Visual Studio 2017 version 15.9 is now Available

Finally the new version of Visual Studio 2017 is here.

Visual Studio
Visual Studio 2017

As usual let’s see the new features inside this releases and the changes for Xamarin:

  • You can now import and export an installation configuration file that specifies which workloads and components should be installed with an instance of Visual Studio.
  • We have improved the debugging experience for NuGet packages using the new symbol package format (.snupkg).
  • Step back in debugger is now available in C++ for Enterprise customers.
  • C++ IntelliSense now responds to changes in the remote environment for both CMake and MSBuild projects targeting Linux.
  • We have made updates to UWP Desktop Bridge framework packages and added support for ARM64 C++ Native Desktop scenarios.
  • We added support for the range-v3 library with the MSVC 15.9 compiler.
  • We fixed several bugs in the F# compiler and F# tools.
  • Language service support for new TypeScript features for semantic file renaming and project references.
  • Improved Node.js development by updating Vue.js templates and adding support for unit testing using the Jest framework.
  • We added SharePoint 2019 project templates, so you can migrate existing SharePoint 2013 and 2016 projects to SharePoint 2019.
  • Visual Studio Tools for Xamarin now supports Xcode 10.
  • We made improvements to the Xamarin.Android build performance.
  • We have added and improved features for Universal Windows Platform developers, including ARM64 support, the latest preview SDK, better debugging of Desktop Bridge applications, and XAML Designer improvements.
  • Substantial improvements were made to the experience of using authenticated package feeds.
  • There is now support for lock file to enable repeatable restore for PackageReference based projects.
  • We have added support for the new license format for NuGet packages.
  • We have introduced NuGet client policies in Visual Studio which enables you to lock down environments such that only trusted packages can be installed.
  • We made the use of .NET Core within Visual Studio more predictable.

and these are the bugs fixed in this version:

  • No way to change “Find All References” background color.
  • “Visual C++ Resource Editor Package” load failed.
  • VS2017 v15.8 Build does not start if XAML files are not manually saved first.
  • Installation failed – manifest signature verification failed.
  • Update 15.8.6 breaks Installer Projects.
  • Scrolling up with the arrow key causes Visual Studio to page up.
  • After updating to 15.8.1, data tip does not show when debugging.
  • System.InvalidProgramException: Common Language Runtime detected an invalid program..
  • Solution Explorer does not remain pinned after closing Visual Studio.
  • Navigation bar in editor has trouble handling long method names.

Regarding Xamarin these are the most important changes in this release:

Visual Studio Tools for Xamarin

Visual Studio Tools for Xamarin now supports Xcode 10, which allows you to build and debug apps for iOS 12, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5. See how to get ready for iOS 12 and our introduction to iOS 12 for more details on the new features available.

Initial Xamarin.Android Build Performance Improvements

Xamarin.Android 9.1 includes initial build performance improvements. You can see the build performance comparison here.

To download Visual Studio 2017 or to see the entire release notes, you can follow this link: Visual Studio 2017 release notes.