The new DataRepeater control enables you use standard Windows Forms controls to display rows of data in a scrollable container. This control provides more flexibility than standard grid controls.

For more information, see Introduction to the DataRepeater Control (Visual Studio).

The LineShape and Shape controls are a set of three graphical controls that enable you to draw lines, ovals, and rectangles on forms and containers at design time. These controls make it easier to enhance the look of your user interface. LineShape and Shape controls encapsulate many of the graphics methods that are contained in the System.Drawing namespace. This enables you to draw lines and shapes in a single step without having to create graphics objects, pens, and brushes. You can create complex graphics effects such as gradient fills by just setting some properties. These controls also provide events such as click and double-click to enable you to respond to and interact with end users.

For more information, see Introduction to the Line and Shape Controls (Visual Studio).

The PrintForm component is designed to easily print a Windows Form as you could in Visual Basic 6.0. By using the PrintForm component, you can once again lay out a Windows Form exactly how you want it and enable users to print the form as a quick report.For more information, see PrintForm Component (Visual Basic).

The Printer Compatibility Library enables projects that use the Visual Basic 6.0 Printer object and Printers collection to be upgraded without requiring you to rewrite the printing logic. Just add a reference to the library, declare a Printer, and make some minor syntax changes, and the project will be able to print by using the Printers collection and Printer object as it did in Visual Basic 6.0. This version incorporates a new Write method into the Printer object. The new method enables you to print text without using a forced carriage return, like the semicolon syntax used by the Print method in Visual Basic 6.0.

For more information, see Printer Compatibility Library.

Also included is a bootstrapping package that enables you to easily redistribute the Visual Basic Power Packs with an application. This enables you to include the Power Packs in a ClickOnce Project or Setup Project by just clicking a check box.

For more information, see Deploying Applications That Reference Power Packs Controls.

XML capabilities in Visual Basic have been greatly improved with the addition of LINQ to XML. Visual Basic further enhances the XML editing experience with the addition of XML Axis Properties and XML Literals, which allow you to include XML as first-class data types in your Visual Basic code, making it fast and easy to create, transform, modify, and query XML. For more information, see XML in Visual Basic.

In Visual Studio 2008, the Project Designer supports the new Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Web application project types.

There are four WPF project types:

• WinFX Windows Application

• WinFX Web Browser Application

• WinFX Custom Control Library

• WinFX Service Library

When a WPF project is loaded into the integrated development environment (IDE), the user interface of the Project Designer pages lets you specify properties specific to WPF applications. For more information about WPF, see Windows Presentation Foundation.

Web application projects were added to Visual Studio in Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 and are also included in Visual Studio 2008. The new Web application project model is the same as the Visual Studio .NET 2003 Web project model, but it is updated with features of Visual Studio 2005 and ASP.NET version 2.0. The Visual Studio Project Designer supports Web application projects, with the limitation that these projects can only be application-scoped. 

You can access the Project Designer by clicking Properties on the Project menu. For more information, see Introduction to the Project Designer.

Multitargeting lets you target code to a specific version of the .NET Framework:

• .NET Framework 2.0, included with Visual Studio 2005.

• .NET Framework 3.0, included with Windows Vista.

• .NET Framework 3.5, included with Visual Studio 2008.

To support multitargeting, click the appropriate version in the new Target framework list in the Advanced Compiler Settings Dialog Box (Visual Basic) and the Advanced Build Settings Dialog Box (C#).

ClickOnce deployment has been enhanced with the following new features:

• ClickOnce supports the deployment of WPF Web Browser Applications. WPF Web Browser Applications are hosted in a Web browser and therefore require special deployment and security settings. When you build and deploy these applications, Visual Studio provides the appropriate user interface and default values. For more information, see Publish Page, Project Designer.

• ClickOnce gives ISVs the option to re-sign the application manifest with their customer's company name, application name, and deployment and support URL. When end users install the application, the ISV's original company branding still appears on the Do you want to trust this application? dialog box. For more information, see the description of the Use application manifest for trust information check box in Publish Options Dialog Box.

• You can build and deploy Visual Studio Tools for Office applications by using the Project Designer's Publish page or the Publish Wizard. For more information, see Publish Page, Project Designer or Publish Wizard.

• ClickOnce supports manifest generation under User Access Control (UAC) in Windows Vista. For more information, see ClickOnce Deployment on ClickOnce Deployment on Windows Vista.

For more information, see What's New in Deployment.

Windows Installer deployment has been updated to support Windows Vista and the latest .NET Framework versions:

• Windows Installer has been updated so that installation on Windows Vista is easier, even when it is running under User Account Control (UAC). For more information, see Windows Installer Deployment on Windows Vista.

• The .NET Framework Launch Condition supports targeting applications for the new .NET Framework 3.0 and 3.5 versions.

For more information, see What's New in Deployment.