VA 2023.4 is now published and is now available to download!
This release marks a major milestone in Visual Assist’s history as it starts its official support for Unity engine development. Also in this release: start of support for CUDA development for C/C++ and numerous parser improvements. Read on further to get the complete details of the changes and improvements in this release.
Start of official support for Unity
It’s been a long time coming but Whole Tomato is glad to announce that the upcoming 2023.4 build will feature the first of many Unity-specific features. Nope, not the hivemind—we are of course talking about the very versatile game engine and game development platform.
For those unaware, the Unity engine is the backbone of both 2D and 3D games ranging from wildly popular and suspicious games, all the way to full blown highly-acclaimed triple A titles.
Visual Assist has been popular for helping game developers deal with complex C++ code. Starting from the upcoming release, Visual Assist will expand its focus to C# game development. Users can expect VA staples such as refined navigation, intelligent autocomplete, code refactoring, and the like to work as well for C# work.
Furthermore, users can also submit feature requests specific for Unity development. We are starting with shaders—more on this below—but if you have any suggestions as to what features are missing in your Unity development, do let us know by emailing support.
Shaders for Unity
The start of official support for Unity development is headlined by shader file support. Similar to our previous addition of supporting HLSL, we are kicking off Unity updates by adding its shader files to our list of supported languages.
CUDA C/C++ Development
If you are a data scientist, software engineer, or a plain hobbyist looking to harness the power of your GPU for general purpose programming tasks, then you would most likely know about Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA). This programming model developed by Nvidia allows programmers to utilize the multi-core performance of graphics cards for other non-graphic applications (although it’s perfectly fine to use for 2D/3D too!)
If you are interested in CUDA, then rejoice! VA 2023.4 also marks the start of official support for CUDA development. Visual Assist’s can now parse and analyze CUDA related syntax, libraries, and APIs so you can have IntelliSense-like features, navigation, and highlighting for CUDA (.cu) files.
A CUDA file with proper syntax highlighting and code analysis features.
Parser Improvements: template functions with auto / trailing return type and std::tuple autocompletes
With VA 2023.4 will now properly highlight and parse trailing return type features that bypasses a C++ limitation where the return type of a function template cannot be generalized if the return type depends on the types of the function arguments. This release specifically deals with some of the edge cases reported by our users.
Trailing return type features can be used by declaring a generic return type with the auto keyword before the function identifier, and specifying the exact return type after the function identifier. Learn more about it here.
The parser is aware of sum and proper syntax highlighting and navigation features are applied.
Also fixed in this release are initializations of std::tuple autocompletes. This improves how the VA parser handles certain templated types. In the end, users will find better completion suggestions when you are typing in your codebase, such as when typing std::tuple.
Better Add Include logic
Visual Assist can add include directives for headers that resolve unknown symbols in the current C++ source file. The underlying logic for add include has been improved for better context-awareness resulting in better predictions on where to place the new include.
Add include now inserts new lines in most logical place.
Add include can be accessed by hovering over unknown symbols and opening the quick actions and refactoring menu ( Shift + Alt + Q ).
Some other spring cleaning-type improvements
We’ve also made some changes to a few minor things to the UI and the options in the app that you should know about. Firstly, our shader support has been available for a few rounds of releases already and we’re excited to announce that it has finally finished its beta phase and will now be enabled by default.
Secondly, we’ve streamlined our game Development tab of our options dialog. This is to make room for upcoming additions (stay tuned!)
Thirdly, we’ve tweaked some tomatoes and icons along the way to better respond to your actions and better display what options are available to you. Relevant options and menus will be emphasized when they are needed; secondary options will subtly fade into the background otherwise. This is in line with our commitment to distraction free coding.
Lastly, if you’ve missed or haven’t installed the latest version yet, you may have noticed that the Visual Studio marketplace listings for the 32 and 64-bit versions of Visual Assist have now been combined. Versions 2010 – 2022 will now be accessible from one listing.
Bug Fixes
- Fix for ‘VaMenuPackage’ package error affecting VS2022 17.7.0 3.0 load
- Fixed issue where some types with leading macros before template definitions were not parsed correctly.
- Fixed issue where autocomplete of some types, such as std::tuple, would produce partial results.
- Fixed rendering of suggestion list tomato icons in Visual Studio 2022.
- Fixed issue where the VA Navigation Bar could become smaller than intended.
- Fixed Code Inspections error that could happen in some cases in Visual Studio 2022 17.6+.
Thanks to those who submitted their feedback and bug reports. Keep ‘em coming. Send us a message or start a thread on the user forums for bug reports or suggestions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Visual Assist 2023.4
What is Visual Assist 2023.4?
Visual Assist 2023.4 is an updated version of the Visual Studio extension designed to improve coding productivity. It introduces new features like Unity support, CUDA development support, and enhanced code parsing. These updates help developers write, navigate, and manage code more efficiently.
Does Visual Assist support Unity development?
Yes, Visual Assist 2023.4 officially supports Unity development, including C# and shader files. It enhances coding with features like intelligent autocomplete, navigation, and refactoring. This makes it easier for game developers to work within the Unity engine.
What new features are included in Visual Assist 2023.4?
Visual Assist 2023.4 includes Unity support, CUDA C/C++ development support, improved parser performance, and better autocomplete suggestions. It also enhances handling and UI responsiveness. These updates aim to improve developer productivity and coding accuracy.
Does Visual Assist support CUDA programming?
Yes, Visual Assist 2023.4 introduces support for CUDA programming in C and C++. It allows developers to work with GPU-based code using features like syntax highlighting, code navigation, and IntelliSense-like suggestions. This is useful for performance-focused applications.
How does Visual Assist improve code autocomplete?
Visual Assist improves autocomplete by providing smarter and more accurate code suggestions. It enhances support for complex structures like templates and std::tuple. This helps developers write code faster with fewer errors.
What is the benefit of Unity shader support in Visual Assist?
Unity shader support allows developers to write and manage shader files more efficiently within Visual Studio. It provides syntax highlighting and better code understanding. This is especially useful for game developers working on graphics and rendering.
How does Visual Assist help with C++ development?
Visual Assist enhances C++ development by improving code navigation, refactoring, and syntax parsing. It handles complex templates and modern C++ features more effectively. This reduces errors and speeds up development workflows.
What is the Add Include feature in Visual Assist?
The Add Include feature automatically suggests and inserts missing header files in C++ code. In version 2023.4, this feature has improved context awareness. It helps developers resolve errors quickly and maintain clean code.
Is Visual Assist useful for game developers?
Yes, Visual Assist is highly useful for game developers working with C++, and shaders. It simplifies coding tasks with better navigation, autocomplete, and refactoring tools. This helps improve productivity in complex game development projects.
What improvements were made to Visual Assist’s parser?
Visual Assist 2023.4 includes parser improvements for better handling of modern C++ features like trailing return types and templates. It also enhances autocomplete accuracy for complex data types. These updates result in more reliable code analysis.
Contrary to the preview blog statement, VA 2023.4 is a bit different as it will be released simultaneously—no rolling release mechanism as it includes some crucial updates we want to share to everyone as fast as possible. You can also check our download page to manually update to the latest release too. Happy coding!
