How to: Use Add-ins to Control Macros
The Macros object in the Visual Studio automation model gives you a measure of programmatic control over macros being recorded in the integrated development environment (IDE). By using it, you can:
Pause or resume the macro recorder.
Add one or more lines of code to the macro being recorded.
Determine whether the macro recorder is currently recording a macro.
You can also use the ExecuteCommand method to directly issue a command to the IDE, such as creating a new file.
Note
The Macros object members are not designed to be used within a macro; they must only be used within an Add-in.
The Visual Basic example below demonstrates how to reference and use the various members of the Macros automation model.
Note
The dialog boxes and menu commands you see might differ from those described in Help depending on your active settings or edition. These procedures were developed with the General Development Settings active. To change your settings, choose Import and ExportSettings on the Tools menu. For more information, see Visual Studio Settings.
Example
The following example checks to see whether a macro is currently being recorded. If it is, it adds an extra line of code to it.
Public Sub OnConnection(ByVal application As Object, _
ByVal connectMode As ext_ConnectMode, ByVal addInInst _
As Object, ByRef custom As Array) Implements _
IDTExtensibility2.OnConnection
_applicationObject = CType(application, DTE2)
_addInInstance = CType(addInInst, AddIn)
macroTest(_applicationObject)
End Sub
Public Sub macroTest(ByVal dte As DTE2)
Try
Dim objMac As Macros = dte.Macros
' Determine if a macro is recording. If it is,
' add a line of code to it and then let it resume
' recording.
If objMac.IsRecording = True Then
objMac.EmitMacroCode _
("MsgBox(""This was added by code."")")
Else
MsgBox("Macro is not recording.")
End If
Catch ex As Exception
MsgBox(ex.ToString)
End Try
End Sub
public void OnConnection(object application, ext_ConnectMode
connectMode, object addInInst, ref Array custom)
{
_applicationObject = (DTE2)application;
_addInInstance = (AddIn)addInInst;
macroTest(_applicationObject);
}
public void macroTest(DTE2 dte)
{
try
{
Macros objMac = dte.Macros;
// Determine if a macro is recording. If it is,
// add a line of code to it and then let it resume
// recording.
if (objMac.IsRecording == true)
{
objMac.EmitMacroCode("MsgBox(\"This was added by
code.\")");
}
else
{
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("Macro is not
recording.");
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
}
}
If you were to record a macro and open a text file, this is what the macro code would look like:
Public Module RecordingModule
Sub TemporaryMacro()
DTE.ItemOperations.NewFile("General\Text File")
End Sub
End Module
When you run the example code and do the same thing, an extra line is emitted (added) to the macro code:
Public Module RecordingModule
Sub TemporaryMacro()
DTE.ItemOperations.NewFile("General\Text File")
MsgBox("This line was added by code.")
End Sub
End Module
See Also
Tasks
How to: Change Window Characteristics
Walkthrough: Creating a Wizard
Concepts
Automating Repetitive Actions by Using Macros