Workspace Whiz

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Workspace Whiz (WWhiz) is a Microsoft Visual Studio add-in by Joshua Jensen. Workspace Whiz significantly extends the functionality of Visual Studio with a number of features that aid in application development. It supports Visual Studio .NET and Visual C++ 6. WWhiz uses the open source Exuberant CTAGS for some of its functionality.

[edit] Features

Finding files anywhere in the workspace
File context menu
Adding external projects and workspaces
Switching between header (.h) and its implementation (.cpp) called "alternate file swapping"
Opening global include and source files
Finding tags anywhere in the workspace
Other tag uses
Tag scope
Automatic tag completion
Record of movement
Code templates overview
Template files
Programming interface

WWhiz boasts the full suite of features above, but the two most popular are probably its advanced "File Open" functionality and "Alternate file swapping."

Visual Studio uses the standard Windows File Open dialog that most other Windows applications use. This is fine for small projects, but underpowered for large-scale developmenet, where source code files can number in the hundreds and span numerous directories. Also, using the dialog requires one to use the mouse therefore moving one's hands from the keyboard, even though many programmers prefer to launch all commands from the keyboard (the latest versions of Visual Studio feature a "Solution Explorer" which is faster to use, but still usually requires the user to use the mouse). WWhiz replaces the standard File Open dialog with an advanced one that knows the location of every file throughout the entire solution, no matter how many projects it contains. All one need do is open the dialog with a keyboard shortcut (usually just Ctrl+O) and start typing in the name of the desired file. The dialog's list contracts to match the pattern being entered and when the user sees the file they are interested in, they can just select it from the list with the keyboard's arrow keys (or can type the entire name in). The user's hands never need to leave the keyboard and the opening of a file is expedited that may be dozens of directories away.

With "alternate file swapping", WWhiz makes it easy to swap between C or C++ source files. Most C and C++ programs have files ending in .h and .c or .cpp. Users switch between them frequently when editing code. WWhiz makes it easy to open the corresponding files with a keyboard shortcut. So if one is working on Foo.h, hitting the shortcut will open Foo.cpp. WWhiz even includes the somewhat obscure .inl files (for inline functions) in its swap chain. Just hitting the shortcut again will open the .inl file, if the project has one. Like with the advanced file open feature, it doesn't matter where in the project the corresponding files are located, WWhiz will find them.

[edit] History

WWhiz is a descendant of Jensen's previous add-in called simply "Workspace Utilities" that he developed while working for Engineering Animation, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah between 1996 and 2000. Jensen developed the add-in and distributed it among his peers who gave him feedback and suggestions. WWhiz is a fully remastered, more feature-rich version of that early utility.

Jensen also has some free add-ins available for download from the official Workspace Whiz website.