Extensibility Intellisense files now available

I have posted an MSI that will install XML files that will help you when programming Extensibility features. When installed, you will get more information in the tool tips when programming extensibility types. If you program against any of these Assemblies:

 EnvDTE.dll
EnvDTE80.dll
Extensibility.dll
Microsoft.VisualStudio.TemplateWizardInterface.dll
Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.dll
Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCProject.dll
Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCProjectEngine.dll
Microsoft.VisualStudio.VSContentInstaller.dll
Microsoft.VisualStudio.VSHelp.dll
Microsoft.VisualStudio.VSHelp80.dll
VSLangProj.dll
VSLangProj2.dll
VSLangProj80.dll

then you may wish to install these files. I created a new GDN workspace at https://workspaces.gotdotnet.com/VSExtTools where you can download this file.

Comments

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2005
  Hi Craig,
  
  Thanks for the xml files- this will surely make add-in development easier.
  
  I'm in the process of porting an old addin of mine to VS2005 (see URL). It has a few options pages, which I would like to port as well. Looking at MSDN the only information I could find on registration of options pages was here: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/b389wd38.aspx. Unfortunately the article fails to describe the steps required to actually do the registration of the pages (in the .addin file I assume).. Could you point me to some additional information?

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2005
  You can add this within the Extensibility tag of the XML:
  
  <ToolsOptionsPage>
  <Category Name="My Category">
  <SubCategory Name="My Subcategory">
  <Assembly>Assembly.dll</Assembly>
  <FullClassName>Namespace.ClassName</FullClassName>
  </SubCategory>
  </Category>
  </ToolsOptionsPage>
  
  You can add multiples of these tags if you have more than one page.
  
  Craig

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2005
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  December 01, 2005
  It think this can be very useful. Unfortunately, when I run the setup file, nothing is installed.
  The "C:Program FilesMicrosoftMicrosoft Visual Studio Extensibility Intellisense Files" folder is not created and intellisense doesn't work.
  
  Any idea?

• Anonymous
  December 22, 2005
  Well, I got the same problem on my system: nothing was created after installation no matter which folder I specified. Did anyone successfully install it?
  
  I checked with Control Panel and found that it did install on my system. I just do not have an idea where it installed (my system dispalys hidden files/folders), or maybe it just did blank installation.
  

• Anonymous
  December 22, 2005
  Hello Craig,
  
  As the doc mentioned that we do not need to use addin to create the custom options pages, then what is the format of the xml file used to define the pages if I do not have an addin xml file to hold it?
  
  Where should I put such xml file (defining the options pages)? Place it where I put other addin xml files?
  
  Thanks.
  
  Shawn

• Anonymous
  January 06, 2006
  Sorry it took me so long to respond.
  
  You do not need to do anything to make these files work, just run the installer. The installer creates a directory that will be empty, but it will put the .xml files in the same directory as the DLLs listed in this post. When you start typing in the editor and use a type from the above listed assemblies, you should see more information about the method being used.

• Anonymous
  January 06, 2006
  XML for Tools Options pages go in .addin files, so you will put them in the same location as all your Add-ins.

• Anonymous
  January 16, 2006
  Thanks Craig. The info really helps.

• Anonymous
  May 10, 2007
  I have updated my most popular (by far) article to include information and sample code about how to create

• Anonymous
  November 16, 2008
  The comment has been removed