Walkthrough: Creating an Options Page

This walkthrough creates two Tools Options pages, a simple page and a custom page. The simple page uses a property grid to examine and set properties, and the custom page provides its own user interface (UI). The managed package framework (MPF) supports both scenarios, with very little additional code.

To save these properties to and restore them from a settings file, follow these steps, and then see Walkthrough: Creating a Settings Category.

The MPF provides two classes to help you create Tools Options pages, the Package class and the DialogPage class. You create a VSPackage to provide a container for these pages by subclassing the Package class. You create each tools options page by deriving from the DialogPage class.

In this walkthrough, you create the Tools Options pages and use them to display and change application options. You retrieve the option values from the hosting VSPackage. You retrieve them programmatically from another VSPackage by using Automation.

Prerequisites

To complete this walkthrough, you must install the Visual Studio 2012 SDK.

Note

For more information about the Visual Studio SDK, see Extending Visual Studio Overview. To find out how to download the Visual Studio SDK, see Visual Studio Extensibility Developer Center on the MSDN Web site.

Locations for the Visual Studio Package Project Template

The Visual Studio Package project template can be found in three different locations in the New Project dialog:

1. Under Visual Basic, Extensibility. The default language of the project is Visual Basic.

2. Under C#, Extensibility. The default language of the project is C#.

3. Under Other Project Types, Extensibility. The default language of the project is C++.

Creating a Tools Options Grid Page

In this section, you use the Visual Studio Package project template to create a simple Tools Options property grid. You use this grid to display and change the value of a property.

To create the VSPackage project

1. Create a Visual Studio Package project that’s named MyToolsOptions, and then choose the OK button to launch the Visual Studio Package Wizard.

   For more information about how to create a managed VSPackage, see Walkthrough: Creating a Menu Command By Using the Visual Studio Package Template.

2. On the Select a Programming Language page, select Visual Basic or Visual C#.

3. On the Basic VSPackage Information page, keep the current values, and then choose the Next button.

4. On the Select VSPackage Options page, select Menu Command.

5. On the Command Options page, change the Command name to Get internal option VB or Get internal option CS for Visual Basic or Visual C# respectively, and then set the Command ID to cmdidGetIntOpt.

6. On the Select Test Project Options page, clear the check boxes for the two test projects, and then choose the Finish button.

To create the Tools Options property grid

1. Open the MyToolsOptionsPackage file in the code editor.

2. Add the following namespace references.

   Imports System.ComponentModel
   

   using System.ComponentModel;
   

3. Declare an OptionPageGrid class and derive it from DialogPage.

   Public Class OptionPageGrid
       Inherits DialogPage
   

   public class OptionPageGrid : DialogPage
   

4. Apply a System.Runtime.InteropServices.ClassInterfaceAttribute to the OptionPageGrid class:

   <ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.AutoDual)>
   <CLSCompliant(False), ComVisible(True)>
   Public Class OptionPageGrid
       Inherits DialogPage
   

   [ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.AutoDual)]
   [CLSCompliant(false), ComVisible(true)]
   public class OptionPageGrid : DialogPage
   

   This creates a COM dual interface that lets Visual Studio Automation use GetAutomationObject to access the public members of the class programmatically.

5. Apply a ProvideOptionPageAttribute to the VSPackage class to assign to the class an options category and options page name for the OptionPageGrid.

   <PackageRegistration(UseManagedResourcesOnly:=True),
   InstalledProductRegistration("#110", "#112", "1.0", IconResourceID:=400),
   ProvideMenuResource("Menus.ctmenu", 1),
   Guid(GuidList.guidMyToolsOptionsPkgString)>
   <ProvideOptionPage(GetType(OptionPageGrid),
       "My Category VB", "My Grid Page VB", 0, 0, True)>
   Public NotInheritable Class MyToolsOptionsPackage
       Inherits Package
   

   [PackageRegistration(UseManagedResourcesOnly = true),
   InstalledProductRegistration("#110", "#112", "1.0", IconResourceID = 400),
   ProvideMenuResource("Menus.ctmenu", 1),
   Guid(GuidList.guidMyToolsOptionsPkgString)]
   [ProvideOptionPage(typeof(OptionPageGrid),
       "My Category CS", "My Grid Page CS", 0, 0, true)]
   public sealed class MyToolsOptionsPackage : Package
   

   Note

   You can localize the category by assigning a resource ID to the attribute property CategoryResourceID.

