Visual Studio Extensions Tutorials

Learn how to build powerful extensions for Visual Studio to customize your development experience.

Getting Started with Visual Studio Extension Development

An introductory guide to setting up your environment and creating your first simple Visual Studio extension.

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Creating Custom Tool Windows

Discover how to add your own interactive tool windows to the Visual Studio IDE.

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Implementing Editor Enhancements

Enhance the code editor with features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and refactorings.

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Working with the VSSDK API

A deep dive into the Visual Studio SDK, covering key classes and patterns for advanced extension development.

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Packaging and Deploying Extensions

Learn how to package your extensions for distribution and installation.

Guide

Advanced Topics: Commands and Menu Items

Add custom commands and integrate them into Visual Studio's menus and toolbars.

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Example: Adding a Simple Command

using Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell;
using System;
using System.ComponentModel.Design;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Task = System.Threading.Tasks.Task;

namespace MyAwesomeExtension
{
    internal sealed class MyCommand : AsyncPackage
    {
        public const int CommandId = 0x0100;
        public static readonly Guid CommandSet = new Guid("b11e020e-937b-400a-995b-e8f0b189f13f");

        public MyCommand()
        {
            // Initialize the package
        }

        protected override async Task InitializeAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken, IProgress<ServiceProgressData> progress)
        {
            await base.InitializeAsync(cancellationToken, progress);
            await JoinableTaskFactory.SwitchToMainThreadAsync();

            var commandService = await GetServiceAsync(typeof(IMenuCommandService)) as IMenuCommandService;
            var menuCommandID = new CommandID(CommandSet, CommandId);
            var menuItem = new OleMenuCommand((s, e) => this.Execute(), menuCommandID);
            commandService.AddCommand(menuItem);
        }

        private void Execute()
        {
            VsShellUtilities.ShowMessageBox(this,
                                            "Hello World from My Awesome Extension!",
                                            "My Command",
                                            OLEMSGICON.OLEMSGICON_INFO,
                                            OLEMSGDEFBUTTON.OLEMSGDEFBUTTON_FIRST,
                                            OLEMSGRESULT.OLEMSGRESULT_OK);
        }
    }
}