Pin DataTips in Visual Studio 2010
While debugging in Visual Studio 2010, I noticed that the DataTip now has a new feature. At the right hand side of the variable window, there is now a pin icon.
Clicking on this pin icon adds the DataTip to the code window allowing it to float over the existing text.
In addition to allowing you to drill into the variable’s values as you would in the watch, locals, or autos windows, You can also add comments which remain with the pinned DataTip.
When you stop debugging, the DataTip will disappear. However when you debug into this method again, it will re-appear as long as it is pinned. As a bonus, it will persist even after closing and re-opening Visual Studio.
While Visual Studio 2010 definitely has some rough edges, I continue to be amazed by some of the new UX features that the next version will bring.
While I see some value in this, I would hate to have to maintain an application that is commented only when the application is being debugged. Comments you can't see are useless to you when you need to read through the code and understand what it is doing.
I understand that these comments are probably quick throwaway comments, but from my experience, quick and throwaway usually means long term and unmaintainable.
I would feel better if these comments appear in the comments window and can be searched or sorted, deleted from a list view, etc. so that they are not just floating somewhere in the ether waiting to be discovered.
Christian
ChristianPena (Posted on 11/18/2009 1:02:00 PM)