What tools do I use for .NET development

I am convinced that using tools during development can make your live easier. It is like the toolbox of a carpenter. But what I see sometimes is that people are using too much tools.

My toolbox mantra is as following:

• Keep it simple.
• Dare to throw away tools that you do not use too often.
• Keep your eyes open for new tools but be critical.
• Learn your Visual Studio shortcuts. Use Shortcutfoo to learn like a master. It is free for one IDE. You will have amazing speed after awhile. I (re)learn every week 5 shortcuts. You can change them if you want too. Some shortcuts require big hands or some kungfu style of hand gestures. It will reflect in your Visual Studio profile so you can carry it around to other workstations.

So what is inside my immediate toolbox?

• Resharper
• NCrunch
• XUnit (with the running tools for VS and Resharper).
• FakeItEasy
• Autofac
• Automapper

And that’s it. Some are tools in the real sense and others are libraries to use but I consider them tools because I need them to be there all the time. I use a two-way test-driven development style where I use those tools constantly.

Two-way test-driven development style I will explain in another story.