Tool Windows

Tools windows are child windows of the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE) that are used to display information. The Toolbox, Solution Explorer, Properties window, and Web Browser are examples of tool windows provided by the IDE.

In This Section

• Tool Window Essentials
  Presents the information that you must know to understand tool windows.

• How to: Create a Tool Window
  Shows how to create a tool window by using the Visual Studio Package Template.

• Registering Tool Windows
  Describes how to register and configure tool windows.

• How to: Open a Tool Window Programmatically
  Explains how to open a tool window programmatically.

• How to: Open a Dynamic Tool Window
  Explains how to open and close a tool window programmatically, depending on user interface (UI) context.

• Tool Window Walkthroughs
  Presents the most common scenarios for working with tool windows.

Related Sections

• Arranging and Using Windows in Visual Studio
  Provides guidelines for enhancing the usability of the windows in Visual Studio.

• User Interfaces
  Explains how to use Visual Studio services to create UI elements that match the rest of Visual Studio.