monodevelop

Start MonoDevelop

$ monodevelop

$ monodevelop [path/to/file]

$ monodevelop [path/to/file];[line_number];[column_number]

$ monodevelop --new-window

$ monodevelop --no-redirect

$ monodevelop --perf-log

monodevelop [OPTIONS] [FILES/SOLUTIONS]

[FILES/SOLUTIONS]
    Opens the specified solution file (.sln), project file, or individual source file in the IDE. If multiple paths are provided, all will be opened.

--new-window
    Forces the specified solution or file to open in a new instance of the IDE, rather than in an already running instance.

--no-splash
    Suppresses the display of the splash screen that typically appears during the IDE's startup sequence.

--debug
    Launches the IDE in a debug mode. This option is primarily used by developers working on MonoDevelop itself, to debug its internal processes.

--profile=<name>
    Starts the IDE with profiling enabled, using the specified profile configuration. Useful for performance analysis of the IDE.

--attach-console
    Attaches a console window to the MonoDevelop process. This allows for displaying internal log messages and debugging output directly in the terminal.

--version
    Displays the version information for the MonoDevelop IDE.

--help
    Displays a brief summary of available command-line options and their usage.

MonoDevelop was an open-source integrated development environment (IDE) primarily designed for developing software with C# and other .NET languages, running on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

It aimed to provide a comprehensive development experience similar to Microsoft's Visual Studio for the Mono platform. Key features included an advanced text editor with code completion, a powerful debugger, integrated version control, and support for various project types and languages. It allowed developers to create desktop applications, web applications, and mobile apps (via Xamarin).

MonoDevelop was a crucial tool for cross-platform .NET development before its evolution into Visual Studio for Mac and subsequent deprecation.

MonoDevelop has been officially superseded. Its direct successor, Visual Studio for Mac, was retired by Microsoft in 2024. While the core open-source components may still exist, active development as a standalone IDE under the MonoDevelop name has largely ceased. Users are encouraged to transition to modern alternatives like Visual Studio Code with C# Dev Kit or JetBrains Rider for cross-platform .NET development.

The command-line utility primarily serves to launch the graphical IDE, not for headless operations like building or testing, which are typically handled by dotnet CLI tools or internal build systems.

MonoDevelop is fundamentally a graphical user interface (GUI) application. The monodevelop command is primarily used to launch the IDE, optionally opening specific projects or files, rather than performing command-line automation tasks. Most development and build processes are managed within the IDE itself or by separate command-line tools like dotnet.

The IDE was highly extensible through an add-in architecture. Developers could create and integrate add-ins to extend its functionality, support new languages, or integrate with external tools. This allowed for a customized development environment tailored to specific needs and workflows.

MonoDevelop originated in 2003 as an effort to port Visual Studio .NET to Linux and provide a native IDE for the Mono framework. It was initially developed by Ximian, later acquired by Novell.

Following the acquisition of Xamarin (which had continued MonoDevelop's development) by Microsoft in 2016, MonoDevelop was rebranded and extensively re-engineered to become Visual Studio for Mac. This transition marked a significant shift, aligning the IDE more closely with the Visual Studio ecosystem. Despite its retirement as Visual Studio for Mac in 2024, its open-source foundation continues to influence modern .NET development tools.

mono(1), dotnet(1), code(1), rider