Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Development

    Microsoft Offers Bing Code Search for Visual Studio, Updates App Studio

    By
    Darryl K. Taft
    -
    February 21, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Microsoft recently released a new Bing Code Search Add-in for Visual Studio 2013 that makes it easier for developers to search across community Websites.

      The Bing Code Search extension facilitates developers searching across several community Websites—including MSDN, StackOverflow, Dotnetperls and CSharp411—without having to switch to a browser.

      In addition, it customizes the snippets it finds with the variables a developer is working with in their own code, essentially automating the process of customizing the sample code and making it ready to drop right into what the developer is working on. As a result, developers stay “in the zone” and focused on their code, improving their productivity.

      Developers can download the extension for free from the Visual Studio DevLabs.

      Bing Code Search works solely for C# solutions, but Microsoft is looking at ways to generalize the approach to more languages, said Ala Shiban, Microsoft’s program manager for Visual Studio Editor, in a blog post on the add-in.

      “Visual Studio, Bing and Microsoft Research have teamed up to deliver a DevLabs experience that takes code search to the next level,” Shiban said. “When you find yourself looking for a code-sample that you could leverage for a task, you can trigger the new Bing Code Search experience directly from IntelliSense.”

      Shiban added that this new technology implementation “can use virtually the entire web as its source. However, we found that partnering with a few of the top web sites where some of the richest code examples live was more than sufficient in uncovering answers for many of the top user tasks, and it allows us to focus our efforts.”

      Microsoft also updated its Windows Phone App Studio Beta tool. Windows Phone App Studio Beta is an easy-to-use tool to help hobbyists, enthusiasts and new developers create content-based apps from end to end, all within a Web UI, said Emilio Salvador Prieto of the Windows Phone team in a blog post.

      To date, 350,000 developers of all skill levels have used Windows Phone App Studio Beta, resulting in 300,000 projects and 20,000 apps published to the Windows Phone Store, Prieto said.

      Microsoft released a significant update to the tool, including a redesigned UI. “We looked at the most-used actions and streamlined the workflow, so the tasks you do most often are faster and easier to execute,” Prieto said. Microsoft has provided a touch-enabled UI to help support users’ App Studio development work on a variety of form factors and browsers.

      The update also features a rebuilt emulator, which now supports dynamic text updates, so developers can see their changes on the fly. Plus, it features image conversion from JPG to PNG, full-screen image rotation, and a more fluid integration of sections and data sources, increasing the usability of apps. In addition, the update features new templates for businesses, for building apps quickly that showcase company and product information.

      Microsoft said business owners are using Windows Phone App Studio to build their own apps to connect with their customers and spread the word about their products and services.

      Moreover, when hobbyists or beginner developers become comfortable with the tool and are ready to add advanced programming features, Windows Phone App Studio generates source code—a feature no other app-builder tool provides, Microsoft said. The new update provides the ability to generate a full Microsoft Visual Studio project containing both a Windows Phone and a Windows 8 version of an app, to make the app available through the Windows Store on Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices.

      Darryl K. Taft
      Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×