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Implementation Strategies

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Visual Studio 2008 supports a rich object model that you can extend with automation add-ins, macros, VSPackages, or a combination of the three. Generally, add-ins and macros are easier to develop, but are less powerful, than VSPackages. Add-ins can call Visual Studio 2008 extensibility interfaces, and Visual Studio 2008 packages (VSPackages) can access the Visual Studio 2008 automation model. You can combine these two different approaches to create an effective solution.

VSPackages can be written in unmanaged or managed code. We recommend that you write new VSPackages in managed code by using the managed package framework (MPF). Almost anything that can be written in unmanaged code can be implemented more easily and securely in managed code. However, developers can expect legacy applications written in unmanaged code to continue to run in Visual Studio 2008.

The topics in the Visual Studio SDK documentation are presented in increasing order of power and complexity. Simple VSPackages can be implemented as tool windows or can send information to Visual Studio 2008's built-in UI elements, such as the status bar or output window. More complex applications can be written as Visual Studio 2008 hierarchies, such as the Visual Studio 2008 Server Explorer. Still more power can be obtained by implementing a project, editor, or designer. Visual C# and Visual Basic are themselves implemented as Visual Studio 2008 language projects.

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Other Resources

Getting Started with the Visual Studio Integration SDK