Start IIS express through command prompt
I seldom use F5 (start the application in debugging mode in Visual studio) but instead run it normally and connect the debugger only when I need to.
Connecting the debugger takes a measurable amount of time so with a faster turnaround I can keep focused better.
I also leave IIS running all the time. It does shadow copying so there is no need to restart anything.
I have recently switched from IIS to IIS express while developing and hence need to have it running all the time. That I do through the command prompt with
1 | "c:\Program Files\IIS Express\iisexpress.exe" /path:C:\PathToMyWeb /port:32767 |
where path is the path to the site (where the web.config resides) and the port is what you see in the web project properties or in the web browers’s address bar the first time you hit F5.
It has the nice side effect that I can see all the http requests I do in the command window, a light weight current log of sorts.
Tags: asp.net, debugging, iis, visual studio