There are many packages in Visual studio that you can install that support multiple languages, new syntactical features, and updates. Many of the packages are crucial to courses taught here at Lane, and they all can be installed using the Visual Studio Installer.

You can download Visual Studio Community for free from Microsoft’s website:
https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/whatsnew

As you begin the installation process, you will be prompted to add components to Visual Studio to set up your development environment.

You may see a prompt on your computer asking if you would like to keep the download file. This file is safe for use as long as it comes from Microsoft’s site. It is not recommended to download Visual Studio from other sources.

The following packages are required for most development coursework for CIT students.

Part 1—

Part 2—



Note: Computer Programming students will also need to install the Class Designer component, which is available under the ‘Individual components’ tab within the installer.

Note: Game Development students will have to install two additional components for their coursework.

Once you click ‘Install’, Visual Studio will give you a splash screen as the download and install processes begin.

After Visual Studio is installed, you will see the Startup screen offering different options to build your first project.

If you have to go back to the installer screen to add anything you’ve missed, you can get the list of available installers by navigating to the ‘Tools’ tab and choosing ‘Get Tools and Features…’