Visual Studio IDE Architecture

The topics in this section describe Visual Studio and its integrated development environment (IDE), and introduce strategies and techniques for extending the IDE.

In This Section

• Visual Studio IDE Concepts
  Describes Visual Studio and the IDE, and how to create and use VSPackages and services.

• VSPackages
  VSPackages extend the IDE by providing UI elements, services, projects, editors, and designers.

• Services
  A service is a contract between two VSPackages. One VSPackage offers a specific set of interfaces for another VSPackage to consume.

• Releasing a Visual Studio Integration Product
  Shows how to release a Visual Studio integration product.

Related Sections

• Extending Visual Studio Overview
  Introduces the Visual Studio SDK and discusses how to build products that run in and extend the Visual Studio IDE.