Visual Studio Time Saver–Enhanced Scroll bar, everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask!

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The enhanced scroll bar makes it easier to navigate your code, but what do all those different squares mean?

In Visual Studio 2013, they added an enhanced scroll bar. It’s a handy way to locate modified code, errors, unused variables and more!

You can see a demonstration of all the different indicators in the scroll bar in the following video. the video also shows you how to customize the scrollbar.

Here’s a quick summary of the different indicators

  • yellow indicates code that has been modified since the last time the file was saved
  • light green indicates code that has been modified and saved since the file was opened
  • red indicates a syntax error
  • burgundy indicates a breakpoint
  • black indicates a bookmark
  • dark green indicates an unused variable
  • When you highlight a variable or function name, gray indicates locations of that same function or variable in the code

If you liked this tip, check out the series Visual Studio Time Savers, where I share my favourite time saving tips. Give them a try and let me know what you think or share your own tips! There are more coming, so make sure to check back often or subscribe to the RSS feed to get tips as soon as they are posted.

If one of these has helped you become more productive, make sure to comment on and share the videos.

Have a tip that has made you more productive? Let us know by tweeting to @cdndevs (hashtag #vstips) or commenting on the Microsoft Developer Facebook wall.