Using Blend with Visual Studio

re: Using Blend with Visual Studio

SilverlightTravel — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:50:09 GMT

Why not to separate it. This is what we want in the production. Separate Coding and Design.

I like it. like it is now.

Peter Loebel

Blend & Visual Studio

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re: Using Blend with Visual Studio

davidinnz — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:10:58 GMT

Isn't the reason that VS and Blend are separate a function of the different structure of each (Managed Code and WPF v Unmanaged Code and COM)?

If Microsoft is finally realising that Blend is an essential developer tool for Silverlight and WPF, why not grant a free licence to Blend to anyone running a legitimate licence for VS2008? Otherwise, you're discouraging use of the latest technologies.

re: Using Blend with Visual Studio

mamadero2 — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:05:35 GMT

Jackbond

I agree with you, it should be integrated, but it also makes sense as a separate product targetting designer. Both tools are great and MS will argue that those are targetting different people, which in a sense is kinda true, but what we have now is probably two incomplete tools.

Blend:

-Doesn't have good support to code (e.g. support nested projects, code editor, intellisense, at least create event handlers). Many web designers are used to do a bit of coding (e.g. Javascript, Action Script, CSS, etc). Even for them Blend should provide even more help, as they're not expert devs (e.g. code snippets, autogenerate code to start animations, etc)

-Lack Source Control support

-XAML Intellisense

-Proper tools to deploy your WebSite.

VS:

-No design support. Even developers need to be able to design a UI without switching. Probably complex animation, paths, etc could be left out, but at least allow the basic WinForm functionality. This might slow down the adoption of WPF and SL.

-Terrible WYSIWYG, sometimes it doesn't even show and when it does it takes forevent. Best thing to do is to open by default in XAML view.

Together:

-Ability to use the same SC integration

-Don't ask me to refresh when I go from VS to Blend.

-Has the option to use the same shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl+Alt+L to see the Solution Explorer, F4 for the property window, etc). Similar to the way we can select the profile in VS to use VB.NET, C#, Tester, etc, we should be able to use a similar key binding profile for Blend.

-Same ToolBox experience.

The best thing to do would be to share the core functionality (Extension Model, Source Control, Plugins, Editors), similar to the way Expression Web and VS08 do. They have the same CSS windows.

For some web designers Expression Web might be enough, but a developer doesn't need to go to that product just for a couple of extra windows.

A probably more realistic approach would be to at least improve the workflow between the two tools.

Silverlight Cream for November 09, 2008 -- #423

Community Blogs — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 01:29:48 GMT

In this issue: Joseph Ghassan, Boyan Nikolov, James Bacom, David Justice, Jesse Liberty, Shawn Wildermuth

re: Using Blend with Visual Studio

jackbond — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:49:34 GMT

I really am surprised you guys have found yourself in the position of having 2 tools to do fundamentally the same job. At some point, you guys will "integrate" the functionality of Blend into Visual Studio, and then you'll wonder why they were ever separate. At it stands, the lack of designer support in Visual Studio really blows. The current approach of toggling between Blend and Visual Studio is rather absurd. Add to that Blend's total lack of source control integration, and you wonder what rookie was running the show. I love Silverlight, Visual Studio, and Microsoft in general. But this hodge podge of tools is just kinda dumb.