Visual Studio 2013 is released- whats new in it?

The launch of the recent version of VS 2013 is aimed for developers. The version has many improvements in user interface and a whole lot of smarter tools which make the using of this software a pleasure. Visual Studio Online has been launched as well which has development services that run on Windows Azure and focus on support for Azure, agile team collaboration and Application Lifecycle Management.

CodeMap- Visual Debugging- During debugging sessions in Visual, there is an option known as Code Map which is found in debug toolbar. When you click this in Debug mode a window will open showing the execution flow’s visual representation. This window can be called Visual Call Stack, showing invoked method sequences. This debug toll will help out in the better visualization of code structure and the debugging pace will speed up as well. Existing codes can be grasped easily by newcomers as well. Other things that can be done are adding comments, grouping items, highlighting references to method box, changing colors of method boxes, etc.

Roaming settings- This is a cant-miss feature as during the launch of the studio you will be prompted to sign-in with live.com, hotmail.com or any other Microsoft account. After signing in your settings will be synced with the Microsoft account. When using the studio on some other computer, using that account for signing in will lead you to find the very same settings that you had applied. So, there is no need to waste time in configuration if you are using different computers.

Browser link- Close to Start command there is an icon which hosts a brand new feature known as Browser Link which provides you with two-way links between your browsers and Visual Studio. The basic functionality is allowing the refreshing of browser window running the web application within the studio.

UI Icons- Contrary to the previous versions which used blacks and whites mostly, the new version is lot more colorful. Some icons have been replaced with colorful icons.

Notifications and feedback- Feedback related to the product can now be easily given to Microsoft just by using a simple flag-like icon. The area beside the icon shows things like notifications related to product updates, etc. when you click the icon a separate pane will open which contains all the notifications in a list.

CodeLens- Information from Team Foundation Server 2013 and project metadata is used by CodeLens for placing of decorators on each information showing methods the code has. You will be able to get all sorts of data and information and you can even jump quickly into data like referenced codefile or last person to have worked on the code, etc by just clicking on it.

Peek Definition– The Peek definition feature is a new one that makes the entire coding experience in the studio an enhanced one. It enables developers to edit and view code definitions that are there in other files- all this without any lose of context. Developers can have an option to view inline the file that defines the target symbol as part of current document.

Agile Portfolio management- Visual Studio gives a team the option of managing work in portfolio backlog providing insights into projects that are spread across several other agile teams with the help of this feature.

Kanban board- Development teams can now take advantage of Kanban board for tasks related to planning, tracking of a project’s flow and managing of tasks. Insight into various tasks’ flow is provided by the iteration board which are related to bugs and product backlog items.

The newly released version of Visual Studio 2013 is packed with features which has marked the start of a new era of Visual Studio. You can hire developers from top ASP.NET web development companies in India who can help you build web applications within allocated budgets and time schedules.

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Top Things Web Developers should Know about the Visual Studio 2013 Release

With Microsoft releasing the Visual Studio 2013, there is a lot of speculation among the developers regarding the usage of the new features that come with this highly integrated development platform. Now, the integrated development environment, by virtue of several of its features such as that of CodeLens and so on, promises higher level of productivity and more efficient way of work. Having said that, the developers must learn about the most important things about this integrated development environment in order to be able to make the most out of it. Here is a quick overview of the top things the developers must know regarding the release of the VS 2013.

• Though a basic aspect, many are unaware of the fact that the VS 2013 is actually available for download on both the MSDN subscriber as well as the respective site.

• VS 2013 is integrated with the newest version of the ASP.NET, which further includes SignalR 2.0, ASP.NET MVC 5, Razor 3, Entity Framework 6 along with the ASP.NET Web API 2.

• This latest version of the integrated development environment works as a perfect editor for all kinds of web files such as CSS, HTML, JavaScript, LESS, Markdown, Handlebars, Angular, Knockdown and so on.

• The VS 2013 is also incorporated with a brand new identity system, new templates that are based on Bootstrap and a new scaffolding system. Developers must be aware about these core features in order to exploit the platform in the most desirable manner.

