The Start Page

The Start Page is the main body of Microsoft Visual Studio or Microsoft Visual C# Express when it has been launched. It starts on top with a tab labeled Start Page. The main body of Microsoft Visual C# Express displays Microsoft Visual C# 2010 Express. The left section shows two labels: New Project... and Open Project... When some projects have been previously created or used, their names appear under Open Project... When you work on a project, the Start Page is usually in the background but it is represented by a tab. At any time, to display the Start Page:

• You can click the Start Page label in the top section of the Code Editor
• On the main menu, you can click View -> Start Page

Showing and Closing a Window

When you start or open a project, the studio makes some windows available. These are the most regularly used windows. If you think that one of them is not regularly used in your types of assignments, you can remove it from the screen. To hide a window, you can click its Close button .

All of the windows you can use are listed in the View menu. Therefore, if a window is not displaying, you can click View on the main menu and click a window of your choice.

Auto Hiding a Window

When working on a project, you will use a set of windows that each accomplishes a specific purpose. Some windows are represented by an icon but hide the rest of the body. To display such a window, you can position the mouse on it. This would expand the window:

 If you expand a window, it would display a title bar with three buttons. One of the button is called Auto Hide:

 If you expand a window but find out you don't need it any more, you can just move the mouse away. The window would return to its previous state. Based on this functionality, if you are working with a window and move the mouse away, it would retract. If you need it again, you would have to reopen it using the same technique. If you are going to work with a certain window for a while, you can keep it open even if you move the mouse away. To do this, you can click the Auto Hide button. If clicked, the Auto Hide button changes from pointing left to pointing down:

 By default, the studio installs some windows to the left and some others to the right of the screen. You can change this arrangement if you want. To do this, expand a window, then click its title bar and start dragging. While you are dragging, to assist you with a new position, the studio displays five boxes: