Visual Studio facts for kids
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Screenshot of Visual Studio 2022, editing the source code of a Python program, with a command prompt in which the code is executed
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| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
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| Stable release |
2022 17.11.0
 / 13 August 2024 |
| Preview release |
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| Written in | |
| Operating system |
Main Windows Versions
Windows Server Versions
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| Available in | 13 languages |
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List of languages
Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish and Turkish
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| Type | Integrated development environment |
| License | Freemium |
Visual Studio is a powerful computer program made by Microsoft. It's like a special workshop for creating other computer programs. This includes things like websites, mobile apps, and different kinds of software.
Visual Studio helps developers build programs for Microsoft platforms. It can create programs that run directly on a computer or ones that need a special environment to work.
This software comes with a code editor. This editor helps you write code and even suggests how to complete your code as you type. It also has tools to make your code better and easier to understand.
There's also a built-in tool called a debugger. This helps you find and fix mistakes in your code. Visual Studio also has tools to help you design the look of apps, create websites, and manage databases. You can add extra tools to Visual Studio to make it do even more!
Visual Studio supports many programming languages, like C#, C++, Visual Basic .NET, JavaScript, and HTML. You can also add support for other languages like Python using special add-ons.
The most basic version, called the Community edition, is free. It's designed for students, open-source projects, and individual developers. The latest version is Visual Studio 2022.
Contents
What can Visual Studio do?
Visual Studio has many features to help you build computer programs. Let's explore some of the main ones.
Writing and editing code
Visual Studio has a smart code editor. This editor helps you write code by:
- Highlighting different parts of your code in different colors. This makes it easier to read.
- Suggesting ways to complete your code as you type. This feature is called IntelliSense. It helps you remember variable names, functions, and more.
- Letting you quickly jump to different parts of your code using bookmarks.
- Hiding blocks of code so you can focus on what you're working on.
- Allowing you to search for text or patterns in your code.
- Providing "code snippets," which are small pieces of code you can quickly insert.
- Helping you reorganize your code to make it cleaner and more efficient.
Finding and fixing mistakes
Visual Studio includes a debugger. This is a super important tool for finding and fixing problems in your code.
- It can pause your program at specific points, called breakpoints. This lets you check what's happening step-by-step.
- You can watch the values of your variables change as the program runs.
- It works for many different types of programs and languages.
- You can even make small changes to your code while it's paused for debugging.
- If your program crashes, the debugger can help you figure out why.
Designing apps visually
Visual Studio has visual designers that help you create the look of your applications without writing all the code by hand.
- Windows Forms Designer: This helps you build apps for Windows with buttons, text boxes, and other controls. You can drag and drop these items onto your app's window.
- WPF Designer: Introduced in Visual Studio 2008, this designer helps create modern user interfaces for Windows apps. It also uses drag and drop.
- Web Designer: This tool lets you design web pages by dragging and dropping elements. It supports HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Class Designer: You can use this to draw out how different parts of your program (called classes) connect to each other. It can even create basic code for you.
- Data Designer: This helps you design how your program stores and organizes information in databases.
Other helpful tools
Visual Studio has many other tools to help you manage your projects.
- Properties Editor: This tool lets you change settings for different parts of your app.
- Object Browser: This helps you explore all the different pieces of code available in your project.
- Solution Explorer: This shows you all the files and resources that make up your program. It helps you keep everything organized.
- Team Explorer: If you're working with a team, this tool helps you share code and track tasks using Azure DevOps.
- Data Explorer: This tool helps you manage databases, especially those from Microsoft SQL Server.
- Server Explorer: This lets you connect to and manage services on other computers.
- Text Generation Framework: This tool can create text files automatically from special templates.
- Visual Studio Tools for Office: This helps you create programs that work with Microsoft Office applications like Word or Excel.
Testing your code
Visual Studio has tools to help you make sure your code works correctly.
- Unit testing: This lets you test small parts of your code to make sure they do what they're supposed to.
- Live Unit Testing: This runs tests automatically as you write code, giving you instant feedback.
- Code coverage analysis: This shows you how much of your code is actually being tested.
Adding new features (Extensibility)
Developers can create their own additions, called extensions, for Visual Studio. These extensions can add new commands, tools, or even support for new programming languages.
