action. Find all issues in the Error List One stop shop for all your code related issues Error List is your “one-stop-shop” for navigating and correcting code-related issues in your solution, whatever their source from compile and build to code analysis issues. Some languages support live custom “Analyzers” to spot domain-specific issues as you type. Use advanced filtering to focus on the problem, navigate to it, and make your fix. Click Code Link or press F1 on an error to search for web content to help resolve your issues.

Refactor with ease Let the IDE take the strain As your project grows, chances are you’ll find yourself restructuring and refactoring code that you or someone else wrote earlier. That’s a whole lot easier when Visual Studio takes care of the heavy lifting for you. Several languages, including C#, VB and now C++, support powerful built-in refactoring options such extract method, and rename, via the Quick Actions menu in the Visual Studio Editor.

Perfect screen layout …wherever you’re working! Got a favorite screen layout for working on your multi-monitor desktop, and another you use for your laptop? No problem! Now you can save and apply custom screen layouts that work great for particular machines or tasks.