Search code examples
javascriptvisual-studiobrowser-based

Visual Studio Project Template for a Browser-based Desktop Application

I am starting the development of a browser-based desktop application (HTML + JavaScript) with no web server involved. It will be a single static HTML file using FileApi for its input and BlobUrls for output.

I consider using Visual Studio Community as the IDE for that development, but I can’t find the right project template to use.

My wish-list is:

  • Support for basic front-end languages: JavaScript, HTML, CSS.
  • Refactoring tools spanning several languages and files (like renaming a JavaScript object or a class attribute).
  • JavaScript debugging within the IDE, with connection to several browsers.
  • No server (not even localhost) required.
  • Support for JavaScript build tools (bundle, minify, … but no transpiler)
  • Git Support.

Is this available?

Solution

  • Visual Studio has support for this but only when using TypeScript it seems. I've struggled with the same problem a long time ago. What I did was create an ASP.NET application but then I didn't use any Web Forms pages, I just used normal HTML pages and JavaScript.

    I would recommend just switching over to Visual Studio Code, which provides everything on your wish-list and has a lot more customization than Visual Studio Community.

    http://code.visualstudio.com