Visual Studio 2022 17.6 and 17.7 Preview: C++, Git, Wasm, and DX Enhancements Unveiled

Microsoft has officially launched Visual Studio 2022 17.6, bringing noteworthy enhancements for performance, editing, and C++ development to improve the overall developer experience. In addition, a succeeding version called Visual Studio 2022 17.7 is previewed, offering new Git visualization features and Blazor WebAssembly capabilities.

Visual Studio 2022 17.6, released on May 16, 2023, is available for download. On the other hand, the Visual Studio 2022 17.7 preview, introduced May 17, 2023, can also be accessed.

Key productivity enhancements in Visual Studio 2022 17.6 include faster closing of a solution containing C++ projects, faster Chromium project loading, and quicker Git History file and folder loading for repositories with lengthy histories and infrequent commits.

Further editing features have been introduced for boosting productivity throughout various aspects of the development process. For instance, sticky scroll improves header navigation in the code base, and brace pair colorization assists in distinguishing between opening and closing braces in supported languages.

In addition to that, Web development with ASP.NET Core is given an update, featuring API scaffolding, an Endpoints Explorer, and an HTTP editor and HTTP file support to test APIs in Visual Studio 2022 17.6.

C++ development in Visual Studio 2022 17.6 is supplemented with new workflows for CMake, STM32CubIDE, and vcpckg. The CMake debugger enables developers to debug CMakeLists.txt files, while the vcpkg C++ package manager now ships with Visual Studio. The IDE’s integrated terminal allows running its commands. Moreover, a remote file explorer for Unix helps developers manage files on remote Unix machines listed in the Connection Manager. Initial support for C++ 20 mode is also featured in C++/CLI projects.

Scaling a development environment and simplifying Visual Studio management for IT administrators and developers are achieved by the introduction of features such as hosting Visual Studio layouts on intranet websites and file shares for network-based installation.

Visual Studio 2022 17.7 Preview 1 focuses on productivity enhancements, as well as .NET 6+ and NetStandard IntelliTest support and the ability to publish Blazor WebAssembly projects to Azure Static Web Apps. Publishing a Blazor Wasm project to Azure Static Web Apps reportedly reduces costs and offers capabilities like global hosting and Azure Functions integration.

Moreover, Visual Studio 2022 17.7 Preview 1 features a refined all-in-one search experience, the ability to compare files in Solution Explorer, and multi-branch Git visualizations, which allows developers to visualize multiple branches in the same graph and understand their relations better.

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