This cheat sheet covers MSDN URL conventions as of July 2013. The general form of an MSDN URL is:
Locales
Locales are specified in the URL as “/xx-yy/”. Currently supported locales:
| Locale | Language (Region/Country) |
|---|---|
| ar-sa | Arabic (Saudi Arabia) |
| cs-cz | Czech (Czech Republic) |
| de-de | German (Germany) |
| en-us | English (United States) |
| es-es | Spanish (Spain) |
| fr-fr | French (France) |
| it-it | Italian (Italy) |
| ja-jp | Japanese (Japan) |
| ko-kr | Korean (Korea) |
| pt-br | Portuguese (Brazil) |
| ru-ru | Russian (Russia) |
| tr-tr | Turkish (Turkey) |
| zh-cn | Chinese (People’s Republic of China) |
| zh-tw | Chinese (Taiwan) |
Product Families / Product Family Versions
Product Family Versions are specified in the URL as “(v=family.version)”, for example “(v=exchg.65)”. Some common Product Families include:
| Family | Product Family Name | Versions Available |
|---|---|---|
| vs | Visual Studio | 60, 71, 80, 85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 100, 110 |
| office | Office | 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 |
| ax | Dynamics AX | 10, 50 |
| sql | SQL Server | 70, 80, 90, 100, 105, 110 |
| bts | BizTalk Server | 10, 20, 70 |
| prot | Open Specifications | 10, 13 |
| exchg | Exchange Server | 10, 65, 80, 140 |
| pandp | patterns & practices | 10, 20, 31, 50 |
| WinEmbedded | Windows Embedded | 4, 5, 10, 11, 20, 51, 60 |
| cs | Commerce Server | 10, 20, 70, 90 |
| XNAGameStudio | XNA Game Studio | 10, 20, 30, 31, 40 |
Visual Studio / .NET Framework Versions
Specific versions of Visual Studio / .NET Framework are specified in the URL as “(v=vs.version)” where vs.version can have the following values:
| Internal Version | Visual Studio Version | Framework Version |
|---|---|---|
| vs.60 | Visual Studio 6.0 | n/a |
| vs.71 | Visual Studio .NET(2002/2003) | .NET Framework 1.0 / 1.1 |
| vs.80 | Visual Studio 2005 | .NET Framework 2.0 |
| vs.85 | Windows SDK / Scripting | .NET Framework 3.0 |
| vs.89 | VSTO (targeting Office 2003) | – |
| vs.90 | Visual Studio 2008 | .NET Framework 3.5 |
| vs.91 | WCF RIA Services | – |
| vs.92 | Windows Phone 7 | – |
| vs.93 | MS Solver Foundation | – |
| vs.95 | – | Silverlight (Released) |
| vs.96 | – | Silverlight (Pre-release) |
| vs.100 | Visual Studio 2010 | .NET Framework 4 |
| vs.110 | Visual Studio 2012 | .NET Framework 4.5 |
Notes:
- .NET Framework documentation shares the same internal version number as Visual Studio.
- Silverlight provides only one documentation version. VS.95 is always the currently released version of Silverlight.
Devices
Devices enable you to consume the same Library content in different ways. Devices can modify the presentation, structure, and/or behavior of content. Devices are specified in the form “(d=device)” where device is:
| Device | Description |
|---|---|
| ide | Visual Studio 2005 (DExplore online mode) |
| orcaside | Visual Studio 2008 (DExplore online mode) |
| printer | Printer View – optimized for printing; includes a call to window.print() |
The following devices are no longer supported and are retained for historical purposes:
| Device | Description |
|---|---|
| classic | Classic Library View |
| lightweight | Lightweight Library View (default) |
| loband | ScriptFree Library View – our fastest view |
| pda | Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) View – no ToC navigation |
| robot | Optimized for search engines |
Usage Notes
- URL Options listed here are case insensitive: “en-us” is equivalent to “en-US”, “vs.100” is equivalent to “VS.100”, etc.
- URL Option prefixes are optional and may be omitted. For example, “(VS.100)” is equivalent to “(v=VS.100)”
- Multiple URL Options may be specified by separating them with commas as in “(loband,vs.90)”. Spaces are not permitted. Order is not important.
