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Microsoft Visual Studio Product-Specific Accessibility Information

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Microsoft is committed to making its products and services easier for everyone to use. This topic provides information about the following features, products, and services that make Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows NT, and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET more accessible for people with disabilities:

Enlarging Toolbar Buttons

To enlarge toolbar buttons

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize.
  2. Select the Options tab and then select the Large Icons check box.

Enlarging Text in the Editor

By default, dialog boxes and tool windows in Visual Studio use the same font as the Icon font used by the operating system. Additionally, the color settings for dialogs and tool windows also match those used by the operating system by default. You can change these settings in the Fonts and Colors pane of the Environment options in the Tools dialog box. When Dialogs and Tool Windows is selected in the Show settings for drop-down list, the default setting is listed as Automatic in the Font, Item foreground, and Item background drop-down lists.

To enlarge text in Code view of the editor

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. Under Environment , choose Fonts and Colors.
  3. In Show settings for, select Text Editor.
  4. In Font, select a new font type.
  5. In Size, select a new font size.
  6. Choose OK.

Customizing the Keyboard

Visual Studio supports Dvorak keyboard layouts, which make the most frequently typed characters more accessible. You can also customize the default shortcut keys available with Visual Studio. For more information, see Keyboard, Environment, Options dialog box and Customizing Shortcut Keys.

Rearranging Windows

You can rearrange the windows in the integrated development environment (IDE) to best suit the way you work. Tool windows can be docked, floated, hidden, or Auto-hidden on a window by window basis. You can also choose the multiple-document interface (MDI) mode, which allows you to access one window at a time. If you are blind, you might find this setting preferable.

To use MDI mode

  1. On the Tools menu, choose Options.
  2. Under Environment, choose General.
  3. Select MDI environment.
  4. Choose OK.

For more information about changing window layouts, see My Profile, Start Page and Window Management.

Customizing the Toolbox

You can customize the Toolbox by adding tabs to it or by adding controls to either the General tab or a custom tab, using the Add/Remove Toolbox Items command on the Tools menu.

Providing Visual Cues while Editing Code

Margin indicators in Code view of the editor provide you with visual cues for certain actions, such as breakpoints, while editing your code. These indicators appear in the left margin, called the indicator margin bar, in Code view. You can hide or display the indicator margin from the General page of the Text Editor options in the Options dialog box.

Adding Prompts for Methods and Parameters

You can also choose to display pop-up windows in Code view of the editor. The pop-up windows can prompt you with available members on the current object and the parameters to complete a function or statement. These pop-up windows can be helpful if you have difficulty typing. However, they do interfere with focus in the code editor, which can be problematic for some users. You can turn off these pop-up windows by deselecting Auto list members and Parameter information on General, All Languages, Text Editor in the Options dialog box. For editing C/C++ code, unselect Enable automatic Quick Info tooltips on C/C++ Options, C/C++, Text Editor in the Options dialog box.

For more information, see List Members, Parameter Info, and Quick Info.

See Also

Accessibility for People with Disabilities | Customizing the Development Environment | Accessibility Options | Shortcut Keys