JavaScript in Microsoft Visual Studio

Question

Does anyone know if there are plans to implement JavaScript in MS Visual Studio, like they do all the other languages?

I am fairly new to coding in JavaScript, but I have come to realise how powerful a language it really is for creating RIA. The main problem is that when it comes to developing and debugging in the IDE, it’s nowhere near as slick as if I was writing in say C#. Maybe this is just a limitation of visual studio and that there are much better environments in which to code JavaScript?

Above all the most important thing is debugging. Currently when I attach and step through the whole process is very clunky.

Answer 1

JavaScript works fine in Visual Studio 2008. It supports jQuery with full intellisense, and if I remember correctly, the debugger also supports JavaScript, at least in Web applications (though I'm not sure about that). I tend to do the debugging work in a browser though, because, well, that's where the action happens anyway.

Answer 2

You might find debugging Javascript easier in Firebug in firefox or even in IE8's built-in debugger.

I use VS to debug Javascript a lot, I can't say I find the experience clunky. What do you find clunky about it?

Answer 3

VS 2010 will have much better support for Javascript and intellisense

Further enhancements in VS2010 will see vast performance improvements, particularly with large script libraries and the ability to recognise dynamically generated objects and other techniques used by many Javascript frameworks that the Intellisense engine in VS2008 struggles with. Significant efforts have been made to improve the Intellisense compatibility with 3rd party libraries as well.

There's also Spket IDE exclusively for Javascript and XML development.

Answer 4

In addition to what has already been said, it is important to note that JavaScript has a very loose standard (to put it mildly). That being the case, "full" JavaScript InteliSense support will never be as robust as something like C# in Visual Studio or any other IDE. I expect (as has been mentioned) that support for JQuery, Prototype, and other JS libraries will be good but the core language will always be somewhat of a struggle, IntelliSense or no.