MSDN Magazine Launch Issue - February 15, 2008 - (Page 11) SQL Code Completion, Subversion Tools, Agile Development, and More JAMES AVERY port. When you type a table or column As a developer, it can be tough to switch name, it will automatically ensure languages. For instance, if you are usthat the name is properly cased. For ing Visual Basic .NET and need to write instance, vendoraddress will autosome C#, it can take time to remember matically be changed to VendorAddress. the equivalent C# syntax. Happily, Furthermore, when opening SQL files, it it’s rare that as developers using the is not uncommon for them to be formatMicrosoft .NET Framework we need to ted in strange ways (strange being any write both Visual Basic .NET and C# on a way other than how you like it); SqlAssist routine basis. There is another language provides a SQL formatting functionality we write in quite a bit—SQL. But unlike that will automatically reformat the file Visual Basic .NET and C#, both of which based on configurable options. provide IntelliSense to help us rememSqlAssist also provides a mechanism ber language keywords, Visual Studio to create and store SQL code snippets, 2005 and SQL Server Management called SQL templates. You can easily Studio don’t provide any clues at all. create templates for commonly used This is where SqlAssist comes to SQL or for headers, and then you can the rescue. There are two editions of drag them into your query when needed. SqlAssist that provide IntelliSense-like The Visual Studio add-in also provides code completion: one for Visual Studio excellent support for working with SQL 2005 and another for SQL Server files in Visual Studio. Simply open a Management Studio. SQL file and you will be able to connect The code completion in SqlAssist to your database, get the support of starts with basic SQL commands. For SqlAssist’s code completion, and exinstance, instead of typing FROM you ecute your script files. Since installing can simply type “f” and then press the SqlAssist, I haven’t found myself openTab key. It also includes support for daing SQL Server Management Studio tabase tables and columns (even when except for true administration tasks like they are aliased). In addition, SqlAssist attaching or detaching databases. includes support for local variables and Price: $49 per edition, $75 for both. roundpolygons.com displays parameter information when calling stored procedures or functions. But perhaps the most interesting code-completion feature occurs when you are writing a SQL statement and you start to write a join clause: you will see a list of the foreign keys for the table you are querying. Select a foreign key, and the join clause will be automatically added. SqlAssist also provides some valuable text editor sup- SqlAssist Provides Code Completion ® ® ® ® ® Get Help Writing SQL Subversion is an open-source sourcecontrol system that has grown in popularity over the past couple of years. It takes a simple and user-friendly approach to handling many of the common source-control features like branching, tagging, and merging. Subversion’s popularity is due to a number of factors: it is free and open source, it is easy to install and use, and it has excellent tools like TortoiseSVN. A Windows Explorer extension, TortoiseSVN gives you the ability to perform all of your sourcecontrol functions right in the standard Explorer window instead of relying on a separate tool. SourceForge has started providing Subversion hosting, and CodePlex even provides Subversion emulation so TortoiseSVN can be used with the site. With some .NET shops moving to Subversion, one of the features most often missed is the close integration with Visual Studio available through other popular source-control systems. Enter VisualSVN, a Visual Studio addin that provides excellent integration between Visual Studio and Subversion. When you use VisualSVN, you will see easy-to-understand markers next to each of your files in the Solution Explorer provided by Visual Studio (note that your solution must be stored in a Subversion repository). The markers show when a file is modified, unmodified, or conflicted. You can right-click on the file and show changes, revert changes, and update or commit. Using the VisualSVN menu, you can manage changes for the entire project. The VisualSVN menu also contains shortcuts to common TortoiseSVN ® Integrating Visual Studio and Subversion launch2008 11 http://roundpolygons.com
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