Substitute parameters in a template

Template parameters let you replace identifiers such as class names and namespaces when a file is created from a template. You can add template parameters to existing templates, or create your own templates with template parameters.

Template parameters are written in the format $parameter$. For a complete list of template parameters, see Template parameters.

The following section shows you how to modify a template to replace the name of a namespace with the "safe project name".

Example - namespace name

To follow this procedure, you need an existing template. If you don't have one, see Create project templates to learn how to export a project or solution to a template, or Create item templates.

1. Insert the parameter in one or more of the code files in the template. For example:

   namespace $safeprojectname$
   

2. In the vstemplate file for the template, locate the ProjectItem element that includes this file.

3. Set the ReplaceParameters attribute to true for the ProjectItem element:

   <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true">Class1.cs</ProjectItem>
   

Related content

• Create project and item templates
• Template parameters
• Visual Studio template schema reference
• ProjectItem element (Visual Studio item templates)