Unlocking the Power of Visual Studio 2017: A Guide to Adding Connected Services

Visual Studio 2017 is the ultimate tool for developers who want to create cutting-edge applications for various platforms. With a range of tools, services, and frameworks at your fingertips, you can streamline your workflow, boost productivity, and get the most out of your development experience.

Step 1: Open Visual Studio 2017

The first step in adding connected services to your project is to open Visual Studio 2017. If you don’t already have it installed, you can download it from the official Microsoft website.

Step 2: Create a New Project

Once you have Visual Studio 2017 open, the next step is to create a new project. Choose the type of project that best fits your needs, such as ASP.NET Core, Console Application, or Xamarin.Forms. For this example, we will use ASP.NET Core as our project type.

Step 3: Add Connected Services

After creating a new project, navigate to the Solution Explorer and right-click on the project name. Select “Add” and choose “Connected Service” from the options.

Step 4: Choose a Connected Service

You will be presented with a list of available connected services. Select the one that you want to add to your project. For this tutorial, we will select “Microsoft Azure Storage” as our connected service.

Step 5: Authenticate with Your Microsoft Account

Once you have selected your connected service, you will need to authenticate with your Microsoft account. Simply sign in with your credentials when prompted by Visual Studio 2017, and then click on the “OK” button to proceed.

Step 6: Configure the Connected Service

After authenticating, you will need to configure your selected connected service. Depending on the service you have chosen, the configuration options may vary. For Microsoft Azure Storage, you will need to specify your storage account name and access key.

Step 7: Enable Advanced Settings (Optional)

If you want to customize the advanced settings, click on the “Advanced” button below the configuration options. This will allow you to configure additional settings, such as the connection string, container name, and other relevant information.

Step 8: Finish Adding the Connected Service

Once you have configured your connected service, click the “Finish” button to add it to your project. This step may take a few moments to complete, depending on the service you have selected.

Step 9: Use the Connected Service in Your Project

Now that the connected service has been added to your project, you can begin using it to enhance your application’s functionality, scalability, and performance. For instance, with Microsoft Azure Storage, you can use the generated code to upload and retrieve files from your storage account. You can also explore the various APIs and services provided by the connected service.

Conclusion

Adding connected services to your application with Visual Studio 2017 has never been easier. By following these simple steps, you can integrate your project with cloud services and APIs to enhance its capabilities and streamline your workflow. Try it out today and see how connected services can benefit your development experience.