- Extensions can be simple "macros" that automate tasks.
- More complex "add-ins" can interact with Visual Studio's tools.
- The most powerful extensions, called "packages," can create completely new designers and tools.
- Microsoft also offers the Visual Studio Shell, which lets people create their own custom versions of the IDE.
- The Visual Studio Gallery is an online store where developers can share and download extensions.
What products does Visual Studio support?
Visual Studio works with many different Microsoft programming products.
- Microsoft Visual C++: This helps you write programs using the C and C++ languages. These programs often run very fast.
- Microsoft Visual C#: This is Microsoft's version of the C# language. It's very popular for building many kinds of applications for Windows and the web.
- Microsoft Visual Basic: This helps you quickly build applications using the VB.NET language. It's great for creating both simple and complex programs.
- Microsoft Visual Web Developer: This tool is used to build websites and web applications using ASP.NET.
- Azure DevOps: This is a set of tools for teams to work together on software projects. It helps with managing code, planning tasks, and tracking progress.
Older products
Visual Studio has evolved over time. Some older products that were once part of Visual Studio include:
- Visual FoxPro: An older language focused on databases.
- Visual SourceSafe: An older system for managing changes to code. It has been replaced by Azure DevOps.
- Visual J++/J#: Microsoft's versions of the Java language, which were later discontinued.
- Visual InterDev: An older tool for creating web applications, replaced by Visual Web Developer.
Different versions (Editions)
Visual Studio comes in different versions, or "editions," each with different features.
Community edition
This version was released in 2014 and is free to use. It has many of the same features as the Professional edition.
- It supports many programming languages.
- You can use extensions with it.
- Individual developers, students, and open-source projects can use it for free.
- Small companies (with fewer than 250 employees and less than $1 million USD in yearly revenue) can use up to 5 copies for free. Larger companies need a paid license.
Professional edition
This is the main paid version of Visual Studio.
- It provides a complete environment for all supported programming languages.
- It includes tools for editing XML and XSLT.
- It can create installation packages for your applications.
- It integrates with Microsoft SQL Server databases.
Enterprise edition
This is the most complete version. It includes all the features of the Professional edition, plus many advanced tools for:
- Software development
- Database development
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Measuring code quality
- Testing applications
- Creating reports
History of Visual Studio
Visual Studio has been around for a long time, constantly changing and improving.
| Product name | Code name | Release date | Version number |
Latest update version | Latest update date | Support ends | Supported .NET Framework (no add-on) |
Supported .NET (formerly .NET Core) (no add-on) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Studio 97 | Boston | March 19, 1997 | 5.0 | Service Pack 3 | December 4, 1997 | June 30, 2003 | N/A | N/A |
| Visual Studio 6.0 | Aspen | September 2, 1998 | 6.0 | Service Pack 6 | March 29, 2004 | September 30, 2005 | N/A | N/A |
| Visual Studio .NET (2002) | Rainier | February 13, 2002 | 7.0 | Service Pack 1 | March 8, 2005 | July 14, 2009 | 1.0 | N/A |
| Visual Studio .NET 2003 | Everett | April 24, 2003 | 7.1 | Service Pack 1 | August 15, 2006 | October 8, 2013 | 1.1 | N/A |
| Visual Studio 2005 | Whidbey | November 7, 2005 | 8.0 | Service Pack 1 | December 15, 2006 | April 12, 2016 | 2.0 | N/A |
| Visual Studio 2008 | Orcas | November 19, 2007 | 9.0 | Service Pack 1 | August 11, 2008 | April 10, 2018 | 2.0, 3.0, 3.5 | N/A |
| Visual Studio 2010 | Dev10 | April 12, 2010 | 10.0 | Service Pack 1 | March 10, 2011 | July 14, 2020 | 2.0–4.0 | N/A |
| Visual Studio 2012 | Dev11 | September 12, 2012 | 11.0 | Update 5 | August 24, 2015 | January 10, 2023 | 2.0–4.5 | N/A |
| Visual Studio 2013 | Dev12 | October 17, 2013 | 12.0 | Update 5 | July 20, 2015 | April 9, 2024 | 2.0–4.5.1 | N/A |
| Visual Studio 2015 | Dev14 | July 20, 2015 | 14.0 | Update 3 | June 27, 2016 | October 14, 2025 | 2.0–4.6.1 | 1.0 |
| Visual Studio 2017 | Dev15 | March 7, 2017 | 15.0 | 15.9.60 | February 13, 2024 | April 13, 2027 | 3.5–4.7.2 | 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 2.1 |
| Visual Studio 2019 | Dev16 | April 2, 2019 | 16.0 | 16.11.39 | August 13, 2024 | April 10, 2029 | 3.5–4.8 | 2.1, 2.2, 3.0, 3.1, 5.0 |
| Visual Studio 2022 | Dev17 | November 8, 2021 | 17.0 | 17.11.1 | August 20, 2024 | January 13, 2032 | 3.5, 4.6–4.8.1 | 2.1, 3.1, 5.0–8.0 |
Visual Studio 97
The very first Visual Studio was released in 1997. It brought together many of Microsoft's programming tools for the first time. It included tools for Java and for creating dynamic websites.
