Visual Studio template schema reference
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 information about XML elements in .vstemplate files, which are files that store metadata for project templates, item templates, and Starter Kits.
You can use vstemplate.xsd to validate custom .vstemplate files. This file is available at ..\<Visual Studio installation folder>\Xml\Schemas\1033\vstemplate.xsd.
| Element | Child Elements | Attributes |
|---|---|---|
| AppliesTo | None | None |
| Assembly (Template) | -- | -- |
| Assembly (Wizard Extension) | -- | -- |
| BuildProjectOnload | -- | -- |
| CreateInPlace | -- | -- |
| CreateNewFolder | -- | -- |
| CustomDataSignature | -- | -- |
| CustomParameter | -- | Name Value |
| CustomParameters | CustomParameter | -- |
| DefaultName | -- | -- |
| Description | -- | Package ID |
| EnableEditOfLocationField | -- | -- |
| EnableLocationBrowseButton | -- | -- |
| Folder | ProjectItem Folder |
Name |
| [deprecated] | -- | |
| FullClassName | -- | -- |
| Hidden | -- | -- |
| Icon | -- | Package ID |
| LocationField | -- | -- |
| LocationFieldMRUPrefix | -- | -- |
| MaxFrameworkVersion | -- | -- |
| Name | -- | Package ID |
| NumberOfParentCategoriesToRollUp | -- | -- |
| PreviewImage | -- | -- |
| Project | Folder ProjectItem |
File TargetFileName ReplaceParameters |
| ProjectCollection | ProjectTemplateLink SolutionFolder |
-- |
| ProjectItem (Item Templates) | -- | SubType CustomTool ItemType ReplaceParameters TargetFileName |
| ProjectItem (Project Templates) | -- | TargetFileName ReplaceParameters OpenInEditor OpenOrder OpenInWebBrowser OpenInHelpBrowser |
| ProjectSubType | -- | -- |
| ProjectTemplateLink | -- | ProjectName |
| ProjectType | -- | -- |
| PromptForSaveOnCreation | -- | -- |
| ProvideDefaultName | -- | -- |
| Reference | Assembly | -- |
| References | Reference | -- |
| RequiredFrameworkVersion | -- | -- |
| RequiredPlatformVersion | -- | Version |
| SDKReference | -- | Package |
| ShowByDefault | -- | -- |
| SolutionFolder | ProjectTemplateLink SolutionFolder |
Name |
| SortOrder | -- | -- |
| SupportsCodeSeparation | -- | -- |
| SupportsLanguageDropDown | -- | -- |
| SupportsMasterPage | -- | -- |
| TargetPlatformName | RequiredPlatformVersion | -- |
| TemplateContent | ProjectCollection Project References ProjectItem CustomParameters |
BuildOnLoad |
| TemplateData | Name Description Icon PreviewImage ProjectType ProjectSubType TemplateID TemplateGroupID SortOrder CreateNewFolder DefaultName ProvideDefaultName PromptForSaveOnCreation EnableLocationBrowseButton EnableEditOfLocationField Hidden DisplayInParentCategories LocationFieldMRUPrefix NumberOfParentCategoriesToRollUp CreateInPlace BuildOnLoad BuildProjectOnload ShowByDefault LocationField SupportsMasterPage SupportsCodeSeparation SupportsLanguageDropDown RequiredFrameworkVersion FrameworkVersion MaxFrameworkVersion CustomDataSignature TargetPlatformName |
-- |
| TemplateGroupID | -- | -- |
| TemplateID | -- | -- |
| VSTemplate | TemplateData TemplateContent WizardExtension WizardData |
Type Version |
| WizardData | -- | Name |
| WizardExtension | Assembly FullClassName |
-- |