Extending Visual Studio 2003

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Extending Visual Studio 2003

• Building a VS Add-in

Visual Basic Pro User Group May 6, 2004
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Who Am I?

• Paul Sturgill
• Psturgill_at_Commonwealth.com
• Commonwealth Financial Network
• Language of choice VB.NET

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Agenda

• How can we extend VS 2003?
• Automation Object Model
• What makes VS 2003 extensible?
• Demos
• Extensibility future VS 2005 features
• Creating your own extensible application

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Introduction

• How can we extend Visual Studio 2003?
• What are our options?
• VS Add-in is a COM component
• DTE is a COM wrapper

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(No Transcript)
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What makes VS extensible?

• Interfaces!!

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Interfaces

• Extensibility.IDTExtensibility2
• OnAddInsUpdate List of add-ins change
• OnBeginShutdown IDE shuts down
• OnStartupComplete IDE startup complete
• OnDisconnection Add-in unloads from IDE
• OnConnection Add-in is loaded into IDE
• IDTCommandTarget
• Exec invokes Add-in behavior (menu item)
• QueryStatus listing available add-ins

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NEVB Demo Add-in

• Features
• Code manipulation
• IDE Event tracking
• Launched Window application
• Tool Window

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Start Demos
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Visual Studio 2005 (Whidbey)

• Main goal is less COM
• No more Regsvr32
• Use XML file to define an Addin
• No more shim control for Toolwindow
• New CreateToolWindow2 method
• Toolbar accepts different types of controls
• Combo box, checkbox, etc not just buttons

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3 Steps to creating Pluggable Software
Define Common Interface
Implement Interface
Create hosting application
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Define Custom Interface

• Public Interface ICustomAddin
• Function Start() as Boolean
• Function Stop() as Boolean
• End Interface

Equivalent to IDTExtensibility2 Interface
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Implementation of Interface

• Public Class MyCustomAddin
• Implements ICustomAddin
• Public Function Start() as Boolean Implements
  ICustomAddin.Start
• Do something here when the add-in starts
• End Function
• Public Function Stop() as Boolean Implements
  ICustomAddin.Stop
• Do something here when the add-in stops
• End Function
• End Class

Equivalent to custom VS Add-in
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Hosting Application

• Dim assem As Reflection.Assembly
  Reflection.Assembly.LoadFrom(c\plugins\mycustomp
  lugin.dll)
• Dim oAddin As Object
• Dim iAddin As PluginLibrary.iCustomAddin
• oAddin assem.CreateInstance(MyCustomAddin.MyCus
  tomAddin)
• iAddin CType(oAddin, PluginLibrary.ICustomAddin)
  
• iAddin.Start()

Equivalent to Visual Studio as a hosting
application
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Summary

• VS Extensibility
• Macros
• Add-ins
• VSIP Visual Studio Industry Partner
• Visual Studio 2005 enhancements
• Add-in contest runs to 5/31/2004
• http//weblogs.asp.net/rosherove/

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Where to Get More Information

• Microsoft VSIP Program
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/extend/
• Writing Add-Ins for Visual Studio .NET
• Les Smith (Apress)
• Yahoo User Group
• http//groups.yahoo.com/group/vsnetaddin/
• Microsoft Sample Downloads
• http//www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Fa
  milyIdEE1C9710-6DF7-4F3F-A5AE-425A478DDEEBdispla
  ylangen

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Feedback

• Please send feedback to Psturgill_at_Commonwealth.com