Application development based on web technologies continues at a breakneck pace with increasingly advanced functionality being enabled by ever-improving tools. With Windows 8, languages that originated for the Web (HTML5 and JavaScript) have found a place in the creation of Windows Store apps.

In addition to improving the JavaScript support that began with VS2012, VS2013 sees the arrival of One ASP.NET, which is designed to maximize the availability of all of Microsoft's current web technologies for use in any scenario. As a developer, you are no longer forced to choose at the start of a project which type of framework to use, instead you may start making your web application in the .NET language you prefer. Incorporate what you need, when you need it, whether that means web forms, MVC, Web API, or some combination of them all.

In this chapter, we will look at different areas where VS2013 can help make your web development tasks easier; from editor enhancements to specific tools...