How do you quickly find the URL for a .NET framework method on MSDN?

Question

How to you find the URL that represents the documentation of a .NET framework method on the MSDN website?

For example, I want to embed the URL for the .NET framework method into some comments in some code. The normal "mangled" URL that one gets searching MSDN isn't very friendly looking: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/xd12z8ts.aspx. Using a Google search URL isn't all that pretty looking either.

What I really want a URL that can be embedded in comments that is plain and easy to read. For example,

// blah blah blah. See http://<....>/System.Byte.ToString for more information

Answer 1

A lot of the time you can merely append the lowercase namespace reference to the domain:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.application_events.aspx

Moreover, for say the .Net 2.0 version (or any specific version) you can add "(VS.80)":

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.button(VS.80).aspx

Other versions:

• .Net 1.1 -> (VS.71)
• .Net 2.0 -> (VS.80)
• .Net 3.0 -> (VS.85)
• .Net 3.5 -> (VS.90)

Try it for a method (Control.IsInputChar) like so: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.control.isinputchar.aspx

Answer 2

It's simple -- just add the name of the method to the end of http://msdn.microsoft.com//library/.

For example, to find the URL for the System.Byte.ToString method go to http://msdn.microsoft.com//library/System.Byte.ToString

Answer 3

It's probably quickest to just type it into Google in my experience.

EDIT:

Now that you've edited your post to clarify what you actually meant I would say that embedding URLs in your comments is nice but you really have no guarantees that either the mangled URL or the pretty one will exist in future.

Answer 4

I would just google it

Answer 5

Too bad I don't have enough rep to bump up Shaun's answer; Google is, indeed, the best way to search for a type on MSDN

Answer 6

Create a Search engine for MSDN Library in Firefox Like this perhaps?

Answer 7

In my experiecne, googling it works faster than msdn search.

Answer 8

I find that googling "msdn " does it.

ie - msdn System.Web.UI.WebControls.Repeater.ItemDataBound