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Apps on Azure Blog
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Developer productivity: security, testing, coding, AI

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mpgraven
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Oct 02, 2023

This month, we’re highlighting tools and resources that help improve developer productivity. Discover how to add security to your development workflow, learn about tools to streamline testing, explore enhancements that will help you code faster, and learn new techniques for working with generative AI. 

 

Now available: GitHub Advanced Security for Azure DevOps  
Discover a new way to automate security checks in the developer workflow. GitHub Advanced Security for Azure DevOps is now available, letting you enable code scanning, secret scanning (to block secrets from being pushed to repos), and dependency scanning.  

 

IntelliTest simplifies writing and maintaining unit tests  
Automate testing and find bugs earlier in development. The latest IntelliTest preview makes it easier to write and maintain unit tests with high code coverage. Available in Visual Studio Enterprise, IntelliTest supports projects that target .NET 6.   

 

Get started with Dev Containers in Visual Studio Code  
Boost your coding productivity and save time configuring development environments. Watch this demo to learn how to effortlessly set up and use dev containers in Visual Studio Code.  

 

Performance improvements in .NET 8   
Curious how .NET 8 improves performance? Take a deep-dive look into numerous changes and performance improvements in the upcoming release of .NET.  

 

Learn Live: DevOps and Deconstruct the E2E Workflow for Testing and Deploy 
Learn how to test and deploy serverless, intelligent apps to Azure. Watch the session live on October 5 and then on demand to explore the Azure Developer CLI and Playwright.   
• Get details and watch the session   
• Visit the Learn Collection to explore more resources 

 

Microsoft Teams: Tools and SDKs 
Did you know Microsoft provides a comprehensive platform for creating, testing, and publishing Microsoft Teams apps. Explore the docs to learn about the tools and SDKs available for building Teams apps.  

 

Microsoft 365: Adaptive Card-based Loop components are now in preview 
Adaptive Card-based Loop components (now in preview) deliver live, actionable data that stays in sync and can be used across Microsoft 365 apps. Find out how to build your first set of Adaptive Card-based Loop components and try the preview.   

 

Visual Studio Video Miniseries: Tea & Technology 
Journey into the heart of Visual Studio. Watch this new 7-episode series for in-depth interviews with the product managers helping drive innovation in Visual Studio.   

 

New React TypeScript SPA templates and more 
The latest Visual Studio preview includes new React TypeScript SPA templates for a better project creation experience. Get details and learn about the benefits. Check it out if you build React TypeScript web applications with ASP.NET as the back end.   

 

Demystifying retrieval augmented generation with .NET 
Learn how to create an intelligent chat application by building one from the ground up with .NET and Microsoft Semantic Kernel. This blog post guides you through the entire process, complete with all the code samples you’ll need.   

 

Generative AI and prompting 101 
Watch an overview of Generative AI and learn techniques for crafting prompts that will take your results to a new level. Discover how prompt engineering is transforming how we work and interact with technology.   

 

On demand: Resilient App series 
Can your apps handle a surge of users and keep transactions flowing? Watch our 7-part Resilient Apps series on demand at Microsoft Reactor to learn practical techniques, optimize performance, and use automated testing.     

 

A quick look at easy port forwarding in Visual Studio Code 
Watch a quick demo of port forwarding in Visual Studio Code. And read about port forwarding in the user guide.   
Read more    
Watch now   

 

Elevate debugging with auto-decompilation and external sources 
With Visual Studio 17.7, the debugger took a significant leap forward. Learn about auto-decompilation for .NET libraries and find out how it streamlines external code debugging in Visual Studio.  

 

Events and other highlights 

Announcing: Microsoft Copilot, your everyday AI companion   
Get details about the new Microsoft Copilot, a general AI companion that will seamlessly help you get more done. Learn about the newest AI and copilot innovations from Microsoft and find out how to try them yourself.  

 

Python in Excel: Combining the power of Python and the flexibility of Excel  
Use Python natively in Excel for an even more powerful way to analyze data. Check out this blog post for an overview of the new Python in Excel preview and discover how to use Python while taking advantage of familiar Excel tools, such as formulas, charts, and PivotTables.   

 

Data suggests Microsoft 365 Certification increases app adoption rates 
Want to increase adoption of your apps? Recent data shows enterprise customers consider Microsoft 365 Certified apps before non-certified apps on average 90% of the time. Learn more about Microsoft 365 Certification.   

 

.NET Conf 2023 
Save the date for .NET Conf 2023. Join this free digital event November 14–16, 2023 to watch live sessions, get answers straight from .NET experts, and get ready for the official launch of .NET 8. 

 

Microsoft Ignite 
Register for Microsoft Ignite and join us November 14–17, 2023 to explore the latest innovations, learn from experts, and develop new skills. The Microsoft Ignite event is available in-person and online, making it easy to be a part of the experience.      

Published Oct 02, 2023
Version 1.0
  • AlmaMatter's avatar
    AlmaMatter
    Copper Contributor

    Thanks for sharing these awesome tips for boosting developer productivity. From enhancing security to simplifying testing and coding faster, these tools are game-changers.