Feedback to the User

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In the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE), visual feedback regarding available functionality is based on the user's current selection and global selection context. The following table lists the functionality that is available in different selection contexts.

Selection context Available functionality
IDE Global
Current product set Product specific
Active hierarchy Hierarchy type specific
Active hierarchy item Hierarchy item type specific
Active document Document type specific
Topmost multiple-document interface (MDI) window Window type specific
Current selection context Selection context specific

If you only surface the functionality users need and continually provide consistent selection and environment context feedback, you reduce the complexity in the IDE. The following rules apply whenever a window is opened in the IDE:

  • If the window changes its selection context, selection feedback is clearly indicated in the window, and the Dynamic Help window, if shown, is updated to reflect the current context.

  • If the window changes global selection context, all context-specific menus, the active hierarchy window, and the application title bar are updated to reflect the current context.

  • The window should surface properties for the current selection in the Properties window and optionally, if shown, the Property Pages dialog box.

  • If the window does not surface properties or change global selection context, selection feedback should not remain in the window when it is no longer the active window in the IDE.

  • All document-specific tool windows should continually reflect the active document.

  • Menus, toolbars and the application title bar should reflect the topmost multiple-document interface (MDI) client window.

    For example, when the HTML view of a Web Form inside a Visual Basic Web Application project is opened and the user selects a <td> tag, feedback is provided in the following manner:

  • Selection is indicated in the active window and reflected in the Properties window.

  • The document-specific Toolbox is updated to reflect the active document.

  • The Editor toolbar and Table menu are displayed and the title bar updates to reflect the Web Form window.

  • The active hierarchy window, which is typically Solution Explorer, and its title bar update to reflect the current context and the context-sensitive Project menu commands now apply to the active Web Application project.

See Also

Selection and Currency in the IDE
Selection Context Objects
Hierarchies and Selection