VSTS provides a very interesting tool called static analysis tool which helps to maintain better code quality .This tool is nothing but the advancement of FXCop . static analyzer examines managed assembly against a checklist know as rules , report the defects and poor programming practices based on these rules. Static analyzer ships with variety of rules like design rules ,globalization rules , naming rules , performance rules and many more . These rules are extendable by the developer that means you can define your application/project specific rules (custom rule) and run against the code. This is not mandatory that your code must follow all rules , its up to us to select all or few of them for example globalization is may not necessary/applicable to your application but naming convention or security rule is important then select these two rules and run against your code.
To specify the rules for you application , click on project property | Code Analysis Tab .Select all or applicable rules and make sure you have select enable Code Analysis check box .The next step is recompile your code and the code analyzer report the defects in the error window.This tool is very much helpful to avoid bad coding practices .
