ICS — Indented C# for Visual Studio

Edit your existing C# with indentation instead of braces. Changes flow between the C# and ICS panes, while your project keeps standard .cs files. Live editing is free; Pro adds optional automation.

New in 1.1.0

Enable the free Enable editor fidelity option under Tools → Options → ICS → General → Editing for native reference CodeLens, document outline and Go to Member, read/write occurrence highlights, structural folding, smarter Enter indentation, and completion snippets with editable placeholders. This option is off by default.

This release also adds Paste C# as ICS and Copy Selection as C# for complete statements, members and declarations, expands the ICS control panel with a License button beside each Pro automation setting, and improves converter restart, close/reopen, native Undo and deletion recovery. Project-aware editing uses SDK-style C# projects and remains a subset of native C# editing.

The same file, with and without braces

Captured in Visual Studio with optional diagnostics disabled. Playback is edited for pace.

Both panes are editable and stay in step. The .cs file remains the canonical source on disk; the ICS view presents the same code with indentation in place of structural braces.

Start with a C# file

Install ICS — Indented C# for Visual Studio, open a .cs file, then choose Tools → ICS: Open C# as ICS. An editable ICS view opens beside the C# file.

Type in either pane; after a short pause, the other updates when the code is convertible. Your project continues using ordinary .cs files.

To toggle the view using the keyboard, press Ctrl+K, release both keys, then press Ctrl+I. Open the control panel through View → Other Windows → ICS.

Installation help

Why ICS

• Less punctuation, same C# project. Work in an indented view while teammates and build tools keep ordinary .cs files.
• Edits are checked before they reach C#. If a conversion would lose meaningful code or comments, ICS refuses it rather than silently changing the source.
• No migration required. Opening a C# file as ICS creates no .ics sidecar beside it; exporting standalone ICS files is optional.
• Your code stays local. Conversion and language analysis run on your machine. ICS does not upload your source code and includes no analytics or usage telemetry of its own.
• Unchanged means unchanged. An untouched ICS preview returns the original C# exactly.

See the difference

The same InvoiceService example is 22 lines of ordinary C# and 12 lines in its ICS view. The project still builds from the .cs file.

C# on disk

namespace Billing;

public class InvoiceService
{
    public decimal Total(IEnumerable<Line> lines)
    {
        decimal total = 0m;
        foreach (var line in lines)
        {
            if (line.Taxable)
            {
                total += line.Amount * 1.2m;
            }
            else
            {
                total += line.Amount;
            }
        }

        return total;
    }
}

ICS in the editor

namespace Billing

public class InvoiceService
    public decimal Total(IEnumerable<Line> lines)
        decimal total = 0m
        foreach (var line in lines)
            if (line.Taxable)
                total += line.Amount * 1.2m
            else
                total += line.Amount

        return total

Work in the ICS editor

The extension recognizes .ics files and provides syntax colorization, comment toggling, bracket matching, autoclosing, and region folding. Its language client also provides live diagnostics, hover information, completion, Go To Definition, Find All References, and native Format Document support.

Analysis runs locally on the generated C# projection. See the language-service scope and limitations.

Free and Pro

Live in-memory C# ↔ ICS synchronization is free. ICS Pro enables:

• Display ICS only.
• Auto-save paired C# after each successful live update.
• Sync standalone ICS files on save.

ICS Pro is $29 once. No subscription. Each Pro licence covers one editor. Includes all 1.x updates, eight activations for one person, and a 30-day refund guarantee.

After purchase, run ICS: Enter License Key; use ICS: Deactivate License to release an activation before moving it.

Full pricing and terms · Activation transfer policy

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 17.x or Visual Studio 2026 18.x on x64 Windows.
• .NET Framework 4.8.

The extension includes a self-contained Windows x64 converter. No separate .NET installation or repository checkout is required.

Live editing, saves, and recovery

By default, live updates change editor buffers only; disk writes occur on save or an explicit output command. Pro's optional auto-save can also write each successful update.

Incomplete code is normal while typing. Until it becomes convertible, the other pane keeps its last verified text and is marked out of date—it is not overwritten with a partial conversion. If both panes have independent edits, ICS: Resolve Preview Conflict lets you review and choose. Local recovery copies can contain source code; the editing and recovery guide explains retention and how to remove them.

Other ways to work

• ICS-only mode (Pro): enable Display ICS only to replace C# editors with ICS views while saving back to the ordinary .cs files.
• Keep .ics files on disk: ICS: Sync Current File to C# converts one file on demand; Pro can synchronize on every save.
• Export once: ICS: Export as ICS File writes a standalone .ics copy without creating a live-linked preview.

The full Visual Studio guide covers save behavior, conflicts, recovery, solution-wide conversion, and troubleshooting.

Settings at a glance

Free live pairing needs no configuration. To change conversion behavior, open Tools → Options → ICS → General. The three Pro automation settings are Display ICS only, Auto-save paired C#, and Sync standalone ICS files on save; each is off by default.

Structural C# braces disappear from the ICS view automatically. The optional Remove braces setting also removes eligible braces from regenerated C#. It is off by default.

Optional-brace behavior · Complete settings reference

Main commands

To toggle the view, press Ctrl+K, release both keys, then press Ctrl+I. Ctrl+Alt+S applies a preview; Ctrl+Alt+R refreshes a clean preview. Visual Studio's standard Format Document command also formats ICS.

All commands and shortcuts

Privacy, terms, and output ownership

Conversion, language services, recovery, and diagnostics run locally. The converter runtime is bundled; no separate runtime download is required. ICS contacts Lemon Squeezy for Pro licence activation, validation and user-requested deactivation. Validation can happen automatically when Pro access is checked and the cached result has expired. ICS does not claim ownership of source code, ICS files, or generated C# processed or produced using the extension.

• Software license — Elastic License 2.0.
• Product terms — output rights and Free/Pro tier conditions.
• Activation transfer and deactivation policy — moving or changing an ICS Pro activation.
• Privacy notice — local processing and Pro-license data flow.

Reporting bugs

Run ICS: Report Issue to prepare a scrubbed diagnostic in a local editor. Review it before copying anything to the public support tracker. Do not submit proprietary source, license keys, paths, customer information, or other sensitive data.