Quick Reference Guide to Visual Sidekick 3

Overview

Visual Sidekick integrates into a wide range of Visual C++ and Visual Studio development environment, delivering powerful time-saving features to all C++ and C# developers.

Features

Below is a brief summary of Visual Sidekick's main features:

Symbol Browser	Browsing of all C#, C++ and Managed C++ symbols.
Symbol Filter	Sub-string filtering of all symbols and files across the entire solution.
Symbol Navigator	Quick positioning of the Visual Studio editor on any symbol declaration, symbol definition or project file.
Editor Navigation	Easy flipping between header and source files in the Visual Studio editor, and between method body and header specification.
Code Generator	Generation of source code for function bodies from a header class-declaration.
Code Metrics	Up-to-date code metrics for the entire solution.
Clipboard Buffer	Multiple-history clipboard buffers for pasting from the last 15 clipboard copy operations.
Drag and Drop	Folders and source files can be dragged from Explorer and dropped onto Visual Sidekick and immediatly browsed.

User Interface

Visual Sidekick adds three new visual items to the Visual Studio/Visual C++ IDE:

Visual Sidekick floating/dockable Toolwindow (see image on right)
Visual Sidekick Toolbar
Menu Bar item "VSK"

The Toolwindow consists of the following elements (from the top down):

Browse Toolbar
Primary Filter
Secondary Filter
Browse Tree
Information Panel

Typing text into either Filter will dynamically filter the contents of the Browse Tree.

You can move from the Visual Studio editor window to the Primary Filter using Ctrl-Q (Q for Query). You can move between the Filter Box and the Browse Tree using the up and down arrows (or TAB). ESC will return you from Visual Sidekick back to the Visual Studio editor.

Browsing

Visual Sidekick defines five "Views". Each view sets up the Browse Tree with a specific layout. The views are controlled by the first four buttons on the toolbar docked to the top of the Visual Sidekick Toolwindow:

View	Hotkey	Description
Local	Ctrl-Shift-L	Displays symbols that are context-dependent on the current file.
Solution	Ctrl-Alt-N	Displays symbols from all files in the current solution.
Hierarchy	Ctrl-Alt-H	Display an inheritance tree for all solution classes.
Unmanaged Library	Ctrl-Alt-U	Displays symbols from all files in the selected unmanaged C++ libraries. Libraries include: STL, MFC, ATL, Win32, DirectX, etc. You can select which libraries to load on a per-solution basis.
Clipboard	Ctrl-Alt-C	Shows the last 15 clipboard copy operations, allowing historical pasting.

For the Local view, Visual Sidekick displays the following Sections in the Browse Tree:

Section Description

Projects and Folders Shows all Visual Studio projects that all folders that contain the current file. Expanding each folder shows the files stored in the folder as well as all classes defined in those files.

Types Shows all types in the current file and all associated files (e.g. the main header), including classes, structs, unions, interfaces, enums, delegates, typedefs. Expanding each type shows all nested symbols.

Files Shows the current file and all #include'd files in an flat alphabetical format. Expanding each file shows the symbols defined in that file.

Global Symbols Shows all symbols defined in the current file and all associated files (e.g. the main header) in a flat alphabetical format. Expanding each symbol shows symbols related to the parent symbol (eg. parameters, parent class, etc).

Section	Description
Projects and Folders	Shows all Visual Studio projects that all folders that contain the current file. Expanding each folder shows the files stored in the folder as well as all classes defined in those files.
Types	Shows all types in the current file and all associated files (e.g. the main header), including classes, structs, unions, interfaces, enums, delegates, typedefs. Expanding each type shows all nested symbols.
Files	Shows the current file and all #include'd files in an flat alphabetical format. Expanding each file shows the symbols defined in that file.
Global Symbols	Shows all symbols defined in the current file and all associated files (e.g. the main header) in a flat alphabetical format. Expanding each symbol shows symbols related to the parent symbol (eg. parameters, parent class, etc).

For the Solution and Unmanaged Library views, Visual Sidekick displays the following Sections in the Browse Tree:

Section Description

Folders Shows all Visual Studio projects and logical folders. Expanding each folder shows the files stored in the folder as well as all classes defined in those files.

Namespaces Shows all namespaces and namespace members in a hierarchical format.

Types Shows all types in the solution including classes, structs, unions, interfaces, enums, delegates, typedefs. Expanding each type shows all nested symbols.

Files Shows all files in an flat alphabetical format. Expanding each file shows the symbols defined in that file.

Global Symbols Shows all symbols defined in all the files in a flat alphabetical format. Expanding each symbol shows symbols related to the parent symbol (eg. parameters, parent class, etc).

Section	Description
Folders	Shows all Visual Studio projects and logical folders. Expanding each folder shows the files stored in the folder as well as all classes defined in those files.
Namespaces	Shows all namespaces and namespace members in a hierarchical format.
Types	Shows all types in the solution including classes, structs, unions, interfaces, enums, delegates, typedefs. Expanding each type shows all nested symbols.
Files	Shows all files in an flat alphabetical format. Expanding each file shows the symbols defined in that file.
Global Symbols	Shows all symbols defined in all the files in a flat alphabetical format. Expanding each symbol shows symbols related to the parent symbol (eg. parameters, parent class, etc).

