Microsoft has unveiled the Visual Studio 2022 17.9 Preview 3, bringing significant enhancements to the platform’s built-in code search capabilities. The update allows users to perform comprehensive searches within Visual Studio, including scouring local variable names, comments, parameter names, and various string types.

Users can now enjoy advanced search functionalities and improved plain text views

To leverage the improvements, users can utilize familiar shortcuts such as “Find in Files” (Ctrl + Shift + F) and Quick Find (Ctrl + F), offering a more streamlined and efficient coding experience.

One of the key features highlighted in the release is the upgrade to the original default code search function (Ctrl + T or Ctrl + ,). Microsoft has implemented “accurate text matching,” enabling users to obtain search results for items like comments and local variables, which were not included in the previous version. This enhancement aims to boost productivity by providing more accurate and relevant search outcomes for developers navigating extensive codebases.

In addition to the revamped code search capabilities, Microsoft introduced improvements to the plain text view. Users can now access functions such as “Match Case,” “Match Whole Word,” and “Use Regular Expressions” through buttons located on the far right of the search bar.

The enhanced plain text view allows users to apply filters, narrowing down results to only text-related outcomes. This flexibility empowers developers to tailor their searches based on specific criteria, improving the precision of search results.

The press release notes that the upgraded code search functionality has undergone testing since Visual Studio 2022 17.9 Preview 2 and is now fully available in Preview 3. However, Microsoft advises that certain features “may not be defaulted in the preview channel.” Users who do not immediately observe these changes should manually enable the preview function in the settings to fully experience the advanced code search capabilities offered in Visual Studio 2022 17.9 Preview 3.

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