Visual Studio 6.0 (1998)
Released in 1998, this version was the last to support older Windows systems like Windows 9x. It was a very important version that set the stage for future releases.
Visual Studio .NET (2002)
In 2002, Microsoft introduced Visual Studio .NET. The biggest change was that it started using the .NET Framework. Programs made with .NET are compiled into a special format that can run on different platforms. This was also when the new C# programming language was introduced.
Visual Studio .NET 2003
A small update came in 2003. This version was the first to support making programs for mobile devices.
Visual Studio 2005
Released in 2005, this version dropped ".NET" from its name but still focused on the .NET Framework. It added many new features, like better support for web services and improved database tools. It also started to support 64-bit systems.
Visual Studio 2008
Released in 2007, Visual Studio 2008 focused on building apps for Windows Vista and the web. It included new visual designers and tools for analyzing code. It also made it easier to debug programs that do many things at once.
Visual Studio 2010
Released in 2010, this version completely redesigned the look of Visual Studio. It made the interface cleaner and easier to use, especially with multiple screens. It also added support for the F# programming language and new tools for parallel programming.
Visual Studio 2012
Released in 2012, this version added support for new Windows features like WinRT. It also improved the code editor with better syntax coloring and reference highlighting.
Visual Studio 2013
Released in 2013, this version added support for Windows 8.1. It also brought updates that improved performance and fixed issues.
Visual Studio 2015
Released in 2015, this was the first version to support Windows 10. It also included many updates for different programming languages and tools.
Visual Studio 2017
Released in 2017, this version focused on performance improvements and new features for modern app development. It added support for .NET Core and Docker.
Visual Studio 2019
Released in 2019, this version was the first to support Windows 11. It also brought many improvements to the development experience.
Visual Studio 2022
Released in 2021, Visual Studio 2022 is the first version to run as a 64-bit program. This means it can use more computer memory, which helps with very large projects. It supports Windows 10 and newer versions.
Related products
Microsoft has other products that work closely with Visual Studio.
Azure DevOps Services
This is a cloud-based service that helps teams work together on software projects. It includes tools for managing code, planning tasks, and testing. It's like a central hub for your development team.
Visual Studio Application Lifecycle Management
This is a collection of tools that help manage the entire process of creating software, from planning to testing and releasing. It supports teamwork, agile methods, and automated testing.
Visual Studio Lab Management
This tool helps testers create and manage virtual environments for testing software. It makes it easier to set up and reproduce testing scenarios.
Visual Studio LightSwitch
This was a special tool for quickly building business applications. It was designed to make it easy to create apps that connect to databases. Microsoft no longer recommends it for new projects.
Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a free and open-source code editor. It's lighter than the full Visual Studio and runs on Linux, Mac, and Windows. It's very popular for writing code and includes features like debugging and Git control.
Visual Studio Team System Profiler
This tool helps developers analyze how well their programs are performing. It can show where a program is using a lot of computer resources, helping to make it faster and more efficient.
Images for kids
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The default start page of Visual Studio .NET 2002, running on Windows XP
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Default start page of Visual Studio .NET 2003 running on Windows XP
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Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2 Team Suite installation disc
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Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 logo
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Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 logo
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Visual Studio 2019 icon
[[Category:Microsoft Visual Studio|]]
See also
In Spanish: Microsoft Visual Studio para niños
