Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 empowers you to write next-generation applications for any modern environment: mobile, web, cloud, universal Windows 10/8.x, database, and beyond. This end-to-end deep dive will help working developers squeeze maximum productivity out of Microsoft’s powerful new toolset.

The authors combine authoritative and detailed information about Microsoft’s latest IDE, with extensive insights and best practices drawn from decades of development experience. Developers will quickly get comfortable with Visual Studio 2015’s updated interface, master its new capabilities, leverage its extensive new support for open standards, and discover multiple opportunities to leverage its .NET 4.6 platform and language improvements.

By focusing entirely on Visual Studio 2015 Professional, the authors go deeper into Microsoft’s core product than ever before. You’ll find expert coverage of everything from debugging through deploying to Azure, IDE extension and automation through cross-platform mobile development. Throughout, this book’s focus is relentlessly practical: how to apply Microsoft’s tools to build better software, faster.

Detailed information on how to...

• Master Visual Studio 2015’s updated interface and key tools: Solutions, Projects, Browsers, Explorers, Editors, and Designers to improve productivity
• Develop robust cross-platform mobile apps for Windows, iOS, and Android using Apache Cordova templates for Visual Studio
• Use the new ASP.NET 5 to build modern web solutions that run on Windows, Mac, or Linux
• Develop Single Page Applications (SPAs) based on HTML5 and rich client-side JavaScript frameworks such as Knockout, AngularJS, Bootstrap, and more
• Accelerate cloud development with the Azure SDK, QuickStart templates, and Azure management portal
• Create mobile service solutions using ASP.NET Web API and WCF
• Streamline data development across multiple platforms with Entity Framework 7
• Develop modern Microsoft Office business applications
• Perform robust, automated unit testing as you code, increasing your confidence in changes and refactoring
• Extend the VS 2015 IDE and Code Editor by creating custom, productivity-enhancing solutions

Mike Snell spends his work life helping teams build great software that exceeds the expectations of end users. He runs the Solutions division at CEI ( www.ceiamerica.com ). Mike and his team deliver architecture, consulting, and mentoring to clients looking for help with enterprise projects, commercial software, mobile applications, or cloud-based solutions. He is also a Microsoft Regional director.

Lars Powers is currently the director of application development at Newgistics, Inc. Prior to Newgistics, he held various technical management positions at 3M and spent many years with Microsoft as a platform evangelist focused on emerging technologies.

Part 1: An Introduction to Visual Studio 2015
1 A Quick Tour of Visual Studio 2015
2 The Visual Studio IDE
3 The .NET Languages

Part 2: An Indepth Look at the IDE
4 Solutions and Projects
5 Browsers and Explorers
6 Editors and Designers

Part 3: Working with the Visual Studio Tools
7 Working With Visual Studio's Productivity Aids
8 Testing Code
9 Refactoring Code
10 Debugging Code
11 Deploying Code
12 Working with the Azure Cloud
13 Working with Databases

Part 4: Extending Visual Studio
14 Introducing the Object Automation Model
15 Extending the IDE with VSPackages
16 Extending the Code Editor Using the Managed Extensibility Framework

Part 5: Building Web Applications
17 Creating ASP.NET 5 Applications
18 Using Javascript and Creating SPA Applications
19 Building and Consuming Services with Web API

Part 6: Building Windows Client Apps
20 Building Windows Forms Applications
21 Building WPF Applications
22 Developing Office Business Applications

Part 7: Creating Mobile Apps
23 Developing Windows Store Applications
24 Creating Windows Phone Applications
25 Writing Cross-Platform Mobile Applications