Getting Started (Visual Studio Tools for Applications)

By using Visual Studio Tools for Applications, you can integrate a development environment into your host application. End-user developers can then use Visual Basic or Visual C# to create add-ins that help them customize your application to their specific needs.

In This Section

• Introduction to Visual Studio Tools for Applications
  Provides key concepts to help you understand Visual Studio Tools for Applications.

• What's New in Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2.0
  Summarizes new features in Visual Studio Tools for Applications.

• Installing Visual Studio Tools for Applications
  Provides the installation instructions and download location to the Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2.0 SDK.

• Overview of Integrating Visual Studio Tools for Applications
  Describes the process of integrating Visual Studio Tools for Applications with your host application.

• System Requirements for the Visual Studio Tools for Applications IDE
  Describes the system requirements for the Visual Studio Tools for Applications integrated development environment (IDE).

Related Sections

• Creating Proxies
  Explains how to create proxies for managed and unmanaged object models by using the Proxy Generation tool (Proxygen.exe).

• Creating Project Templates (Visual Studio Tools for Applications)
  Explains how to create project templates by using the Project Template Generation tool (Projectgen.exe).

• Discovering and Loading Add-Ins
  Gives an overview of how to load and unload add-ins by using the .NET Framework.

• Incorporating the Integrated Development Environment
  Provides information about how to configure, start, and stop the IDE.

• Creating In-Process Hosts
  Provides an overview of using in-process hosts to extend the IDE project system, and links to a walkthrough that demonstrates the procedure.