.NET Tools Rider Roadmap

Rider 2023.1 Roadmap

As we gear up for the beginning of the Early Access Program (EAP) for Rider 2023.1, we wanted to take a moment to share our plans for this upcoming release. 

These plans are subject to change and some features and improvements may need to be pushed to a future release. 

Additionally, be sure to check out the ReSharper 2023.1 roadmap as some of those features will also be making their way to Rider.

Settings Sync plugin

Settings synchronization is essential when you use your IDE on two or more computers. After changing a color scheme or a keymap on one machine, you naturally want to see the same setup on the second machine. Even if you have only one IDE, syncing settings to a backup would allow you to automatically restore all of your settings if you set up a new machine from scratch.

Rider 2023.1 will include support for the Settings Sync plugin initially introduced by IntelliJ IDEA. The plugin is capable of syncing all shareable settings, bundled plugins, and third-party plugins for a seamless transition between all of your Rider instances. 

Docker support improvements

We’ve got tons of good stuff in the works for Docker support in Rider. First and foremost, fast mode is about to become available for running Docker projects, whereas previously it was only available for debugging. We’re also expanding the list of Dockerfiles fast mode is supported for. Finally, we’ll be making fast mode even faster by pulling the Docker images and inspecting them during solution startup. 

That’s not all! We’re working on getting Rider to generate Docker-compose run configurations from .dcproj project files and to generate extra Docker files (docker-compose.yml) when you click on ‘Add Docker-compose support’ action in the context menu for the project. 

Database Schema Compare

Schema Compare is an essential tool for database development and maintenance. It lets users compare two databases to quickly identify the differences between them and ensure there are no discrepancies and the data is kept up-to-date. 

For our next stable release, we’ve set out to implement Schema Compare in Rider for connected databases, SQL Server database projects, and .dacpac files. We’re working on creating a dedicated editor window where you can view and edit Schema Compare (.scmp)files. Additionally, the Problems View window will include a tab for storing any issues identified as a result of database comparison with suggested actions to resolve them. 

Game development

Unity

One of the most exciting things we’re working on for the upcoming release is the support for Unity’s Data Oriented Technology Stack (DOTS). Initial support in Rider will include quick documentation, new code inspections and hints, code generation, and file templates. 

Apart from that, we also aim to deliver:

  • Improved support for recognising serialized fields, especially around the [SerializeReference] attribute.
  • USB debugging for Android devices.
  • Ability to find more usages of code from assets.
  • F1 help for APIs defined in Unity packages.

Unreal Engine

A lot of our work is going into improving your experience working with large .vcxproj files, namely decreasing project loading times and fixing UI freezes when adding items.

Lots of improvements and bug fixes are planned for the installation flow of UnrealLink/RiderLink plugins that allow Rider to interact with a running instance of the Unreal Editor.

Make sure to watch this space for more exciting Unreal Engine updates – we have something coming up that you definitely don’t want to miss. 

Grammar checking

With our next release, we’ll be moving away from the current built-in spellchecker in favor of a more advanced tool –  JetBrains Grazie

Grazie is an intelligent spelling and grammar checker that supports over 20 languages and works with natural languages in programming language constructs (Python, Java, and others), markup languages (Markdown, HTML, XML, and others), comments, and commit messages. Over the course of this release cycle, we’ll be working on extending Grazie support to C#, VB.NET, and XAML, making this powerful plugin an integral part of your development with Rider. 

Other plans

Performance

We’ll be building on the performance improvements in Rider 2022.3 to make the IDE’s startup and overall performance even better. 

New UI tweaks

The feedback for Rider’s new UI preview has been overwhelmingly positive. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done before this early preview can become the default for all users. So please keep those suggestions coming! 

Localization 

This was teased for the previous release, but other features took precedence. Starting with the Rider 2023.1 release, however, you should be able to switch the IDE’s language to Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

We hope you enjoyed this preview of the features and improvements coming to Rider 2023.1. Let us know in the comments below which ones you’re most excited about. 

Another way to give us feedback and help shape the future of your favorite .NET IDE is by participating in the Early Access Program. Keep an eye out for the first 2023.1 EAP build by signing up for our newsletter or following our social media. 

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