1. Create a new .NET Class Library project using Visual Studio 2003 (.NET 1.1), Visual Studio 2005 (.NET 2.0), or any other development environment that supports creating .NET assemblies.

2. Add a reference to the WindowsLive.Writer.Api assembly (located in the directory C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Writer).

3. Create a new class derived from one of the two content source base classes (ContentSource or SmartContentSource).

4. Apply the WriterPluginAttribute to the new class. Optionally, if you want an image to appear alongside your plugin within the Writer user interface you should specify the WriterPluginAttribute.ImagePath property as part of this attribute.

5. Decide which content creation sources your plugin will support and add the required attributes and method overrides:

   • Insert dialog box: Add the InsertableContentSourceAttribute and override the CreateContent method.
     
   • URL (Blog This or Paste): Add the UrlContentSourceAttribute and override the CreateContentFromUrl method.
     
   • LiveClipboard (Paste): Add the LiveClipboardContentSourceAttribute and override the CreateContentFromLiveClipboard method.
     

6. Add the following command to the Post Build event of your project (this will copy your plugin to the Writer plugins directory after it is built):

   XCOPY /D /Y /R "$(TargetPath)" "C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Writer\Plugins\"

7. Build your plugin and then run Windows Live Writer to test and debug.

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