Use a browser other than IE with Visual Studio .NET

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jeff Robichaud
  • Start date Start date
J

Jeff Robichaud

I've been trying to use a browser other than IE in VS.NET with no success.
The default browser on my PC is Firefox, and it is also the default browser
for opening web documents from the Solution Explorer in VS.NET. But when I
click the Play button or hit F5, it is still IE that is being launched. Is
there a way ? A registry key somewhere ??...or something obvious that I
didn't see...or maybe it's illegal to do it ? ;-)
 
In the Solution Explorer, right-click the file you want
to browse with Firefox, and choose "Browse with".

In the dialog, navigate to wherever Firefox.exe is installed
in your computer, and add it to the list of browsers.

If you want to make it the default browser, do that.

Nothing "illegal" about doing that.



Juan T. Llibre
ASP.NET MVP
http://asp.net.do/foros/
Foros de ASP.NET en Español
Ven, y hablemos de ASP.NET...
======================
 
Thanks Juan.

Well, like I said, this works indeed, but I would like to use the Play
button to launch my app with Firefox, instead of having to locate my
"default.aspx" file in the Solution Explorer, then right-clicking it, then
choosing "Browse with". Of course it works, but I really would like to save
those steps. Am I right if I say that the command "Set as start page" was
probably meant for choosing a page to be run when we click the Play
button...
 
After you set Firefox as the default browser, doesn't
Firefox run everytime you hit the "Browse" context menu ?
Click to expand...
you're right.

Finally, I found that launching Firefox with F5 works, but only in Release
mode, not in Debug mode.
 
Answer to myself and to anyone interested,

When in Debug mode, by default VS.NET uses Internet Explorer. This is an
option found in Project Properties.
Go "Configuration Properties", "Debugging", "Start Options", "Always Use
Internet Explorer".
When set to false, the VS.NET debugger will use the default browser for
VS.NET, not the machine's default browser.
 
OK, now how do where can we set the default browser for VS.NET? :-)

Honestly, I've been looking for a while, and I don't see it.
 
Of course as soon as I responded, I found the answer. For some reason,
they decided to put this option on the File menu, rather than putting
it in with the rest of the options in Tools >> Options. (WHY???)

Go to File >> Browser With... and there you will be able to set the
default browser for VS.NET to whatever you want. Argh.
 
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