• The 2013 version installs simultaneously with that of the 2012 version and hence, facilitates easy round- tripping between the VS versions. Thus, developers are not required to commit to a switch for the purpose.

• The recent releases of ASP.NET put utmost focus upon One ASP.NET and this ensures that the web tools along with the core features work in very much the same manner across the various platforms.

While the above- mentioned points are certainly on top of the list of the most important things developers must know about the Visual Studio 2013, there are other features that are worth taking note of.

The VS 2013 has work item charting facility that enables developers to form charts rather quickly while also visualizing the data from the work item queries. In fact, various charts can be created such as that of the tasks, bugs and user stories from the work item queries.

Quite similarly, creation as well as management of the modern business applications becomes quite hassle- free with the newest version of the integrated environment. These applications extend the Office 365 experience and help people interact better with the artifacts, business processes and other systems.

Last but certainly not the least, the new version has a security feature called the ASP.NET Identity. This Identity system comes across as the new membership system for the different types of applications. The primary features of the identity system, some of which are mentioned below, are also important points to be considered by the developers all over:

• Social Login Providers

• Easy control over data storage

• Easy control of user and profile schemas

• Support for claims-based authentication

• Testability

Alongside the already mentioned features and characteristics of the Visual Studio 2013, there are many things that the developers are expected to know when it comes to exploiting this platform. The newest version of this integrated development environment is meant to be of several benefits though these advantages can be derived only by ensuring the perfect use of the same. Keeping track of the way the features work and then handling them is of immense necessity for the developers in this regard. You can hire developers from top ASP.NET web development companies in India who can help you build web applications within allocated budgets and time schedules.

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Why is Microsoft developing web apps?

The experience of using Microsoft Office can now be extended to your web browser with the use of Microsoft Office Web Apps which will enable you to work with your documents right on the document-storing website. These can be used personally in SkyDrive, on SharePoint sites by organizations installing and configuring the apps and they can also be used by businesses and professionals who have subscribed and selected the services of Office 365. Almost all widely used browsers support them.

Documents presenting information through collection of thoughts can be created by Microsoft Office and these documents are generally stored on computers or servers or removable storage device. But you can now store those documents in a new way so that viewing and editing them can be easily done in the browser with the help of these apps. This is in a way, almost as functional as Google Docs and according to analysts it is indeed aimed for countering the Docs in short term. However, there have been no clear long-term indications on the strategy for these apps.

It must be remembered that real-time collaboration made Docs popular and Office did not possess that feature. It is only recently that Microsoft has started to roll out enhancements to these apps which included collaborative real-time document editing. Before this you edit documents but the changes had to be saved first before they could be seen by others. With the introduction, Microsoft has to maintain a fine line between offering too much functionality and not offering enough so that it can compete well with Google.

The Web Apps are free of charges but Office 365 which is a subscription-based software service also include them. This collaboration acts as a defense against defections of customers to Google Apps which are mainly used for business purposes at $50 per year per user. On the other hand Office Web Apps and Office 365 plans cost around $60 annually for small businesses and $96 annually for larger firms. However, except as a counter for the Docs the main purpose behind the introduction is debatable as little has been done on the promotional front during its initial phases. In fact, few people knew about its existence.

It has been implied by officials of Microsoft that it has intentions of using the Web Apps eventually as substitute for Office. However, this implication is not feasible according to most experts as Office is an extremely powerful tool which acts as a pillar of a profitable business, a franchisee that generates a core revenue involving many other products as well. So the apps will no doubt be important but it will be better if they remained as complements to Office. According to some this step is to add more value, power and relevance to SharePoint. Others however argue that this step is to maintain the relevance of Office, especially for those consumers who have not installed Office. Those consumers may be prompted by browser-based programs to look for some more storage space which is sold by Microsoft as SkyDrive. This addition adds value to SkyDrive with some perhaps even becoming paid customers of it.

