ReSharper 4 helps learning C# 3 syntax

So, ReSharper 4 nightlies have been available for download for around a month now, and I've been using it successfully at work with VS2008 from the first published build. Exceptions are uncommon and when they happen nothing really breaks, i.e. your code won't get messed up. Progress from one build to the next is amazing, lots of bugs get fixed and it just gets better and better. I won't get into the specific new features since that's been covered a lot.

IMO, the best feature is that it actually speeds up your learning of C# 3 features. When I first started coding in VS2008, my code came out naturally in C# 2 style, something like:

Dictionary<string, string> dict = new Dictionary<string, string>();
dict["one"] = "1";
dict["two"] = "2";

Although i did know about the C# 3 features, I had to consciously make an effort to use them. It's like making an expression jump from your receptive to your productive vocabulary. You know the words, but they just won't come out!

But I'm a CTRL+ALT+F (code reformat) junkie, and you add some alt-enter magic and you get:

var dict = new Dictionary<string, string> {
    {"one", "1"},
    {"two", "2"},
};

And after a while of constantly reading your own code automatically converted to C# 3 by ReSharper, you gradually get used to it and it just starts coming out like that naturally. Now it's part of your "productive vocabulary"!

So don't be afraid of the nightly status and give ReSharper 4 a try!