Red Gate Software has this week released version 7 of its ANTS Memory Profiler offering, targeted at developers who require extra memory management support over and above that offered inside the .NET platform itself. The new v7 product now features a new instance categorizer graph, a redesigned summary screen and filters, improved support for WPF, and a new snapshot API, all of which have been included to help aid the development of better performing, less resource-intensive applications.

New in ANTS Memory Profiler 7 is the automated snapshot API, built to allow developers to take 'memory snapshots' from within the code base as it develops. A newly refreshed and redesigned summary screen presents overview information and allows software engineers using the tool to jump straight to likely performance issues.

Also shipping in the new release is the instance categorizer, which Red Gate says is designed to make it simpler to understand why groups of objects are being held in memory. There are also now enhanced filtering and searching options to help drill down to the real cause of issues. The company specifies that development shops and individuals with a current 'Support & Upgrades' contract can upgrade to version 7 free of charge using their existing serial key.

In related news, Red Gate also notes its recent release of version 6 of its .NET obfuscator SmartAssembly 6. This new version includes improved Automated Error Reporting and Obfuscation and adds Feature Usage Reporting to give developers feedback on how your customers are using software in practice.