by Joche Ojeda | Mar 6, 2025 | Visual Studio
Visual Studio Sign-In Issues: A Simple Fix
For a long time, I had a problem with my Visual Studio installation. I was unable to sign in with different accounts or change my account. I tried resetting my computer to the default settings, but the issue persisted.
In December, I bought a new Microsoft Surface, which basically fixed the problem. However, I still have my own computer – a really good MSI gaming machine with 64 gigabytes of RAM. I decided to use it as a secondary computer, but the main problem remained: even after resetting my Windows setup to default and cleaning all programs, I was unable to sign in with a different account. I was essentially stuck.
Today, I decided to tackle this issue. It’s been a really busy week (it’s Thursday already), but I’ve accomplished a lot, including finishing two Udemy courses on Semantic Kernel and Microsoft AI Extensions. Having some free time, I played around with my old computer to see if I could fix it – and fortunately, I was able to!
The Solution
Here’s what I did to fix the sign-in problem:
- Go to Visual Studio Options > Environment > Accounts
- Change “Add and reauthenticate accounts using:” from “Windows authentication broker” to something else like “Embedded web browser” or “System browser”
After changing to System browser or Embedded web browser, I was able to complete the entire sign-in flow without issues.
If you’re experiencing similar problems with Visual Studio account authentication, give this simple fix a try!
by Joche Ojeda | Jan 17, 2025 | DevExpress, dotnet
My mom used to say that fashion is cyclical – whatever you do will eventually come back around. I’ve come to realize the same principle applies to technology. Many technologies have come and gone, only to resurface again in new forms.
Take Command Line Interface (CLI) commands, for example. For years, the industry pushed to move away from CLI towards graphical interfaces, promising a more user-friendly experience. Yet here we are in 2025, witnessing a remarkable return to CLI-based tools, especially in software development.
As a programmer, efficiency is key – particularly when dealing with repetitive tasks. This became evident when my business partner Javier and I decided to create our own application templates for Visual Studio. The process was challenging, mainly because Visual Studio’s template infrastructure isn’t well maintained. Documentation was sparse, and the whole process felt cryptic.
Our first major project was creating a template for Xamarin.Forms (now .NET MAUI), aiming to build a multi-target application template that could work across Android, iOS, and Windows. We relied heavily on James Montemagno’s excellent resources and videos to navigate this complex territory.
The task became significantly easier with the introduction of the new SDK-style projects. Compared to the older MSBuild project types, which were notoriously complex to template, the new format makes creating custom project templates much more straightforward.
In today’s development landscape, most application templates are distributed as NuGet packages, making them easier to share and implement. Interestingly, these packages are primarily designed for CLI use rather than Visual Studio’s graphical interface – a perfect example of technology coming full circle.
Following this trend, DevExpress has developed a new set of application templates that work cross-platform using the CLI. These templates leverage SkiaSharp for UI rendering, enabling true multi-IDE and multi-OS compatibility. While they’re not yet compatible with Apple Silicon, that support is likely coming in future updates.
The templates utilize CLI under the hood to generate new project structures. When you install these templates in Visual Studio Code or Visual Studio, they become available through both the CLI and the graphical interface, offering developers the best of both worlds.
Here is the official DevExpress blog post for the new application templates
https://www.devexpress.com/subscriptions/whats-new/#project-template-gallery-net8
Templates for Visual Studio
DevExpress Template Kit for Visual Studio – Visual Studio Marketplace
Templates for VS Code
DevExpress Template Kit for VS Code – Visual Studio Marketplace
If you want to see the list of the new installed DevExpress templates, you can use the following command on the terminal
dotnet new list dx
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this technological cycle. Which approach do you prefer for creating new projects – CLI or graphical interface? Let me know in the comments below!
