Visual Studio Tips and Tricks: The Coding System

After looking at the way tips and tricks where numbered in the past, I decided to update the system a bit. There were previously two systems in place:

1. Sara Ford's original posts on her blog that were numbered sequentially (i.e. tip #320)
2. The numbering system used in the book when it was published using chapter and tip number (i.e. tip 1.1)

 

I've decided to adopt a sort of hybrid solution for tips going forward. This new system is designed so we can add new tips easily going forward and, at the same time, make it easy for people to search for tips in broad category areas. The format of the new system will look like this:

 

vstip<category><sequential number>

 

The first tip published, for example, was on Incremental Search and had the following code: vstipFind0001

 

The prefix, vstip, was chosen so a search could be done for this prefix and it would pull up all the tips.

 

The next part, category, is based on the categories in the original Tips and Tricks book from Sara. The category code is one of the following:

Edit = Editor

Find = Find / Search / Replace

Env = Environment

Tool = Tools (windows, dialog boxes, etc...)

Proj = Solutions / Projects

Debug = Debugging

 

Finally, the sequential number is just that: a sequential number. Each main category has sequentially numbered tips in it so that all tips have a unique identification. I could have used GUIDs but figured you would all hunt me down and beat me senseless.

 

So looking at vstipFind0001 we can see it is a tip on Finding, Searching, and/or Replacing and it happens to be the first tip in that category.

 

I toyed with the idea of adding sub-categories (and may do so later on) as well as experimenting with other numbering systems but this seemed the easiest in the end. Shoot me your feedback to zainnab@microsoft.com and let me know if you agree this is a good system or have a suggestion for modifying it.