Visual Studio 2022 Preview 2: Enhancements in C++ Atomics and Usability Features
The recent release of Visual Studio 2022 17.5 Preview 2 introduces a range of usability enhancements and new capabilities aimed at improving the developer experience. Among the most notable updates are a revamped search experience, expanded .NET functionalities, including the ability to publish ASP.NET projects directly to Azure Container Apps, and new C++ features like experimental support for C11 atomics. Released on December 13, this preview version is available for download from the Visual Studio website, allowing developers to explore its latest functionalities.
A significant addition for C++ developers is the experimental implementation of C11 atomics within Microsoft’s Visual C++ (MSVC). This feature can be activated using the /experimental:c11atomics flag in /std:c11 mode or later, providing developers with a means to perform operations on atomic types as single transactions. Currently, the implementation supports only lock-free atomics, but Microsoft plans to expand this capability to include locking atomics in future updates. The inclusion of the <stdatomic.h> library header and the _Atomic(T) type specifier will streamline atomic operations, making it easier to declare atomic types without cumbersome syntax.
In addition to the new atomic features, Visual Studio 2022 17.5 has improved the “Go To Definition” functionality for C++ code. The updated experience replaces the previous modal dialog with a more subtle indicator when a lookup takes longer than expected. This change enhances workflow efficiency by reducing interruptions and allowing developers to maintain their focus while navigating through codebases. Furthermore, Microsoft has introduced a native Arm64 Clang toolset as part of its LLVM workload, facilitating native compilation for developers working on Arm64 architectures.
Another exciting improvement in this preview version is the support for Hot Reload in CMake Project templates. This feature enables developers to make real-time modifications to their projects while they are running, significantly speeding up the development process. By allowing developers to see changes immediately without the need for a full rebuild, Visual Studio 2022 17.5 Preview 2 enhances productivity and fosters a more dynamic development environment. With these updates, Microsoft continues to solidify Visual Studio’s position as a powerful IDE for modern software development, catering to the evolving needs of developers across various programming languages.