CreatePkgDef Utility
Takes a .dll file for a Visual Studio extension as a parameter and creates a .pkgdef file to accompany the .dll. The .pkgdef file contains all the information that would otherwise be written to the system registry when the extension is installed.
Note
Most of the project templates that are included in the Visual Studio 2013 SDK automatically create .pkgdef files as part of the build process. This document is intended for those who want to create packages manually, or convert existing packages to use .pkgdef deployment.
CreatePkgDef /out=FileName [/codebase] [/assembly] AssemblyPath
Arguments
/out=FileName
Required. Sets the name of the .pkgdef output file toFileName./codebase
Optional. Forces registration with the CodeBase utility./assembly
Forces registration with the Assembly utility.AssemblyPath
The path of the .dll file from which you want to generate the .pkgdef.
Remarks
Extension deployment by using .pkgdef files replaces the registry requirements of earlier versions of Visual Studio.
The .pkgdef files must be installed in one of the following locations: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Visual Studio\12.0\Extensions\ or %vsinstalldir%\Common7\IDE\Extensions\. If the installation folder is %localappdata%\Microsoft\Visual Studio\12.0\Extensions\, the extension will be recognized by Visual Studio, but will be disabled by default. The user can enable the extension by using Extensions and Updates. If the installation folder is %vsinstalldir%\Common7\IDE\Extensions\, the extension is enabled by default.
Note
The Extensions and Updates tool cannot be used to access an extension unless it is installed as part of a VSIX package. For more information, see PAVE Visual Studio Extension Deployment.