Walkthroughs for Customizing Visual Studio By Using VSPackages

There are three ways to customize the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE). You can create add-ins to add features and customizations that are available in the Visual Studio Automation Model, and then distribute them in a compiled form. The tools to create add-ins are included in Visual Studio and do not require the SDK. For more information about add-ins, see Automation and Extensibility for Visual Studio. 

The third way to customize Visual Studio is by creating VSPackages. These are the software modules that Visual Studio itself is made of. Feature development in VSPackages is not limited to the Automation Model. Tool windows, editors, services, and project types all are VSPackages. The Visual Studio SDK lets you create your own VSPackages.

The walkthroughs in this section teach how to create VSPackages, give them functionality, integrate them into Visual Studio, and distribute them to other users. For more information about VSPackages and what they can do, see the Inside the Visual Studio SDK.

In This Section

• Walkthrough: Creating a VSPackage (Part 1 of 4)
  Shows how to create a VSPackage that adds a command to a menu in Visual Studio and how to add a keyboard shortcut to the command. Also shows how to add information about the package to the About dialog box and splash screen in Visual Studio.

• Walkthrough: Creating a Tool Window (Part 2 of 4)
  Demonstrates how to create a tool window in Visual Studio, and then how to embed a control in it and how to add a command bar to it. Also shows how to register the tool window for placement in Visual Studio.

• Walkthrough: Extending the Tool Window (Part 3 of 4)
  Builds on the tool window from the previous walkthrough. Demonstrates how to add controls that give users more ways to interact with the tool window. Also shows how to add to a Visual Studio menu a command that is visible only when the tool window has focus.

• Walkthrough: Integrating into the Properties Window, Task List, Output Window, and Options Dialog Box (Part 4 of 4)
  Shows how to build a basic task manager that lets users add tasks to the Visual Studio Task List and Output window. The added tasks can be edited in the Visual Studio Properties window. Also shows how to add a page to the Options dialog box.

Related Sections

• Introducing the Visual Studio SDK
  Provides an overview of the features and tools that are included in the Visual Studio SDK and how you can use them to extend Visual Studio.

• Inside the Visual Studio SDK
  Describes how you can customize the different elements of the Visual Studio IDE.