Building and Debugging Applications

Understanding the Build Process

When you build your project, Visual Studio:

1. Compiles source code (.cs) into Intermediate Language (IL)
2. Generates an assembly (.dll or .exe)
3. Applies selected configuration (Debug/Release)
4. Restores NuGet packages and dependencies

Common Build Commands

// Build with dotnet CLI
dotnet build

// Clean and rebuild the solution
dotnet clean
dotnet build

Debug vs Release Configuration

Visual Studio provides two main configurations:

• Debug: Includes debug symbols, slower but better for troubleshooting
• Release: Optimized for performance, used for deployment

You can switch configurations using the dropdown in the Visual Studio toolbar.

Essential Debugging Techniques

Use these built-in tools to troubleshoot and inspect code execution:

• Breakpoints: Pause execution at specific lines
• Step Over / Into: Move through code line by line
• Watch Window: Monitor specific variables
• Call Stack: View the execution path
• Immediate Window: Execute expressions at runtime

int x = 10;
int y = 5;
int result = x / y; // Set a breakpoint here
Console.WriteLine(result);

Error List & Output Window

Visual Studio provides real-time feedback:

• Error List: Shows compile-time issues, with file and line numbers
• Output Window: Displays build output and logs

Double-clicking on an error takes you straight to the offending line.

Tips for Efficient Debugging

• Use conditional breakpoints to pause only when a condition is true
• Use “Edit and Continue” to make quick code changes while debugging
• Use the Diagnostic Tools window for performance insights

Visual Studio is more than an editor — it's a powerful development environment that helps you build, analyze, and debug applications efficiently. In the next lesson, we’ll explore how to use breakpoints, watches, and output windows in more detail.