Commands, Menus, and Toolbars

A VSPackage typically has a user interface that includes one or more commands. Commands are found on menus, toolbars (such as a toolbar in a tool window), command combo boxes, and selectors. (Selectors let you select nontextual values from a grid, such as a color grid.)

The topics in this section explain how commands, menus, and toolbars work in VSPackages.

In This Section

• Command, Menu, and Toolbar Overview
  Presents best practices for adding menus and toolbars to your VSPackage.

• How VSPackages Add User Interface Elements to the IDE
  An in-depth description of the Command Table Format specification.

• Visual Studio Command Table (.Vsct) Files
  Describes an XML-based syntax and compiler for command tables.

• Default Command, Group, and Toolbar Placement
  Describes predefined commands, groups, menus, and toolbars.

• IDE-Defined Commands, Menus, and Groups
  Specifies the predefined menus, commands, and command groups available for use by the Visual Studio IDE.

• Command Design
  Explains how to implement commands.

• Common Tasks with Commands, Menus, and Toolbars
  Provides a comprehensive list of common menu tasks.

• Walkthroughs for Commands, Menus, and Toolbars
  Provides a collection of walkthroughs for commands, menus, and toolbars.

Related Sections

• VSCT XML Schema Reference
  Describes all UI components and their flags.

• Loading VSPackages
  Describes how a VSPackage is loaded and how loading is controlled by command context.

• Selection Context Objects
  Explains the Visual Studio model for determining the selection context focuses of a window.

• User Interfaces
  Explains how to use Visual Studio services to create UI elements that match the rest of Visual Studio.