6. Add an OptionInteger property to the OptionPageGrid class.

   • Apply a System.ComponentModel.CategoryAttribute to assign to the property a property grid category.

   • Apply a System.ComponentModel.DisplayNameAttribute to assign to the property a name.

   • Apply a System.ComponentModel.DescriptionAttribute to assign to the property a description.

   <ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.AutoDual)>
   <CLSCompliant(False), ComVisible(True)>
   Public Class OptionPageGrid
       Inherits DialogPage
   
       Private optionValue As Integer = 256
   
       <Category("My Category VB")>
       <DisplayName("My Option Integer")>
       <Description("My integer option")>
       Public Property OptionInteger() As Integer
           Get
               Return optionValue
           End Get
           Set(ByVal value As Integer)
               optionValue = value
           End Set
       End Property
   End Class
   

   [ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.AutoDual)]
   [CLSCompliant(false), ComVisible(true)]
   public class OptionPageGrid : DialogPage
   {
       private int optionValue = 256;
   
       [Category("My Category CS")]
       [DisplayName("My Option Integer")]
       [Description("My integer option")]
       public int OptionInteger
       {
           get { return optionValue; }
           set { optionValue = value; }
       }
   }
   

   Note

   The default implementation of DialogPage supports properties that have appropriate converters or that are structures or arrays that can be expanded into properties that have appropriate converters. For a list of converters, see the System.ComponentModel namespace. The Visual Studio Extensibility Samples manages int, string, and System.Drawing.Size properties.

7. Build and start the project in debug mode by pressing F5. This starts Visual Studio in the experimental hive.

   Note

   Both versions of Visual Studio are open now.

8. In Visual Studio, on the Tools menu click Options.

   The Options dialog opens.

9. In the tree view, expand My Category and then click My Grid Page.

   The options grid appears in the right pane. The property category is My Options, and the property name is MyOption Integer. The property description, My integer option, appears at the bottom of the pane.

   Change the value from its initial value of 256 to something else. Click OK, and then reopen My Grid Page. You can see that the new value persists.

10. Exit Visual Studio Exp.

Creating a Tools Options Custom Page

In this section, you create a Tools Options page with a custom UI. You use this page to display and change the value of a property.

To create a Tools Options custom page

1. Open the MyToolsOptionsPackage file in the code editor.

2. Add the following namespace statement.

   Imports System.Windows.Forms
   

   using System.Windows.Forms;
   

3. Add an OptionPageCustom class, just before the OptionPageGrid class. Derive the new class from DialogPage.

   Public Class OptionPageCustom
       Inherits DialogPage
   

   public class OptionPageCustom : DialogPage
   

4. On the Tools menu, click Create GUID to copy and paste a new GUID with registry format into the code, removing the braces. Add a System.Runtime.InteropServices.ClassInterfaceAttribute. Add the string property, OptionString. Note that your GUID will differ from the GUID in the example:

   <ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.AutoDual),
   Guid("42C7F4D9-200D-4fe2-A093-49AFA2DDE7F8")>
   Public Class OptionPageCustom
       Inherits DialogPage
   
       Private optionValue As String = "alpha"
   
       Public Property OptionString() As String
           Get
               Return optionValue
           End Get
           Set(ByVal value As String)
               optionValue = value
           End Set
       End Property
   End Class
   

   [ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.AutoDual)]
   [Guid("1D9ECCF3-5D2F-4112-9B25-264596873DC9")]
   public class OptionPageCustom : DialogPage
   {
       private string optionValue = "alpha";
   
       public string OptionString
       {
           get { return optionValue; }
           set { optionValue = value; }
       }
   }
   

5. Apply a ProvideOptionPageAttribute to the VSPackage class. This will assign the class an options category and options page name.

