Why use the IDE when we can develop a .NET application for free?

The basic purpose of using the Visual Studio.NET or any IDE is to manage the application code. As the requirements and thus application evolves, the size of code increases. It is important to manage this code well, so the later modification and debugging can be carried out smoothly. This code management also makes it possible to use the library code developed previously and to develop the application in such a way so that various parts of it can be reused in future applications. The application is divided into several modules that are linked to work together to perform the required functionality. This is where the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) comes!

An IDE helps manage the application by assisting you to break your application into projects, separate files and grouping the files into folders. For example if you are developing an accounts management system, you may break it into three projects;

• one for user interface application,
• other for accounts implementation, and
• the last one for information storage (into database or file system).

Then, you may further divide the user interface project to three folders;

• first (Forms) containing user interface forms
• second (AccountsAccessor) containing classes to interact with the accounts implementation project
• third (StorageAccessor) containing classes to interact with the information storage project

Apart from this, an IDE also provide its support from the start of development to the creation of final installation. It provides an intelligent text editor that recognizes various parts of your code and also highlights the possible errors as you type it. It helps you in compiling and testing individual projects and also the complete application. It provides an integrated debugger to identify the bugs in your program and the possible cause of them. One of the most appealing features of an IDE like Visual Studio.Net is that it provides designers for various tasks like Windows Application User Interface designing, Web form designing and the database connection with simple drag and drop and setting a few properties. Once you have completed the application development and tested it through debugger, the IDE also helps you in building its installation program so that the application can be shipped to the client. Hence, an IDE supports developers throughout the life cycle of the application.

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