Does Reflector support XML documentation viewing?
Reflector actually includes an XML documentation viewer. Select a type, constructor, method, property, field or event and hit the F1 key. The program will either find the documentation file automatically or it will ask for it.
How can I easily figure out what I can possibly do with a selected item?
Reflector supports context menus (which can be opened by right-clicking on a node in the browser window). This is often the quickest way to find out what you can do with that item.
How can I view all the information organized by Namespace?
Reflector supports a namespace-centric mode. Here is the trick: Open the view menu, click the customize item and enable the "Flatten Namespaces" checkbox.
Why does Reflector hold my file locked even after I close it from the file menu?
This is a problem with the CLR, not with Reflector. Right now, the CLR does not support an easy way to unload assemblies from memory. Even after running "File\Close" the runtime still keeps the file in memory. The only way to release the lock is to restart reflector. There are some workarounds for the CLR problem but they would all introduce other side effects.
How come I can't find the methods in System.Reflection that let me get at the IL code?
At the time of writing System.Reflection does not support methods for accessing IL code. Reflector uses its own hand-built EXE/DLL file reader to read the IL code. The routines are exposed, however, in Reflector.Disassembler for those hard core programmers that want to play around with it.
What is the difference between "File\Open" and "File\Open Name"?
The "File\Open Name" menu allows you to quickly open files that are already loaded into the Global Assembly Cache (GAC). However, when using this option you will find it harder to access the XML documentation that is often stored in the same directory as the original EXE/DLL. The problem arises because the GAC does not provide functionality for navigating back to the original location of an assembly. To avoid that load the EXE/DLL from its original location.
How do Bookmarks work?
The Bookmarks tool only works for types, constructors, methods, fields, properties and events at the moment. You can add a selected node to the bookmarks list using the INS key and remove it by pressing DEL.
How do I use the Type Search to find a particular type?
Type Search (F3) shows you all the types available in the loaded assemblies (taking your visibilities settings into consideration). The tool works like a dictionary index and typing syllables in the header boxes is filtering the lower part. The search stops after 1000 elements. You should already have an idea what you are looking for at that point - use filtering to get more. The progess bar at the bottom shows the percentage of the loaded assemblies that is already processed.
How do I use the Member Search to find a particular member?
Member Search (F4) works the same way as Type Search works. It is a bit slower and shows all members as well (types, constructors, methods, fields, properties, events).
What is Member References Search and why is it so slow?
The Member references (Shift-F4) tool searches through all of the IL code to find all the members that refer to the node that was selected. The Member References Search tool is very slow at the moment so it can take some time until the search finishes. The search scope is limited for private and internal members. The search can also be made quicker by using the filter and unloading large assemblies which you do not want to search.
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