Column Guides lets you add vertical lines at character column positions in Visual Studio text editors. You specify the column, color, width, and dash style of each guide. You can associate each set of guides with one or more file types.

Getting Started

In the Extensions menu, go to the Column Guides menu and select Options.

Column Guides installs with a default guide at column 80 for all file types.

Note: To enter text values in the Options page without dismissing the dialog, select Tab to move to the next control or select Space to update the value in place.

File Types

Adding file types

Below the File Types list box, select the Add button. A new row will be added to the File Types list box with the default file type, *.*.

Removing file types

Select the row you want to remove in the File Types list box, then select the Remove button.

Setting file types

In the File Types list box, select the row you want to edit.

In the File types text box, enter your file type. You can enter multiple file types by separating them with a semicolon (;).

Ordering file types

To move a row up or down in the File Types list box, select the row, then select the ▲ or ▼ button.

If a document matches more than one set of file types, its guides are drawn in the order the file types appear in the File Types list.

Guides

Adding guides

Below the Guides list box, select the Add button. A new guide will be added to the Guides list box with default settings.

Removing guides

Select the guide you want to remove in the Guides list box, then select the Remove button.

Guide settings

Column

Enter the column at which a guide appears in the in the Column text box.

Color

Enter the color of a guide in the R, G, and B text boxes. Values are 0-255.

Alternatively, you can click on the color button to select a color from a dialog.

Opacity

Enter the opacity of a guide in the Opacity text box. Values are 0-255.

Alternatively, you can drag the slider to choose a value.

Width

Select the width of a guide from the Width combo box.

Dashes

Select the dash style of a guide from the Dashes combo box.

Ordering guides

To move a guide up or down in the Guides list box, select the guide, then select the ▲ or ▼ button.

If a file type has more than one guide, its guides are drawn in the order they appear in the Guides list.

Global Settings

Showing and hiding guides

To show all guides, select the Show guides checkbox.

To hide all guides, clear the Show guides checkbox.

You can also show and hide all guides in the Column Guides menu.

Dashes

To make dashed lines to scroll with the page, select the Dashes stick to page checkbox.

To make dashed lines to float above the page, clear the Dashes stick to page checkbox.

Rendering

To make guides snap to screen pixels and minimize anti-aliasing visual artifacts, select the Sharp guides checkbox.

To disable snapping to screen pixels, clear the Sharp guides checkbox.