F# Development Environment Features
This topic includes information about which features of Visual Studio 2012 are supported in F#.
Project Features
The following table summarizes the templates that are available for use in F# projects. For information about project and item templates, see Default Project Templates in Visual Studio.
Template type |
Description |
Supported templates |
|---|---|---|
Project templates |
Types of projects available in the New Project dialog box. |
|
Item templates |
File types available in the Add New Item dialog box. |
|
To create an application that can run as a standalone executable, choose the F# Application project type. To create a library (that is, a managed assembly or .DLL file) for use on the Windows desktop platform, choose F# Library. To create a portable library that can be used on any supported platform, choose F# Portable Library. F# Portable Library projects reference a version of FSharp.Core.dll (2.3.5.0) that is appropriate to create an F# library that can be used with applications that run on the following platforms: Windows Store apps, the .NET Framework 4.5, and Silverlight 5. Older versions of Silverlight aren't supported.
For more information about the item templates for data access, see Type Providers.
The following table summarizes project-properties features supported and not supported in F#. For more information, see Configuring Projects (F#) and Introduction to the Project Designer.
Project setting |
Supported in F#? |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Resource files |
Yes |
|
Build, debug, and reference settings |
Yes |
|
Multitargeting |
Yes |
|
Icon and manifest |
No |
Available through compiler command-line options. |
ASP.NET Client Services |
No |
|
ClickOnce |
No |
Use a client project in another .NET Framework language, if applicable. |
Strong naming |
No |
Available through compiler command-line options. |
Assembly publishing and versioning |
No |
|
Code analysis |
No |
Code analysis tools can be run manually or as part of a post-build command. |
Security (change trust levels) |
No |
|
Code and Text Editor Features
The following features of the Visual Studio code and text editors are supported in F#. For general information about editing code in Visual Studio, and features of the text editor, see Writing Code in the Code and Text Editor.
Feature |
Description |
Supported in F#? |
|---|---|---|
Automatically comment |
Enables you to comment or uncomment sections of code. |
Yes |
Automatically format |
Reformats code with standard indentation and style. |
No |
Bookmarks |
Enables you to save places in the editor. |
Yes |
Change indentation |
Indents or unindents selected lines. |
Yes |
Enables you to search in a file, project, or solution, and potentially change text. |
Yes |
|
Go to definition for .NET Framework API |
When the cursor is positioned on a .NET Framework API, shows code generated from .NET Framework metadata. |
No |
Go to definition for user-defined API |
When the cursor is on a program entity that you defined, moves the cursor to the location in your code where the entity is defined. |
Yes |
Go To Line |
Enables you to go to a specific line in a file, by line number. |
Yes |
Navigation bars at top of file |
Enables you to jump to locations in code, by, For example, function name. |
No |
Outlining. See Outlining. |
Enables you to collapse sections of your code to create a more compact view. |
No |
Tabify |
Converts spaces to tabs. |
Yes |
Type colorization |
Shows defined type names in a special color. |
No |
Quick Find. See Quick Find, Find and Replace Window. |
Enables you to search in a file or project. |
Yes, but only to find F# files, not to search within files |
IntelliSense Features
The following table summarizes IntelliSense features supported and not supported in F#. For general information about IntelliSense, see Using IntelliSense.
Feature |
Description |
Supported in F#? |
|---|---|---|
Automatically implement interfaces |
Generates code stubs for interface methods. |
No |
Code snippets |
Injects code from a library of common coding constructs into topics. |
No |
Complete Word |
Saves typing by completing words and names as you type. |
Yes |
Consume-first completion mode |
When enabled, causes the word completion to select the first match as you type, instead of waiting for you to select one or press CTRL+SPACE. |
No |
Generate code elements |
Enables you to generate stub code for a variety of constructs. |
No |
List Members |
When you type the member access operator (.), shows members for a type. |
Yes |
Organize Usings/Open |
Organizes namespaces referenced by using statements in C# or open directives in F#. |
No |
Parameter Info |
Shows helpful information about parameters as you type a function call. |
Yes. |
Quick Info |
Displays the complete declaration for any identifier in your code. |
Yes |
Refactoring of F# code isn't supported in Visual Studio 2012.
Debugging Features
The following table summarizes features that are available when you debug F# code. For general information about the Visual Studio debugger, see Debugging in Visual Studio.
Feature |
Description |
Supported in F#? |
|---|---|---|
Autos window |
Shows automatic or temporary variables. |
No |
Breakpoints |
Enables you to pause code execution at specific points during debugging. |
Yes |
Conditional breakpoints |
Enables breakpoints that test a condition that determines whether execution should pause. |
Yes |
Edit and Continue |
Enables code to be modified and compiled as you debug a running program without stopping and restarting the debugger. |
No |
Expression evaluator |
Evaluates and executes code at run time. |
No, but the C# expression evaluator can be used, although you must use C# syntax. |
Historical debugging |
Enables you to step into previously executed code. |
Yes |
Locals window |
Shows locally defined values and variables. |
Yes |
Run To Cursor |
Enables you to execute code until the line that contains the cursor is reached. |
Yes |
Step Into |
Enables you to advance execution and move into any function call. |
Yes |
Step Over |
Enables you to advance execution in the current stack frame and move past any function call. |
Yes |
Additional Tools
The following table summarizes the support for F# in Visual Studio tools.
Tool |
Description |
Supported in F#? |
|---|---|---|
Call Hierarchy |
Displays the nested structure of function calls in your code. |
No |
Code Metrics |
Gathers information about your code, such as line counts. |
No |
Class View |
Provides a type-based view of the code in a project. |
No |
Shows a list of errors in code. |
Yes |
|
Enables you to type (or copy and paste) F# code and run it immediately, independently of the building of your project. The F# Interactive window is a Read, Evaluate, Print Loop (REPL). |
Yes |
|
Object Browser |
Enables you to view the types in an assembly. |
F# types as they appear in compiled assemblies do not appear exactly as you author them. You can browse through the compiled representation of F# types, but you cannot view the types as they appear from F#. |
Displays build output. |
Yes |
|
Performance analysis |
Provides tools for measuring the performance of your code. |
Yes |
Properties Window |
Displays and enables editing of properties of the object in the development environment that has focus. |
Yes |
Provides ways to interact with a variety of server resources. |
Yes |
|
Solution Explorer |
Enables you to view and manage projects and files. |
Yes |
Task List |
Enables you to manage work items pertaining to your code. |
Yes |
Test Projects |
Provides features that help you test your code. |
No |
Toolbox |
Displays tabs that contain draggable objects such as controls and sections of text or code. |
Yes |