However, despite the many functions of these apps there are some problems associated with them which should be rectified. Word Web app should have auto-save feature ad not document-recovery feature. The connection problems should be fixed as well; there are times when the documents cannot be saved or during typing you find a problem with the spell-checker. There are a few other minor problems which when fixed will truly make the user-experience a memorable one and make them at par with Google Docs which seems to be the main competition.

You can hire developers from top ASP.NET application development companies in India who can help you build web apps within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide ASP.NET web development services. If you would like to speak to one of our expert ASP.NET developers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

ColdFusion Experiment Maybe Holds Promise … Possibly

Each business must stay tuned to the latest technological trends to optimize its online presence. In addition to improving user experience, some of these technologies are also effective in simplifying complex website development process. As a widely used rapid web application development platform, ColdFusion enables enterprises of all sizes to avail a set of innovative features and advantages. The J2EE certified technology can be used as a programming language as well as web server.

As the technology is compatible with major server operating systems, it becomes easier for ColdFusion programmers to build web applications using a language of their choice. Further, they can integrate the applications seamlessly with widely used component models and internet standards. At the same time, Adobe has launched the latest version of ColdFusion with innovative features to enhance the performance, efficiency and security of complex and content-driven web applications without putting any extra effort. On the whole, an enterprise can always consider adopting ColdFusion to rapidly build websites and internet applications.

Significant Reasons why Enterprises Needs to Adopt ColdFusion

Built-in Support for HTML5 : Within a very short span of time, HTML5 is being used by developers to build a variety of web applications including online games, social networks, ecommerce, enterprise dashboard and online collaboration. ColdFusion 10 is designed with built-in HTML5 support that makes it easier for developers to build these applications. They can instantly access HTML5 WebSockets to execute a point-to-point data push with real-time server response or to publish data to target multiple clients. At the same time, they can use the built-in CFCHART tag to access a large collection of interactive client-side HTML5 charts. Further, they have option to customize the charts developed based on Adobe Flash technology.

Easy to Build Mobile Apps : A large percentage of users, nowadays, access websites on their mobile devices. So each website or web application must be compatible with mobile devices to get more visitors. With built-in support for HTML5 and Representational State Transfer (REST) web services, ColdFusion makes it easier for developers to build robust mobile apps. The REST web service is designed with support for all HTTP methods along with XML and JSON serialization. So the developers have option to publish ColdFusion components as REST web service to build mobile application interfaces. Also, they can use the WebSockets to facilitate bidirectional and uninterrupted communication.

Enhanced Caching and Tomcat Integration : Adobe has upgraded ColdFusion by replacing Adobe JRun with an in-built Apache Tomcat application server. The server enables developers to cache specific portions of web pages that do not use updated data frequently, along with creating multiple caching regions dynamically. At the same time, the programmer can further avail the support of a large and active community of developers, while staying tuned to the regular security updated and recent web development standards.

Efficient Task Management : Each developer has to explore option to arrange and manage task according to the specific needs of the application. The innovative task management feature of ColdFusion 10 enables programmers to manage the tasks in an organized, scalable and granular way as required by the web application. Along with using application-specific tasks, the programmer also avail a set of related features like grouping, chaining and event handling.

Enhanced Security and Scalability : Along with deciding the best features and functionality for the internet application, developers also need to explore options to enhance its security and scalability. ColdFusion 10 allows programmers to easily enhance the scalability of their applications by creating and managing multiple instances in a virtual and clustered environment. At the same time, they also have options to avail built-in authentication and encryption options to protect their websites from cross-site requests forgery (CSRF) and cross-site scripting (CSX) by sanitizing and filtering the user input.

Adobe further allows enterprises to choose from three different editions of ColdFusion according to their specific needs and budget. The ColdFusion 10 Enterprise Edition is designed to help enterprises in developing and deploying multiple websites and internet applications on one or more web servers. At the same time, the ColdFusion 10 Standard Edition makes it easier for small and medium sized organizations to configure and manage a single application. An enterprise can further use the ColdFusion 10 Developer Edition as a full-featured server to develop a variety of websites and internet applications.

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