   <PackageRegistration(UseManagedResourcesOnly:=True),
   InstalledProductRegistration("#110", "#112", "1.0", IconResourceID:=400),
   ProvideMenuResource("Menus.ctmenu", 1),
   Guid(GuidList.guidMyToolsOptionsPkgString)>
   <ProvideOptionPage(GetType(OptionPageCustom),
       "My Category VB", "My Custom Page VB", 0, 0, True)>
   <ProvideOptionPage(GetType(OptionPageGrid),
       "My Category VB", "My Grid Page VB", 0, 0, True)>
   Public NotInheritable Class MyToolsOptionsPackage
       Inherits Package
   

   [PackageRegistration(UseManagedResourcesOnly = true),
   InstalledProductRegistration("#110", "#112", "1.0", IconResourceID = 400),
   ProvideMenuResource("Menus.ctmenu", 1),
   Guid(GuidList.guidMyToolsOptionsPkgString)]
   [ProvideOptionPage(typeof(OptionPageCustom),
       "My Category CS", "My Custom Page CS", 0, 0, true)]
   [ProvideOptionPage(typeof(OptionPageGrid),
       "My Category CS", "My Grid Page CS", 0, 0, true)]
   public sealed class MyToolsOptionsPackage : Package
   

6. Add a user control named MyUserControl to the project.

   The user control opens in Design view.

   Note

   If you see a warning, rebuild the solution and reopen MyUserControl.cs. This is a known issue.

7. Add a TextBox control to the user control. In the Properties window, on the toolbar, click the Events button, and then double-click the Leave event.

   The code editor opens to show the new event handler.

8. Add a public OptionsPage field, an Initialize method to the control class, and update the body of the event handler as follows:

   Public Class MyUserControl
       Friend optionsPage As OptionPageCustom
   
       Public Sub Initialize()
           TextBox1.Text = optionsPage.OptionString
       End Sub
   
       Private Sub TextBox1_Leave(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) _
           Handles TextBox1.Leave
           optionsPage.OptionString = TextBox1.Text
       End Sub
   End Class
   

   public partial class MyUserControl : UserControl
   {
       public MyUserControl()
       {
           InitializeComponent();
       }
   
       internal OptionPageCustom optionsPage;
   
       public void Initialize()
       {
           textBox1.Text = optionsPage.OptionString;
       }
   
       private void textBox1_Leave(object sender, EventArgs e)
       {
           optionsPage.OptionString = textBox1.Text;
       }
   }
   

   The optionsPage field holds a reference to the parent OptionPageCustom instance. The Initialize method displays OptionString in the TextBox. The event handler writes the current value of the TextBox to the OptionString when focus leaves the TextBox.

9. In the package code file, add an override for the OptionPageCustom.Window property to the OptionPageCustom class to create, initialize, and return an instance of MyUserControl. Following is an example:

   <Browsable(False)>
   <DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Hidden)>
   Protected Overrides ReadOnly Property Window() As IWin32Window
       Get
           Dim page As New MyUserControl()
           page.optionsPage = Me
           page.Initialize()
           Return page
       End Get
   End Property
   

   [Browsable(false)]
   [DesignerSerializationVisibility(
       DesignerSerializationVisibility.Hidden)]
   protected override IWin32Window Window
   {
       get
       {
           MyUserControl page = new MyUserControl();
           page.optionsPage = this;
           page.Initialize();
           return page;
       }
   }
   

10. Build and start the project in debug mode by pressing F5. This starts a new Visual Studio instance.

    Note

    Both versions of Visual Studio are open at this point.

11. In the new Visual Studio instance, click the Tools menu and then click Options.

    The Options dialog opens.

