{"id":4133,"date":"2025-03-31T11:52:53","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T15:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholetomato.com\/blog\/?p=4133"},"modified":"2025-11-29T02:53:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T06:53:56","slug":"visual-assist-2025-1-release-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholetomato.com\/blog\/visual-assist-2025-1-release-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Visual Assist 2025.1 release post"},"content":{"rendered":"

VA 2025.1 enhances usability with smarter navigation, better C++ module support, and more flexible refactoring options. The updated first-run dialog, configurable test snippets, and a refreshed UI improve the overall experience. Additionally, several key fixes address navigation issues, assignment suggestions, and UI inconsistencies, ensuring a more stable and efficient development environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Download the release now<\/span><\/a> from our website download page.<\/span><\/p>\n

VA Integration modes: Updated First Run Dialog<\/span><\/h2>\n

In <\/span>VA 2024.9<\/span><\/a>, new integration modes were added to allow users to personalize their experience with how Visual Assist features were presented and accessed. You can <\/span>visit the integration mode page<\/span><\/a> to learn more about available integration modes. This dialog was initially shown for fresh installs only.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

VA 2025.1 makes the dialog appear for every user who has not previously encountered it, regardless of whether they are installing Visual Assist for the first time or have updated from an earlier version.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The first run dialog allows users to pick VA integration modes.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Option to exclude symbols in GoTo and List Methods navigation<\/span><\/h2>\n

This small tweak adds an option to skip selecting symbols after you navigate to it. In that way, you can immediately start typing before the symbol, or you would be able to keep your current selection even after jumping to different parts of the code.<\/span><\/p>\n

This currently works for VA\u2019s <\/span>Go To<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>List Methods in Current File<\/span><\/i> (<\/span>Alt + M<\/span><\/i>). Access the new option via the toolbar.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Open the options dialog to select symbol selection behavior.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Specify access level on Extract Method<\/span><\/h2>\n

VA introduces a new option that allows developers to specify the access level (public, private, or protected) directly when using the Extract Method refactoring tool.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Specify the visibility of methods obtained via Extract Methods using the new options.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

This streamlines the refactoring process by providing an immediate choice of access level for the new method being created from the selected block of code. Previously, after extracting a method, the default access level was applied (usually private), and any changes to this required manual adjustment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With this update, developers can set the desired access level in the initial step of the extraction, ensuring better code organization and encapsulation from the outset.<\/span><\/p>\n

New features added for C++ modules when importing<\/span><\/h2>\n

When declaring new modules into your project, VA will recognize what you are trying to do and core navigation and features will work accordingly. This includes autocompletion prompts, adding includes, finding references, and other pertinent navigations.<\/span><\/p>\n

C++ modules were added in <\/span>C++ 20<\/span><\/a> to help improve the compilation times and the overall build performance of C++ programs. Modules provided a modern alternative to traditional header files and includes by allowing programmers to define interfaces that are compiled separately and imported as needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This reduces the need to include headers and recompile code unnecessarily, which can significantly speed up the build process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Modules in C++ are fairly new and the committee is still pushing for mass adoption. But whether you\u2019re an early adopter of C++ modules or not, this VA update should help you find available modules should the need arise.<\/span><\/p>\n

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VA now parses C++ modules, enabling core navigations and features.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Support for *.IXX module files.<\/span><\/h2>\n

This change allows VA to parse and understand the new modular structure introduced with C++20. This means that developers can now work with module interface files (.ixx) directly within the Visual Assist environment, benefiting from features like syntax highlighting, code navigation, and intelligent code completion that were previously limited to traditional header and source files.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, if you had symbols declared in an .IXX file, VA now properly parses them and navigation features such as Go To will now work properly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Configurable snippet base for unit test generation<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are new configuration options available for Unit Test Generation that allow developers to customize the boilerplate code that is automatically generated when creating unit tests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The unit test generation feature was first introduced in <\/span>VA 2024.9<\/span><\/a> and added a new feature to create a boilerplate that follows the Google Test framework. This creates a new test file, prepopulated with placeholders following the test structure to make it more convenient to users.<\/span><\/p>\n

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