Today I was creating a class with lots of variables and I was originally using the refactor method to generate getters and setters. In the end I got bored and thought there must be a quicker way.

I knew about code snippets but hadn’t really used them

To use the code snippet for creating a property you type in prop and then shift twice

it will create this

public int MyProperty { get; set; }

the int and the MyProperty are highlighted and the int is ready to typed over

if you type in string and then press shift again it will go to the MyProperty you can then type over that and if you are finished press enter.

there are lots more snippets which could help speed up your coding, I found a list here, which I have pasted below so I can find it later. There is also the ability to add blocks of code and you can do this by pressing

CTRL K, CTRL S

this will then give you a list of snippets to insert.

Default Code Snippets

The following code snippets are included in Visual Studio by default.

Name (or shortcut)	Description	Valid locations to insert snippet
#if	Creates a #if directive and a #endif directive.	Anywhere.
#region	Creates a #region directive and a #endregion directive.	Anywhere.
~	Creates a destructor for the containing class.	Inside a class.
attribute	Creates a declaration for a class that derives from Attribute.	Inside a namespace (including the global namespace), a class, or a struct.
checked	Creates a checked block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
class	Creates a class declaration.	Inside a namespace (including the global namespace), a class, or a struct.
ctor	Creates a constructor for the containing class.	Inside a class.
cw	Creates a call to WriteLine.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
do	Creates a do while loop.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
else	Creates an else block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
enum	Creates an enum declaration.	Inside a namespace (including the global namespace), a class, or a struct.
equals	Creates a method declaration that overrides the Equals method defined in the Object class.	Inside a class or a struct.
exception	Creates a declaration for a class that derives from an exception (Exception by default).	Inside a namespace (including the global namespace), a class, or a struct.
for	Creates a for loop.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
foreach	Creates a foreach loop.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
forr	Creates a for loop that decrements the loop variable after each iteration.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
if	Creates an if block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
indexer	Creates an indexer declaration.	Inside a class or a struct.
interface	Creates an interface declaration.	Inside a namespace (including the global namespace), a class, or a struct.
invoke	Creates a block that safely invokes an event.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
iterator	Creates an iterator.	Inside a class or a struct.
iterindex	Creates a “named” iterator and indexer pair by using a nested class.	Inside a class or a struct.
lock	Creates a lock block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
mbox	Creates a call to System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show. You may need to add a reference to System.Windows.Forms.dll.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
namespace	Creates a namespace declaration.	Inside a namespace (including the global namespace).
prop	Creates a property declaration and a backing field.	Inside a class or a struct.
propg	Creates a property declaration with only a “get” accessor and a backing field.	Inside a class or a struct.
sim	Creates a static int Main method declaration.	Inside a class or a struct.
struct	Creates a struct declaration.	Inside a namespace (including the global namespace), a class, or a struct.
svm	Creates a static void Main method declaration.	Inside a class or a struct.
switch	Creates a switch block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
try	Creates a try-catch block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
tryf	Creates a try-finally block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
unchecked	Creates an unchecked block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
unsafe	Creates an unsafe block.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.
using	Creates a using directive.	Inside a namespace (including the global namespace).
while	Creates a while loop.	Inside a method, an indexer, a property accessor, or an event accessor.