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Microsoft has put lots of effort into their docs in the past couple years, and it's pretty great. Under the "Version" dropdown you can flip to see the same doc
by gregmac 6y ago
Microsoft has put lots of effort into their docs in the past couple years, and it's pretty great.
Under the "Version" dropdown you can flip to see the same docs in a specific version or platform (Framework vs Core), and this is pretty helpful for porting/upgrading code, as well as coming from a Google search or Stack Overflow link -- you can easily get to the docs for the version you're working with.
The other great thing they've done is published all the .NET code on https://source.dot.net https://source.dot.net, so you can dive into the code for ConcurrentQueue<T> [1] for example. I sometimes find looking at the source is a faster way to answer a specific question about how something works vs reading through several pages of documentation, where the nuance I care about is noted in a "Remarks" section which is easily missed.
[1] https://source.dot.net/#System.Private.CoreLib/ConcurrentQueue.cs,18bcbcbdddbcfdcb,references https://source.dot.net/#System.Private.CoreLib/ConcurrentQue...
- blinkingled 6y agoYes, the version dropdown is a godsend especially for .NET as there are many variations - If I want to see if the API exists or is different on say .Net Core vs .Net standard this makes it a piece of cake. Also wasn't aware of the source browser - some questions are best answered by - use the source, Luke - and you might get better ideas for your own code from there :)
- CobsterLock 6y agoPersonally I keep a .NET decompiler on my taskbar. I was about to say I like being able to find all references and usages of internal variables, but I see now the site does a pretty good job. I also like directly seeing how my code utilizes the library functions (not just the .NET libraries, sometimes nuget packages too). The decompiler also removes ambiguity of "what code is actually being ran". ILSpy has worked nicely for me, it has the extra perk of having nice integration with LINQPad (another must-have for .NET developers)
- gregmac 6y agoILSpy + LINQpad is my go-to as well, and I actually still use ILSpy more often than source.dot.net. It's nice to be able to send a link to someone else though, and the site is well done, fast, and has a great domain. :)
- cesarb 6y agoIs there an offline version of that documentation? One of the best things about Java is that you can install the documentation package (depending on your distribution, it's something like java-11-openjdk-javadoc) and the source code package (something like java-11-openjdk-src), and have an offline copy of the full documentation which you can open directly in your web browser and IDE.
- blinkingled 6y agoLooks like with Visual Studio installation this should work? - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/teamblog/offline-book-refresh-feb-2018 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/teamblog/offline-book-refre...