Developer Assistant Adds 21 Millions Samples of C++ to the Mix -- Visual Studio Magazine

Developer Assistant Adds 21 Millions Samples of C++ to the Mix

Microsoft's Bing-powered code searching tool now adds contextually aware coding help for those writing C++ code.

By Michael Domingo
07/21/2016

Microsoft's Developer Assistant claims to provide access to, at the very least, 64 million code samples with a few keystrokes. That's because a recent update added another 21 million C++ code samples to the assistant with a recent update.

Developer Assistant is a productivity tool for developers who'd rather not continue reinventing the wheel in their code. It uses Bing's search capabilities to scour a number of developer resources for coding samples, including Stack Overflow, GitHub and MSDN. What makes Developer Assistant especially unique is that it provides contextually aware searches, so that the code you're searching for will often match the language you're using.

In the C++ update, Bing searches a number of C++-specific references: cppreference.com, cplusplus.com. The tool, after it's installed as a plug-in, can be called up from within the IDE with a Ctrl+Shift+F1 key combo anytime, which brings up a Bing Search box. Otherwise, it'll usually come up through IntelliSense while coding.

Also available for getting help for any keyword or compile error is Bing Contextual Search. Jus. However, Anuj Jain, Program Manager for Bing Tech Experiences, notes in a blog that "Currently in VS2015 the feature works only in the IDE Editor and not for compiler errors."

Developer Assistant is also available for VS versions 2013 and 2012, which can be obtained here.

About the Author

Michael Domingo is a long-time software publishing veteran, having started up and managed several developer publications for the Clipper compiler, Microsoft Access, and Visual Basic. He's also managed IT pubs for 1105 Media, including Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine and Virtualization Review before landing his current gig as Visual Studio Magazine Editor in Chief. Besides his publishing life, he's a professional photographer, whose work can be found by Googling domingophoto.

Printable Format

comments powered by Disqus

Featured

Oh Data! Microsoft Ships First Major OData Update in Nearly 8 Years

Microsoft today shipped a preview of OData .NET 8. OData v7.0 was released in August of 2016.
Full Stack Hands-On Development with .NET

In the fast-paced realm of modern software development, proficiency across a full stack of technologies is not just beneficial, it's essential. Microsoft has an entire stack of open source development components in its .NET platform (formerly known as .NET Core) that can be used to build an end-to-end set of applications.
.NET-Centric Uno Platform Debuts 'Single Project' for 9 Targets

"We've reduced the complexity of project files and eliminated the need for explicit NuGet package references, separate project libraries, or 'shared' projects."
Creating Reactive Applications in .NET

In modern applications, data is being retrieved in asynchronous, real-time streams, as traditional pull requests where the clients asks for data from the server are becoming a thing of the past.
AI for GitHub Collaboration? Maybe Not So Much

No doubt GitHub Copilot has been a boon for developers, but AI might not be the best tool for collaboration, according to developers weighing in on a recent social media post from the GitHub team.