Attributes in Visual Studio
This documentation discusses the following attributes, which were used to tag content in the Help files for Visual Studio:
A complete attribute list is also provided. When documenting Microsoft components or language elements, authors should use the same set of attributes that appear in similar Microsoft topics. Custom attributes can be defined when documenting non-Microsoft components or language elements, but the names of existing attributes cannot be duplicated.
Note
It is no longer required to include the Status attribute in your topics.
Information Type Attribute
The following table shows how the values for the Information Type attribute correspond to topic types in the Visual Studio documentation model.
Value |
Topic type |
|---|---|
Article |
Conceptual, including technology backgrounder and decision |
Orientation |
Orientation |
Reference |
General Reference, Error, UI Reference, Glossary |
Procedure |
Task, Troubleshooting, Walkthrough |
Sample |
Sample |
Syntax |
Language Reference |
Note
Apply only one Information Type value to each of your topics.
Product and Product Version Attributes
When applying the Product Version attribute, choose values that are independent of the version. For example, use the Access value (kbAccess) rather than a specific version such as Access 1.0 (kbAccess100). Where applicable, apply multiple Product Version values per topic. Choose a Product value that is consistent with the chosen Product Version value(s).
Possible exceptions to this rule are the following types of topics:
What's New
Getting Started
Upgrading
Compatibility
Language and Language Version Attributes
Similar to the Product Version attribute, choose Language version attribute values that are independent of the language version. Possible exceptions to this rule are the following types of topics:
What's New
Getting Started
Upgrading
Compatibility
Where applicable, apply multiple Language values per topic. Choose a Language value that is consistent with the chosen Language Version value or values.
Media Attribute
The Media attribute is used in conjunction with the "download" value to identify all sample abstract topics that contain an instance of the samples manager. This enables users to filter the library for downloadable samples, tools, and so forth. Currently, the only supported value for the Media attribute is "download."
Technology Attribute
The Technology attribute is used to identify topics that deal in depth with specific technologies, such as ASP.NET, or SQL. Use this attribute sparingly, reserving it only for topics that cover a particular technology in great detail, rather than for topics that merely touch on a technology.
TargetOS Attribute
The TargetOS attribute is used to identify whether a topic deals with Windows, Windows CE, or both. All topics should contain the TargetOS = Windows attribute. Topics that are applicable to the Windows CE platform should also contain TargetOS = WindowsCE.
Complete Attribute List
For more information, see MSDN Attribute Schema, a detailed list of MSDN attributes with properties and values for each.