FIX: The View in Browser command causes unnecessary builds that reduce productivity when you design .aspx pages in Visual Studio .NET

View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 IDE to edit .aspx pages that use the inline code model, if you click View in Browser, on the File menu, an unnecessary build of the whole project is performed. This can affect your productivity if you use the inline code model extensively.

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RESOLUTION

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, install Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). To obtain Visual Studio .NET 2003 SP1, visit the following Microsoft Download Center Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=69d2219f-ce82-46a5-8aec-072bd4bb955e (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=69d2219f-ce82-46a5-8aec-072bd4bb955e)

Note After you install the service pack, you must still follow the steps that are listed in the "To enable this hotfix" section to enable the fix.

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Hotfix information

A new internal command has been added to permit you to preview the page without causing a build to occur. You can associate this new command with a new menu item, with a toolbar button, or with a keyboard shortcut. The new command is not available in Solution Explorer.

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Visual Studio .NET 2003 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

   Date         Time   Version      Size       File name
   --------------------------------------------------------
   23-Sep-2003  04:15  7.10.3266.0    200,704  Cmddefui.dll
   23-Sep-2003  04:15  7.10.3266.0     86,016  Msenvmui.dll
   23-Sep-2003  04:23  7.10.3266.0  1,036,288  Vjsproj.dll
   23-Sep-2003  07:17  7.10.3266.0  1,507,328  Msvbprj.dll
   23-Sep-2003  07:23  7.10.3266.0  1,015,808  Csproj.dll

This fix is available for the English version and the German version of Visual Studio .NET 2003.

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To enable this hotfix

After you apply this hotfix, you must enable it. To do this, run the following two commands at a command prompt:

cd "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003\Common7\IDE"

devenv /setup

Note When you enable this hotfix, you may lose any environment customizations or personalization that you have applied previously.

To use the new feature after you have enabled it, use any one or more of the following three configuration options. To configure these options, right-click the toolbar area, and then click Customize to open the Customize dialog box.

Option 1 - Add a menu item
1. In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.
2. Under Categories, click File.
3. Under Commands, locate Browse without Build. (In the German version, the new command is Browsen ohne Erstellen.)
4. Drag Browse without Build to the menu area. You can either add the new command as a new menu or add the new command as an entry on an existing menu.
Option 2 - Add a toolbar button
1. In the Customize dialog box, click the Toolbars tab.
2. On the Toolbars tab, click New, and then name the new toolbar Browse without Build. You can dock the new toolbar to the main toolbar area or keep it as a floating toolbar.
3. Right-click the new button on the Browse without Build toolbar, and then customize the display options for the button, such as the button image and the display text.
Option 3 - Add a keyboard shortcut
1. In the Customize dialog box, click the Toolbars tab.
2. On the Toolbars tab, click Keyboard.
3. Under Keyboard mapping scheme, click the scheme that you want to customize.
4. In the list of commands, locate and then click File.BrowseWithoutBuild.
5. Under Use new shortcut in, click the context where you want the new keyboard shortcut to be valid, such as Global or Windows Forms Designer.
6. Click in the Press shortcut keys box, and then press the shortcut key combination that you want to use for the Browse without Build functionality.

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Description of the new functionality

The new Browse without Build functionality can be helpful when you are modifying .aspx pages that use the inline code model instead of the code-behind code model.

When the designer for an .aspx page has focus, or when an .aspx page is selected in Solution Explorer and Solution Explorer has focus, the browser windows in the IDE are opened so that you can view the .aspx page without performing a project build or a solution build. Because the .aspx page uses inline code, Microsoft ASP.NET dynamically recompiles the page if the page has been saved. This behavior causes any changes to appear.

Note By default, the Visual Studio .NET 2003 IDE uses the code-behind model. If you use the new Browse without Build functionality for a page that uses the code-behind model, you may receive an error message. If this problem occurs, verify that your project builds successfully.

Microsoft does not recommend that you use the new Browse without Build functionality for pages that use the code-behind model.

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

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MORE INFORMATION

For more information about the terminology that is used to describe Microsoft product updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/ ) Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

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