API reference (SharePoint tools extensibility)
Applies to: 
Visual Studio 
Visual Studio for Mac
Note
This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here
This section contains API reference documentation for extending the SharePoint tools in Visual Studio.
In this section
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint
Contains types that you use to extend the SharePoint project system. For example, you can extend the built-in SharePoint projects and project items, or you can create your own project items.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Commands
Contains types that you can use to create custom SharePoint commands. A SharePoint command is a method that calls into the SharePoint server object model from a SharePoint tools extension.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Deployment
Contains types that you use to extend the deployment process for SharePoint projects.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Explorer
Contains types that you use to extend SharePoint nodes in Server Explorer or to define your own types of nodes.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Explorer.Extensions
Contains types that you can use to get information about built-in Server Explorer nodes that represent individual components on a SharePoint site, such as a node that represents a list, field, or content type.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Features
Contains types that you use to access the definition of a feature in a SharePoint project.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Packages
Contains types that you use to access the package definition in a SharePoint project.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Remote.Authentication
Contains types that you use to authenticate and communicate with apps for SharePoint that are deployed to remote SharePoint sites.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Remote.Commands
Contains types that you use to create SharePoint remote commands, which are used with apps for SharePoint that are deployed to remote SharePoint sites.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Tasks
Contains types that Visual Studio uses as build tasks for packaging and debugging SharePoint projects, apps for Office, and apps for SharePoint. This API supports the Office and SharePoint infrastructure and isn't intended to be used directly from your code.
Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.Validation
Contains types that you use to customize the feature and package validation behavior for a SharePoint project.