Visual Studio Settings

[VBAHole22]

I have tried sifting through the myriad Studio settings and I cannot find the answer I need can someone please help me solve the MOST annoying thing about this great program?

 

How can I get Studio to STOP messing with the way I format my html?

 

I write something the way I like to see it in html and then when I switch to design view and switch back to html I get Bill Gates' format.

 

Is there a setting or settings I can switch to get this to default for EVERY project I ever make again for eternity?

[tate]

That it why I just use a text editor for ASP.NET application instead of VS. I haven't discovered why VS should be used for yet. Now, for client server applications I think it is great.

[kahlua001]

That it why I just use a text editor for ASP.NET application instead of VS. I haven't discovered why VS should be used for yet.

 

Do you mean you use a text editor for the presentation? Or are you using a text editor for the code behind too?

[VBAHole22]

It is tempting to just use notepad for the presentation layer.

 

It is so frustrating to have a computer reorganize your work particularly in a scenario where the placement of the elements is not critical at all.

 

I could see it if VS but things in a logical order and indentation like the code behind page does. But instead it garbles the html for you despite your best efforts to keep it in order.

 

Exasperating!

[kahlua001]

Will none of the Options > Text Editor > HTML/XML settings work for you?

[VBAHole22]

I would have thoughts so as well.

 

Under the HTML/XML > Format heading I have everything unchecked.

[Robby]

What I would do is reformat the tags, save and close the aspx file, then re-open it and the tags would remain formatted the way I'd arranged them. But it doesn't seem to work anymore.

[Daspoo]

Re:

 

Anyone figure this one out yet? I've unchecked everything there is to uncheck in VS.NET and still no help. It's annoying the living crap outta me to have HTML in "my" format for days 1 and 2 and then on day 3, "udgashdgdhshadghsdywtut". If I find out a solution (aside from chucking the thing out of a window), I'll post it. Thanks all! :-\

[VBAHole22]

Thank goodness it's happening to someone else!

Uhh... I didn't mean it that way. I am sorry I can't help you out, but for a while there I thought I was the only one.

[Daspoo]

Re:

 

I found an article on the MS Knowledge Base that may explain (as best as MS can..heh) possible how to avoid this problem (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316946&Product=vsnet). I had a <LINK> tag in my HTML code for a .aspx page that didn't have a "finisher" (i.e., <LINK "/>"). Going to see if this resolves the issue. Hopefully this is the key and helps everyone out with this annoyance. Hasta! :cool:

[Robby]

Sorry Daspoo this is not the problem at hand, that MS article talks about closing tags for all your elements. This auto-format problem is much deeper than that.

[Daspoo]

Re:

 

I figured as much. :) It was worth a shot...

[mocella]

We've had much better luck, and much less aggravation using UltraEdit to avoid these very problems.

[Robby]

I changed a couple of settings and it seems to have done the trick.

 

VS menu item Options | HTML/XML |

 

General| Enable virtual spaces = false

Tabs | Indenting = None

Tabs | Keep Tabs = true

Format | When saving document = false

Format |When switching design to html = false

Format | Apply line breaks = false

HTML Specific | Enable HTML validation = false

[VBAHole22]

Do you think those settings are project-specific? Or are they remembered by studio the next tim eyou go to start a new project? Because I think I had it working once and then I go to another project and it is *****.

[Robby]

These settings are VS wide, they are not project specific.

[Daspoo]

Re:

 

Thanks, Robby! I'll give that a shot this morning. Thanks for your help!

[Daspoo]

Re:

 

Tried this and sad to say it didn't work...My HTML was beautiful for about an hour...then next thing I know, "Microsoft thinks it should look like this..." :-\

Thanks for the help anyways - guess this is something I'll have to live with until a purchase of the newest version of VS.NET happens.

[MorningZ]

I utilize the Designer mode for one single reason, and that is so it'll automatically do the "Protected With Events" in the code behind for all the controls....

 

So i:

- Do the page up in the HTML mode

- Control-A, Control-C (so all the html is on the clipboard)

- Switch to design mode that'll

1) tell me that i coded all my controls properly (didn't forget runat="server", etc)

2) do the "Protected WithEvents" thing

- Switch back to HTML

- Control-A, Control-V

 

bam.. got my controls all declared and validated.... code away :-)

 

 

 

 

and btw, if you are using Notepad to code ASP.NET, you are in the stone ages... "haven't found a reason for VS??" what??? you are missing out on Code Behiind, Automatic compiling, Intellisense, Database Query tools, mass commenting, global searches, etc.... there's no way on earth one can be an efficient coder using a simple text based editor