Docking

Docking is the process of connecting windows to various sticky spots within the IDE. Typically, this means docking to the left, top, right, or bottom of the IDE. For example, the Toolbox is, by default, docked to the left side of the IDE. You might prefer to put it at the bottom of the screen, docked below the active designer. You might also want to dock the Solution Explorer to the top of the screen and then unpin it for quick access. You can see an example of this docking approach in Figure 2.31.

FIGURE 2.31 Horizontally docking windows in the IDE.

You can also dock windows to one another. For example, you might want to dock the Properties window below the Solution Explorer. Or you might want the Properties window to be a tab within the same window to which the Solution Explorer is docked. Figure 2.32 shows an example of the Properties window being docked to the bottom of the Solution Explorer window.

FIGURE 2.32 Docking one window to another in the IDE.

To help with docking, Visual Studio 2015 has provided visual cues and helpers. First, click and hold the title bar with the mouse, and then drag the window to where you want to dock it. Visual Studio displays some docking icons.

Four icons are at the edge of the IDE, one each at the left, top, right, and bottom. These icons are used for docking the window at the given edge of the IDE. Using these icons results in the window being docked across the full length (or width) of the IDE. Figure 2.32 shows each of these icons as the Properties window is being docked.

There is also an icon that shows over the top of a window to which you might want to dock. This icon is used for docking the selected window relative to another window in the IDE. For example, you might want to dock the Properties window under the Solution Explore window (as shown in Figure 2.32). You do so with the bottom icon inside this icon group.

Of course, you can also undock items. This is simply the process of floating windows off by themselves (outside, or on top of, the IDE). To do so, you simply grab (click with the mouse) a window by the title bar and move it off to the side of the IDE or just don’t choose a docking icon.

Finally, when working with a window, you can right-click the title bar and tell Visual Studio how the window should behave. Figure 2.33 shows the available options. The down-arrow icon on the window title bar provides access to the same features. The Float option indicates that the window floats wherever you put it, on top of the IDE. This can be useful if you find yourself moving windows about or need to use multiple monitors. You turn off this option by choosing Dock. You can also use the Dock as Tabbed Document option to add a window to the center of your IDE (just like the default positioning of a designer or code editor).

FIGURE 2.33 The float and docking options of a window in the IDE.