12. In the tree view in the left pane, expand My Category and then click My Custom Page.

13. Change the value of OptionString from its initial value, alpha, to something else. Click OK, and then reopen My Custom Page. You can see that the new value has persisted.

14. Close the new Visual Studio instance.

Accessing Options from the Hosting VSPackage

In this section, you obtain the value of an option from the VSPackage that hosts the associated Tools Options page. The same technique can be used to obtain the value of any public property.

To access an option from the hosting VSPackage

1. In the package file, replace the body of the MyToolsOptions.MenuItemCallback method with the following lines:

   Private Sub MenuItemCallback(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
       Dim page As OptionPageGrid = CType(GetDialogPage(GetType(OptionPageGrid)), OptionPageGrid)
       MessageBox.Show(String.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture,
           "OptionInteger: {0}", page.OptionInteger))
   End Sub
   

   private void MenuItemCallback(object sender, EventArgs e)
   {
       OptionPageGrid page =
           (OptionPageGrid)GetDialogPage(typeof(OptionPageGrid));
       MessageBox.Show(string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture,
           "OptionInteger: {0}", page.OptionInteger));
   }
   

   This code calls GetDialogPage to create or retrieve an OptionPageGrid instance. OptionPageGrid in turn invokes LoadSettingsFromStorage to load its options, which are public properties.

2. Build and start the project in debug mode by pressing the keyboard shortcut, F5. This starts a new instance of Visual Studio.

   Note

   Both versions of Visual Studio are open at this point.

3. On the Tools menu, click Get internal option.

   A message box displays the current value of OptionInteger.

4. Exit the new Visual Studio instance.

Accessing Options by using Automation

In this section, you use Automation to obtain the value of an option from any VSPackage or add-in. The same technique can be used to obtain the value of any public property.

To access an option using Automation

1. Right-click the MyToolsOptions solution in Solution Explorer and add a new Visual Studio Package project named AnotherPackage.

   For more information about how to create a managed VSPackage, see Walkthrough: Creating a Menu Command By Using the Visual Studio Package Template.

2. In the Select a Programming Language page, select Visual Basic or Visual C#.

3. In the Select VSPackage Options page, select Menu Command.

4. In the Command Options page, change the Command Name to "Get external option", and then click Finish.

   The template creates the managed project, AnotherPackage.

5. Right-click the AnotherPackage project node and then click Set as StartUp Project.

6. Add the following namespace references to the VsPkg code file in the AnotherPackage project:

   Imports EnvDTE
   Imports System.Windows.Forms
   

   using EnvDTE;
   using System.Windows.Forms;
   

7. Replace the body of the AnotherPackage.MenuItemCallback method with the following lines:

   Private Sub MenuItemCallback(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
       Dim env As DTE = CType(GetService(GetType(DTE)), DTE)
   
       Dim props As EnvDTE.Properties = env.Properties("My Category VB", "My Grid Page VB")
   
       Dim value As Integer = CInt(props.Item("OptionInteger").Value)
       MessageBox.Show("OptionInteger: " & value.ToString())
   End Sub
   

   private void MenuItemCallback(object sender, EventArgs e)
   {
       DTE env = (DTE)GetService(typeof(DTE));
   
       EnvDTE.Properties props =
           env.get_Properties("My Category CS", "My Grid Page CS");
   
       int n = (int)props.Item("OptionInteger").Value;
       MessageBox.Show("OptionInteger: " + n);
   }
   

   This code calls a service to obtain the DTE object, the root object of the Visual Studio Automation model. Properties returns the properties collection for My Category.MyGridPage, which includes all public properties. The Item method selects OptionInteger from the collection.

8. Build and start the project in debug mode by pressing the keyboard shortcut, F5. This starts a new instance of Visual Studio.

   Note

   Both versions of Visual Studio are open at this point.

9. On the Tools menu, click Get external option.

   A message box displays the current value of OptionInteger.

See Also

Concepts

Support for Options Pages

Other Resources

VSPackage State