Glossary (Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2.0)
The following technical terms are used in the Visual Studio Tools for Applications documentation.
A
adapter
In the .NET Framework add-in programming model, an adapter is a class that converts the data that is passed through a contract into types that are understood by the views used by the host application and the add-in. There are two different kinds of adapters: add-in-side adapters and host-side adapters. For more information, see Understanding the Add-in Pipeline in Visual Studio Tools for Applications.add-in
A supplemental program that extends the capabilities of a host application by using the application's object model to add custom commands and specialized features.add-in developer
An end user of the host application who uses the Visual Studio Tools for Applications IDE to create add-ins, record macros, or otherwise extend the application.
C
canonical name
A globally unique name, such as a fully qualified type name, that identifies a type. Visual Studio Tools for Applications uses canonical names to associate proxy types with types in the host application. This name appears as the friendly name for the types in the type map, so you should be able to read it. The canonical name can never be changed. For more information, see Mapping Host Types to Proxy Types.contract
An immutable interface that components that are updated independently of each other can use to communicate. All contracts derive from the IContract interface. For more information, see Understanding the Add-in Pipeline in Visual Studio Tools for Applications.
E
- entry point
A class in the proxy assembly that is instantiated when the host application loads an add-in, and that performs initialization tasks. An entry point is also the base class for one or more host items. For more information, see Defining Entry Points and Other Proxy Changes.
H
host adapter
An object that provides your host application with programmatic access to the Visual Studio Tools for Applications IDE. The host adapter is an object that implements the IVstaHostAdapter interface. For more information, see Dynamically Creating and Modifying Host Items and Host Objects in an Add-in Project.host application
The application that will be extended by add-in developers. You integrate Visual Studio Tools for Applications with the host application.host item
A class in an add-in project that provides a starting point for add-in developers to write their code. Add-in developers use host items to access the object model of the application and to obtain all the objects they use to automate the host application. Host items derive from entry points in the proxy assembly. For more information, see Creating Project Templates Using the Project Template Generation Tool (Projectgen.exe).host item provider
A class that you create in your host application that enables host items in the add-in to access their underlying types in the object model of the host application. For more information, see Exposing Host Objects to Add-Ins.
I
- in-process host
An add-in model that enables you to extend the Visual Studio Tools for Applications project system. For more information, see In-Process Host Overview.
P
partially trusted add-in
An add-in that has restricted permissions; it does not have full trust in the .NET Framework security policy.pipeline
A series of assemblies that facilitate the exchange of data between a host application and an add-in. The host application uses the pipeline to discover and load an add-in. After an add-in is loaded, the add-in and the host application use the pipeline to call into each other and pass objects back and forth. For more information, see Understanding the Add-in Pipeline in Visual Studio Tools for Applications.proxy
A type that represents the add-in's view of a type in the host application object model. Rather than using host types directly, add-in developers instead use proxy types. For more information, see Creating Proxies.proxy assembly
An assembly that contains a set of proxies for the host application object model. After you generate proxies by using the Proxy Generation tool (ProxyGen.exe), you build the proxy assembly. For more information, see Creating Proxies.proxy descriptor file
An XML representation of the host application's object model. You can use this file to create proxies by using ProxyGen.exe. For more information, see Creating Proxies.
T
- type map
A data structure that associates Type objects, which describe the types in the host application, with canonical names that uniquely identify each type. Visual Studio Tools for Applications uses type maps to determine how to convert types between the object model of the host application and proxy types used by the add-in. For more information, see Mapping Host Types to Proxy Types.
V
- view
An abstract class or interface that defines the methods that the host application and the add-in use to call into each other. There are two different kinds of views: add-in views and host views of add-ins. For more information, see Understanding the Add-in Pipeline in Visual Studio Tools for Applications.