When the cursor is positioned on a symbol in the Browse Tree, double-clicking (or pressing ENTER ) will jump the Visual Studio editor to the position in the file where that symbol is declared. Ctrl-double-click (or Ctrl-ENTER ) will jump the editor to the "alternate" file position:

Symbol Double-Click (ENTER) Ctrl-Double-Click (Ctrl-ENTER)

Class, Enum, etc Goto declaration (header) Goto last position in Alternate file (body)

Method, Property Goto method declaration (header) Goto method body

Member Goto member declaration (header) Goto last position in Alternate file (body)

File Goto last position in the file Goto last position in Alternate file (body)

Clipboard Entry Paste symbol into editor -

Hierarchy Class Goto class declaration Goto last position in Alternate file (body)

Symbol	Double-Click (ENTER)	Ctrl-Double-Click (Ctrl-ENTER)
Class, Enum, etc	Goto declaration (header)	Goto last position in Alternate file (body)
Method, Property	Goto method declaration (header)	Goto method body
Member	Goto member declaration (header)	Goto last position in Alternate file (body)
File	Goto last position in the file	Goto last position in Alternate file (body)
Clipboard Entry	Paste symbol into editor	-
Hierarchy Class	Goto class declaration	Goto last position in Alternate file (body)

Read more about symbol Browsing and Navigating.

Filtering

Visual Sidekick provides a powerful string filter that is dynamically applied to the current View in the Browse Tree. The filter can be used for many tasks, including browsing a symbol, navigating to a symbol in the current file or anywhere in the solution, finding all definitions of a symbol, finding all symbols sharing a partial name, etc.

Visual Sidekick exposes two powerful hotkeys to enable this functionality. Pressing Ctrl+Shift+L will automatically select the Local View, allowing filtering of symbols within the current file. Pressing Ctrl+Q will select the Solution View if the Local View has focus, allowing filtering of symbols across the solution.

The usage concept for these two key is to use Ctrl+Shift+L as a replacement for Ctrl+F (Find) or Ctrl+I (Incremental Find) when looking for symbols in the current file, and to use Ctrl+Q as a replacement for Ctrl+Shift+F (Find In Files) when looking for symbols outside the current file.

Below are some of the more common search tasks:

Symbol Search Tasks How to do it

Must start with a sub-string Type the sub-string directly into the Primary Filter (no preceding white space)

Must contain a sub-string Type a space first then type the sub-string (use the Primary Filter)

Must start with a sub-string AND contain one or more sub-strings Mix the above two steps together (use the Primary Filter).

Search for a method within a class or set of classes. Type in the class name sub-string in the Primary Filter. TAB to the Secondary Filter and type a second sub-string filter to filter on all nested symbols within those classes.

Symbol Search Tasks	How to do it
Must start with a sub-string	Type the sub-string directly into the Primary Filter (no preceding white space)
Must contain a sub-string	Type a space first then type the sub-string (use the Primary Filter)
Must start with a sub-string AND contain one or more sub-strings	Mix the above two steps together (use the Primary Filter).
Search for a method within a class or set of classes.	Type in the class name sub-string in the Primary Filter. TAB to the Secondary Filter and type a second sub-string filter to filter on all nested symbols within those classes.

A final note:

Global symbols are not displayed when no filter is present, since under normal conditions this list is extensive and not very practical.

Features inside Visual Studio/Visual C++

Visual Sidekick enhances Visual Studio and Visual C++ by providing some new functions with associated keybindings:

Command	How to do it
Filter Global Symbols	Use Ctrl-Q inside the Visual Studio editor to browse any symbol in the solution.
Filter Local Symbols	Use Ctrl-Shift-L inside the Visual Studio editor to browse any symbol in the current file.
Header/Source flip	Use Ctrl-ENTER inside the Visual Studio editor to jump between header and source.
Method specifiction/ implementation flip	Use Ctrl-Shift-ENTER inside the Visual Studio editor to jump between a method's specification (header) and implementation (body).
Browse Symbol under cursor	Use Alt-ENTER inside the Visual Studio editor to load the symbol under the cursor into the Visual Sidekick Primary Filter. Alternatively, you can block the word and drag it onto the Visual Sidekick toolwindow.
Paste from Clipboard History	Use Ctrl-Alt-V inside the Visual Studio editor. This will take you to the clipboard history in Visual Sidekick. Select the history item to paste into the Visual Studio editor, and press ENTER.
Generate Unimplemented Function Bodies	Use Ctrl-Shift-G inside the Visual Studio editor to generate all method bodies for all method declarations that appear in the current file and any header files. This allows for creating a class specification in a header file, and then with one key-press, generating all bodies in a .cpp file automatically.

For more information, please return to the Contents page of this document.