Visual Studio 2013 12th version Integrated Development Environment from Microsoft. It was released on October 17th, 2013 with the code name Dev12. Visual Studio 2013 can be used to produce native codes as well as managed codes on several Windows programming platforms including Windows API, Windows Store, Windows Presentation Foundation, etc.

Enhancements made to Visual Studio 2013 from 2012

Visual Studio 2013 comes with a range of new features that erstwhile 2012 version lacked. Some of them are outlined as below:

Additional C++ Features

Improved support for ISO C/C++ Standards:

• Core language
• Standard Template Library
• C99 Libraries

Visual C++ library enhancements:

• C++ REST SDK (Casablanca)
• C++ AMP texture support
• PPL task debugging
• Improved C++ application performance
• Enhancements for Windows Store app development

Additions to JavaScript editor

Go To Definition for namespaces

Users can open the namespace shortcut menu and use the Go To Definition to examine the line where the namespace is defined.

Identifier highlighting

When you select an identifier (for example, a variable, parameter, or function name) in your source code, all uses of that identifier in your source code are highlighted.

Deprecation notes in IntelliSense

If a Windows API element has been deprecated in Windows 8.1, IntelliSense tooltips identify it as "[deprecated]".

Launch of Azure websites made easier

In the previous versions of Visual Studio, to publish a website in VS, users had to open the Azure portal, create a website there and then publish it in VS. In Visual Studio 2013 there is an internal provision to publish an Azure website from within. Users no longer have to open the Azure portal. However, to be able to do this, Azure SDK 2.2 must be installed and connected to Azure properly.

Live debugging in Azure

Once the website is published in the Azure portal, users can verify the codes line by line as if it is located within their local machine itself. The published website for live debugging can be located at Server Explorer -> Windows Azure -> Websites -> right click on the desired website and click on Attach Debugger to initiate lice debugging.

64-bit Edit and Continue

While debugging, developers often used to bump into a dialog box that prevented them from making changes to 64-bit applications. In Visual Studio 2015, there is an inbuilt option to edit the applications to 64-bit and continue as it is. With the edition, the dialog box will not be seen anymore and developers can continue debugging the application without any restrictions.

The edit and continue option also helps the developers to:

• Quickly get over bugs without being slowed down
• Targeted correction of bugs without having to restart the entire application
• Large scale projects debugging and editions made easier.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 provides developers with several enhancements that save time and labor. Equip yourselves with complete knowledge of how Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 works with professional training.