Configuring .Vsz Files to Start Wizards
Visual Studio add-ins are deprecated in Visual Studio 2013. You should upgrade your add-ins to VSPackage extensions. For more information about upgrading, see FAQ: Converting Add-ins to VSPackage Extensions.
Visual Studio uses a file type called .vsz to launch wizards. These files are text files with a .vsz extension that Visual Studio uses to determine the wizard to call and the information to pass to it, if any.
Comparison to INI File
A .vsz file is a simplified version of an .ini format text file, but it has no labeled sections. The first part stores information known to the Visual Studio environment. The second section allows parameters specific to the wizard to be collected by the environment and passed to the wizard.
Following is an example of a sample .vsz file:
VSWizard 8.0
Wizard=VIDWizard.CBlankSiteWizard
Param=<item1>
Param=<item2>
…
Note
The Wizard value may also be a GUID in the format {xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx} — comprising sections 8,4,4,4, and 12 characters long.
The file has these parts:
VSWizard — This is the version number of the template file format, which for Visual Studio is "VSWizard 8.0." No other numbers are valid, and using other numbers results in an "Invalid Format" error.
Wizard — This is the programmatic ID (ProgID), such as MyWizard.MyClass, or alternately a string GUID representation of the CLSID of the Wizard that should be co-created by Visual Studio.
Param — These parameters are optional and you can add as many as your wizard requires. They are used to enable the .vsz file to pass additional custom parameters into the wizard. Each value is passed to the wizard as a string element in an array.
See Also
Tasks
Walkthrough: Creating a Wizard
Concepts
Adding Wizards to the Add Item and New Project Dialog Boxes by Using .Vsdir Files