Whenever a file is opened by Visual Studio, the IDE detects changes
made outside of the environment, and prompts users to reload changed files.
However, Visual Studio cannot detect changes made in a dynamic view, except
at checkout time. If you work in a dynamic view on a shared branch, enable
the Poll for background file changes option to avoid
the potential issue of working with files that do not reflect the latest changes.
To poll for background file changes:
- Start Visual Studio.
- Click , and then expand .
- Select the Poll for background file changes check
box.
- Click OK.
You are now informed by the IDE when a newer version of a file that
you have open is checked in by another user working on the same branch.
For example, if you have a code file open that has been modified
by another developer and the option Poll for background file changes is
selected, then Visual Studio will prompt you to reload the file so that you
are working with the latest changes. This also avoids the risk that you will
build and test against files that are different than those displayed in the
editor window.